Keyboard Magazine

CUBASE 7
HIROMI | DIGITAL PIANOS | RAY MANZAREK TRIBUTE | MATT & KIM | STEINBERG CUBASE 7 | LESSONS | WAVES ELEMENT

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AUGUST 2013

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CONTENTS AUGUST 2013

TALK KNOW
10 Voices from the Keyboard community. 40 BACKTRACK
An introduction to Using Backing Tracks Live

NEW GEAR 42 DANCE

Go beyond the “wub wub” sound with Multiple LFOs
12 Our monthly wrap-up of exciting new product releases from
keyboard, recording, pro audio, and music software makers.
REVIEW
HEAR SPECIAL SECTION

SAKIKO NOMURA
DIGITAL PIANOS FOR HOME AND STAGE
14 LEGENDS Affordable and great sounding digital pianos are multiplying.
Fiery jazz-fusion phenom Hiromi Whether you intend mainly to practice with family or play for
talks about how you have to treat your enjoyment, to make the piano the foundation of your weekend
inner composer and keyboardist as two bar-band rig, or both, one of these new instruments is right for you.
different people, and about writing a
“soundtrack of the day” on her new 44 Casio Privia Pro PX-5S
album Move. 48 Kawai ES7
50 Korg SP-280
20 ROAD WARRIORS 52 Roland RD-64
Steely Dan, Dukes of September, and 54 Yamaha P-105
Wayne Shorter are just the beginning of
the impressive résumé of Jim Beard. Learn his thoughts about practice, Coming next month:
serving the gig, and a word that musicians shouldn’t consider dirty. Kurzweil SPS4-8

24 BREAKOUTS 56 DAW
Matt Johnson of duo Matt and Kim on how to create a ferocious, Steinberg Cubase 7
booty-shaking punk-pop sound when half the band is keyboards.
60 SOFT SYNTH
26 DEPARTURES Waves Element
Remembering Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek.
62 APP
Camel Audio Alchemy Mobile Pro 2
PLAY
28 JAZZ CODA
Brian Charette details five ways to play like Hiromi
66 Five things Geoffrey Keezer has learned about
32 TEN-MINUTE TECHNIQUE Solo Jazz Piano
Federico Gonzales Peña on Warming Up on the
Run, part 2

34 POP
Matt Beck (Rob Thomas, Rod Stewart) on Guitar Voicings for Keyboardists
Online Now!
O

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6 Keyboard 08.2013
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 VOL. 39, NO. 08 #449 AUGUST 2013
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8 Keyboard 08.2013
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TALK VO IC ES FRO M THE KEYBOARD COMMUN ITY Connect
Comment directly at
keyboardmag.com

twitter.com
keyboardmag

Editor’s Note facebook.com

KeyboardMagazine

Polyphony on today’s keyboards can feel like
advertised MPG on cars: Your real-world experi-
ence will probably be lower. Sometimes, readers
have asked me whether keyboard makers are
inflating their specs. It’s not so much that as it
is synth vocabulary not having kept up with the
technology over the past 30 years or so.
On most classic synths polyphony was a
straightforward matter of the number of keys you
could push at once and still hear a sound. For ex-
ample, there may have been ten oscillator circuits
inside the Prophet-5, but because of how the keys
triggered those circuits, you got five notes wheth-
er your patch used one oscillator or two. Similarly,
the Yamaha DX7’s synthesis engine yielded 16
notes regardless of what FM algorithm you used.
Through roughly the late 1980s, you could use the
term “voices” interchangeably with “notes.”
When synths based on digital sampling be-
came mainstream, it began to make more sense
to think of polyphony in terms of simultaneous
audio streams. Dig into a modern workstation’s
SoundCloud.com
edit menu, and you’ll find that the “oscillator” level
KeyboardMag
can host not just one key-mapped multisample,
but several of them switched by velocity or other
Keyboard Corner
control messages (e.g., up to eight velocity layers
forums.musicplayer.com
per oscillator in current Korg workstations or the
eight “elements” in a Yamaha Motif XS/XF pro-
email
gram). So, yes, if your patch has two oscillators,
keyboard@musicplayer.com
playing one note uses at least two voices. It might
use more—say, if you play a velocity that’s in a
crossfade range such that two samples are speaking
at the same time. Also, stereo sampling doubles the “voices” and think of audio streams rather than
voice demand. With physical or analog modeling number of keys down. As always, there are excep-
synths, polyphony becomes a moving target based tions (like organ clones that offer full polyphony no
how many cycles of your synth’s CPU are available matter how many drawbars are pulled out), but this
to create notes given the patch complexity—more little bit of foreknowledge should help you focus on
filters could mean fewer notes in this world. more important issues about the instrument you
Fortunately, digital synth engines today know may buy—like whether it inspires you to play.
enough to let go of a voice when its no longer need-
ed musically, and if notes have to be cut off, to rob
the ones your ears are least likely to miss. All this
said, if you see the term “notes” in a modern digital Stephen Fortner
keyboard’s polyphony spec, mentally substitute Editor

Q U O T E OF T H E M ON T H

“ ”
Sound came before words came. You can express drama in sound,
but it’s not so easy in words. A baby crying—that’s drama.
—VLADIMIR H OR OWITZ, IN KEYBOARD, JANUARY 1976

THE POLL I’D PREFER TO, BUT CAN LIVE

WITH WORKAROUNDS LIKE A

Q: DOYOU REQUIRE
PCI EXPANSION CHASSIS
21%
EXPANSION SLOTS NO, BECAUSE I USE
YES, ABSOLUTELY

INSIDE YOUR THUNDERBOLT

PERIPHERALS 10% 36%
MAIN STUDIO
COMPUTER? NO, BECAUSE I USE A LAPTOP OR ALL-
33%
Polls rotate every two weeks, and can be IN-ONE AND RELY ON USB OR FIREWIRE
found at the bottom of our homepage.

10 Keyboard 08.2013
Key Secrets You’ve Gotta Bend

Spotting a great price, I recently bought a used Akai MiniAk (reviewed in

Keyboard June ’10) on eBay. The thunderous
rous bass was a happy sur-
prise, but what really grabbed me were its
ts wheels. Not only do you
get three, but you can set the pitch wheell to bend only the notes
you’re holding. (Notes sustained with thee pedal or in their
envelope release phase don’t change.)
That lets you bend a single note in a
chord, like a guitarist. Other synths
with this sort of selective bending
include the Alesis Micron, Fender
Chroma Polaris, Ensoniq ESQ-1 and
SQ-80, Kurzweil 2000 series, and Yamaha ha
DX21. Leave a note in the Keyboard Corner ner
forum at forums.musicplayer.com if you’ve ’ve
found more. David Battino

Full-Band Jam
My First _____________ ___. Eliane Elias
Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, songwriter, and arranger Eliane Elias’ first time
playing with a band of American musicians happened when she was 12
years old. The band wasn’t live though; rather, the formative groove session
happened thanks to a play-along record produced by Music Minus One. “The
group consisted of bass, drums, and vibraphone playing jazz standards,”
says Elias. “It had a lead sheet with chord changes and the melody and I
played along.” Jamming with her pre-recorded bandmates was the most fun
the young pianist had yet had playing music. “The feeling of improvising for
the first time while being accompanied by the band was like reaching the
stars,” she says. I was hooked on improvisation for life and felt right then
YUKA YAMAJI

that I wanted to move to the U.S. to play with live jazz musicians and get to
feel even more of that.” Hear Eliane’s pianistic grace in action on her new
Concord release, I Thought About You, on which she pays tribute to the
music of Chet Baker. | elianeelias.com | Michael Gallant

08.2013 Keyboard 11
NEW GEAR
BY GINO ROBAIR

NOVATION BASS STATION II

WHAT Monophonic synth. WITH Two-octave
keyboard with velocity and aftertouch.
Two modulatable filter types—Classic and
Acid—with overdrive. Two oscillators, sub-
oscillator, and noise generator. Arpeggiator
and pattern-based sequencer. All analog
signal path, including effects. WHY It’s real
analog, and it covers the full frequency
spectrum, not just bass. $629.99 |
novationmusic.com

KAWAI GX BLAK SERIES

WHAT Acoustic grand pianos. WITH Six models, from
5' 5" to 7' 6". Millennium III Action. Extended key lengths.
Non-tone-producing mechanical parts made from ABS/
carbon fiber composite. Stretcher bar has been doubled
for strength, increased tuning stability. WHY These pro-
level pianos combine modern materials with traditional
tone woods and use the latest construction techniques.
$35,000–$76,000 | kawaius.com

BIG FISH AUDIO VINTAGE VIBE

WHAT Virtual instrument for
Kontakt Player 5 and Reason 6
or later. WITH Sample collection
of ’60s and ’70s keys, guitars,
basses, and drums—Farfisa, Fender,
Emenee, Hammond, Hohner, and
Wurlitzer included. Reason ReFill
includes Combinator and NN-XT
patches. WHY An entire library of
instrumental sounds that fits both
modern and contemporary settings.
$199.95 | bigfishaudio.com

METASONIX S-2000
WHAT Vacuum tube analog synth. WITH Two tube
oscillators that have resonant filter characteristics. Three-
octave ribbon. CV/gate I/O and external audio input.
Bandpass filter. Rack-mountable 3U housing. Includes
12VDC power supply. WHY No other synth sounds as
aggressive as one with tubes and a ribbon controller. Just
ask Trent Reznor. $1,500 | metasonix.com

12 Keyboard 08.2013

SONIVOX TWIST 2.0
WHAT “Spectral morphing” soft synth. WITH Two
harmonic layers that share a multimode filter, modu-
lation LFO, and envelope controls. Pattern generator.
MIDI input quantizing. Reverb, chorus, and delay.
Mac or Windows, 32- and 64-bit support. AU, VST,
and RTAS formats. WHY Patches that sound like you
spent days programming are easy to get with just a
few, well, twists. $99 | sonivoxmi.com
GENELEC M030 and M040
WHAT Active two-way near-field studio
monitors with redesigned Class D amplifiers.
WITH M030 has 5" woofer with 50W/30W
amps. M040 has 6.5" woofer with 80W and
50W amps. Controls to tune monitors to the
room. XLR, TRS, and RCA inputs. WHY Genelec
quality and accuracy hits a home studio price
point. M030: $695 each | M040: $995 each |
genelec.com

All prices are manufacturer’s suggested retail (list) unless otherwise

noted. Follow keyboardmag.com/news and @keyboardmag on Twitter
for up-to-the-minute gear news.

08.2013 Keyboard 13
 HEAR LEGENDS » R OA D WA R R IOR S » B R EA KOUTS » DEPA RTUR ES

~~ ~~~ ~~~
“I really love Frank Zappa,”
proclaims jazz pianist
and composer

Hiromi, seated next to a NINE-FOOT

CONCERT GRAND PIANO
at Yamaha Artist Services
in midtown
Manhattan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JUAN PATINO

14 Keyboard 08.2013
 BY JON REGEN | PHOTOS BY JUAN PATINO

ONE LISTEN TO HIROMI’S DEVASTATING NEW DISC

Move and you’ll understand her fascination with Zappa’s
genre-bending music. Backed by Anthony Jackson on bass
and Simon Phillips on drums, Hiromi soars on a scintillating
set of originals that marry elements from jazz, rock, clas-
sical, funk, and world music. Conceived as a “soundtrack
of the day,” the album draws inspiration from the sounds
one hears—and emotions one feels—at different times of
the day. From the backbeat-infused, metrically-shifting
title track, to more introspective cuts like “Brand New Day”
and “Fantasy,” Move proves that Hiromi is more than just a
technical force at the piano. She’s also a fearless composer
whose music is beyond categorization.

Can you explain the “soundtrack of the day” concept behind Move?
Well, I was thinking about how there are certain emotions I feel at
particular times of the day. I wanted to write a kind of soundtrack that
followed the daily stream of time—like the sound of the alarm clock
going off in the morning, which I mimicked on the intro to “Move.”
Each song follows the passing of time during the day.

What inspired you to write an album with this premise?

“He’s been one of my I think it was the idea of how time affects my emotions. I tend to write
differently in the morning than I do in the afternoon or at night. Also,
biggest influences, when I travel, I sometimes actually lose the morning or the night. So
and he’s who I want to meet first when the next day comes and that time comes around again, I feel
when I go to Heaven— strange, like I haven’t had that feeling in a while. So one idea on the album

if
was to experiment with how different times of the day make me feel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Move is your second album with Simon Phillips on drums and
I get there!” Anthony Jackson on bass. How did you choose them?
I had Anthony as a guest on my first two albums, and I had always
wanted to make a full album with him. I’d bump into him at festivals
or at clubs and we’d talk about working on future projects together. In
2009, I felt like the time had come, so I brought up the idea to him of
doing a trio project together. As I started writing songs, the drum sound
I was looking for became clearer to me. That’s when I thought about
Simon. I knew his playing from the Who, Toto, and his solo projects.
When I told Anthony I was thinking of Simon, he was thrilled. So my
manager called Simon about playing on the project and said, “Hiromi is
interested in you for her new project. I can send you samples because
you’re probably not familiar with her music.” And that’s when Simon
said, “Actually, yesterday someone sent me a YouTube video of her play-
ing with Chick Corea and I’m watching it right now!”

That’s probably the easiest pitch your manager ever had to make!
[Laughs.] Yeah. Simon was also thrilled that Anthony was in the trio
because they’ve been playing together on and off for the past 30 years.
They both understand and can play all kinds of music. Simon is probably

08.2013 Keyboard 15
most well known as a rock drummer, but his father
is a jazz musician, so he grew up listening to swing
and jazz and playing in big bands. Anthony loves
classical music. We can really talk deeply about clas-
sical pianists. It’s amazing how wide-ranging both
of their understandings are. So the three of us have
that in common. We love all kinds of great music.
I read that you wanted to write songs especially
for this band. Can you talk about the process of
writing with specific players in mind?
Since we made the album Voice, the three of us
have been touring and playing together a lot. We
would jam together at sound check, and the more
we played, the deeper I understood Anthony and
Simon’s playing. Whenever I write music as a
composer, I want to make the other musicians
shine. It’s also as if the composer Hiromi is writing
for the pianist Hiromi. They are different people,
and sometimes I actually write something that I
can’t technically play! So the pianist part of me
then has to practice hard to satisfy the composer
part of me. So that’s how I write. I orchestrate
everything for piano, bass, and drums, and I try
to make everybody shine in different ways.
Can you give an example of writing some-
thing that you then have to practice in order
to perform?
For instance, I might hear different melodies in the
upper and lower registers of the piano, but playing
them at the same time is quite difficult. But when
I hear it I can’t stop writing, so I just write. When
I’m writing, I’m not thinking about the fact that
I can’t play it. I just want to hear what I write, so
later I have to practice to make that happen.
Why does the title track start with your
piano impersonation of an alarm clock?
It comes from me traveling so much. I have to set
an alarm clock and take the earliest flight of the
day to get to the next city to play. So most of the
time, my mornings start with an alarm clock. I
love all sorts of sounds in the world, but never
liked that one, because it’s such a frustrating,
irritating sound. So I thought, “Maybe if I use this
sound, I’ll come to like it.” I guess it worked be-
cause now I’ve been starting to sing it! [Laughs.]
Can you give us other examples of finding
musical inspiration in ordinary sounds?
Sometimes when you’re crossing the street and all
the different cars are honking at the same time, you
get these amazing cluster chords. It makes me feel
like I’m a conductor in an orchestra and they’re all
tuning up. Sometimes I just stop and listen to it.
You’ve said that “Move” is one of the most dif-
ficult tunes you’ve ever written. Why?
16 Keyboard 08.2013
Well, it’s difficult to make that tune sound easy,
because there are a lot of metric changes and there
are also rhythmic unisons between the three of us
in the band, as well as high unisons between Antho-
ny and me. You really have to get used to the song to
nail everything down and still make it sound easy.
There’s a great musical dialogue between
you and Simon on that track, where you’re
playing right-hand flourishes and he’s re-
sponding. Was that written out?
No, that was improvised. Even if I’m a soloist, I
think there always needs to be group improvisa-
tion. It’s a constant communication where we all
try to surprise each other. That’s the most fun part
about improvised music. You never know what
you’re getting and you try to find a different rout-
ing every day to get from one section to the next.
~~~~~~~~
“If you feel
weak
playing in certain keys,
write songs
in them.
It really helps.”
~~~~~~~~
What pianists inspired this sense of fear-
lessness in your playing and composition?
The first two pianists I listened to were Errol Gar-
ner and Oscar Peterson. Then I started listening
to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Keith Jar-
rett. I love listening to old recordings with alter-
nate takes on them, where take 1 is completely
different from takes 2 and 3. In a way, I find
improvisation to be a very natural thing, because
every human being does it. Even if you have a
routine or schedule, like a nine-to-five job, it’s
never the exact same thing day to day. It’s almost
harder to play something the exact same way
every time. So for me it’s about trying to make
every day interesting.
Who are some other musical influences that
readers might be surprised about?
I like [singer, songwriter, and Once composer]
Glen Hansard very much. I like music that touch-
es my heart and his music is beautiful.
The second song on the album, “Brand New
Day,” is a total departure from the song
before it. What inspired that almost dream-
like composition?
Well, because Move is a sort of “concept” album, I
was just following the course of time in my writ-
ing. The second track is about me finally feeling
sunshine. Most of time, I leave my hotel before
the sun rises and by the time I get to the airport I
get to see the sunrise. It’s a sort of common land-
scape that I experience on the road.
“Endeavor” is another complete stylistic
change, with its funky groove and filter-laden
synth sweeps. What are you using there?
It’s the Nord Lead 2. In my past projects I also
used the Nord Electro. I started playing electronic
keyboards because I loved how guitar players could
bend the sound. I wanted to apply that to the keys.
You seem to pay great attention to how the
album’s songs are sequenced. Many people
say the album is dead as a unit of experienc-
ing music, but you defy that head-on.
To me the album is very important. It’s like an
entire movie. Even if each scene makes sense sep-
arately, the film becomes great when it works as a
whole. To that end, I like composing songs in dif-
ferent keys because I think every key has its own
personality. When I write a song, I try to trans-
pose it into a key where I feel it shines the most.
Are you comfortable playing in every key?
Now, yes. I wouldn’t have said that 15 years ago,
but now I am. One thing I would recommend for
musicians who want to be able to play in every
key is to write songs in all 12 keys. You want to be
able to play your own songs correctly! [Laughs.] If
you feel weak playing in certain keys, write songs
in them. It really helps.
“Rainmaker” has an ascending figure in
C minor that you later take through a major
tonality. . . .
When I was writing that song, I saw this visual im-
age—the rain starts, then I hear storms off in the
distance. Then the rain stops and you can see a little
sunshine, but the clouds start again and a dark cloud
is moving in. You can hear the storms far away at the
end of the song with the last drum roll. So I had a
clear image of how I wanted the song to be.
The new album also features your Suite Escap-
ism, with the parts “Reality,” “Fantasy,” and
“In Between.” Can you talk about writing
extended, interlocking compositions?
I love writing those kinds of pieces. As a compos-
er it’s a lot of fun, because if you write one motif
in the first movement, you can bring it back again
in the third movement in a different way. Maybe
not every listener catches it, but I know it’s there.
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The Keys to Move
The keyboard duties on Hiromi’s
new album Move were handled pri-
marily by a nine-foot Yamaha CFX
piano—the company’s new premium
concert grand.
“The acoustic piano was my
first instrument and it will be my
main, inseparable instrument for my
entire life,” Hiromi says. “I feel I can
really reflect myself at the piano,
and there’s still so much to learn
from it. I love the sound of the CFX.
It has a very beautiful high end and
also a really strong bottom end. I
love the mixture of brilliance and
warmth in its sound. Also, since I’ve
been playing Yamaha pianos since
I was six, I’m very used to the ham-
mer action and I can control it well.
I’m from the same town as Yamaha—
Hamamatsu, Japan—so we’ve been
friends for a long time!”
For the electronic textures on
Move, Hiromi relied on a Nord Lead 2
virtual analog synth. “I started play-
ing keyboards in high school,” she
continues. “My first keyboard was a
Yamaha DX7. I was always a big fan
of how guitar players could bend the
JUAN PATINO
sound. You can’t do that or sustain
the sound too long on the piano. I
love guitar players like Jimi Hendrix,
Jeff Beck, and David Fiuczynski, and
now I can use the keyboard like a
guitar and also as a percussive ac-
cent to the piano. The Nord sound is
very nostalgic and warm. I also love
its wooden pitch-bender.”
Often we think of the bass as the anchor,
but with Anthony Jackson on contrabass
guitar there are times where he is as promi-
nent a melodic player as you are.
Yeah. His vibrato is so beautiful, and with the way
he uses his volume pedal, he can make the bass
sound like cello and guitar, and of course a really
fat bass guitar. He’s really multi-dimensional, just
18 Keyboard 08.2013
like Simon. I like to be able to capture them both
from different angles.
How do you keep your finger dexterity in top
shape with such a demanding touring sched-
ule? Do you practice when you’re on the road?
Well, when I have the luxury of being in the same
city for six days like I do now, then I can really
practice. But I usually just try and get to the ven-
ue as soon as I can. So if the sound check is five
o’clock, I get there at two. I love practicing.
What kinds of things do you practice?
It depends what I want to work on. I usually practice
scales and pieces from classical music, or I work on
chords. But even if I don’t have a piano, I always do
finger exercises—on a table or a hard surface like
a dictionary. Just like drummers play on a practice
pad, I’ll practice fingering on a notebook or a desk.
I used to do it on airplane tray tables, but the pas-
sengers in front of me got so annoyed I had to stop
and start carrying a book instead! I’ll play fingering
exercises like 5-4, 5-4, 5-3, 5-3, 5-2, 5-2, and so on. I
just try to wake up my fingers.
Your song “Margarita” brings on the funk
in a big way. Are there musicians from that
genre who left a lasting impression on you?
I’m a big fan of Sly and the Family Stone. On “Mar-
garita,” I just started with the bass line. I imagined
Anthony playing that bass line and thought, “This
is so cool.” It’s a really fun track to play live, too.
What do you look forward to accomplishing
next?
So much. I want to be a better piano player. There
is so much to learn beyond the technical aspects
of the instrument. Music really reflects life, so the
more you learn, the more you can express. There are
things you can only express at certain times in your
life. Maybe there were things I played at age 20 that
I can’t play anymore, because every year that I grow
up, I gain something and I lose something. It’s just
like growing as a human being. So the piano is my
lifetime project. I just want to be able to understand
it as much as I can for the rest of my life.
What have you learned about what it takes
to have a successful career in music?
It’s about listening—to others, and to yourself.
Music is just like a conversation, and the more vo-
cabulary you have, the more you can say what you
really want to say. I learned English as a second
language, and 14 years ago, I couldn’t speak any
English at all. Little by little, I started to get more
vocabulary together. I listened to native speakers
and I started to understand how to speak better
myself. That’s how babies learn to speak. It’s the
same in music. The more you listen, the more you
get. So when you hear something someone else is
playing that you like, you should play it as much as you
can. Play it over and over again, like you’re learning a
new word. After a while, it will become part of your
vocabulary. It won’t sound borrowed any longer. It
will sound like it’s coming from you.
Live with Anthony
Jackson and Simon
Phillips
Video from this interview
keyboardmag.com/august2013
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 HEAR LE GENDS » R OA D WAR R IOR S » B R EA KOUTS » DEPA RTUR ES

JIM B E A R D
IZUMI UCHIDA
ON STEELY DAN, ZAWINUL, AND THAT OTHER F-WORD
IZUMI UCHIDA

20 Keyboard 08.2013
BY JERRY KOVARSKY

JIM BEARD IS THE KIND OF MUSICIAN THAT ANY READER OF KEYBOARD tant about any given song. So if we’re playing “Black
dreams of being. Currently holding the keyboard chair in both Steely Dan and the Cow” and I start my solo playing like McCoy Tyner,
Dukes of September—a must-see soul revue featuring Donald Fagen, Michael Mc- that just wouldn’t seem right. I try to feel like I’m
Donald, and Boz Scaggs—he has played with some of the greatest names in jazz playing like myself but that I’m also tipping my hat to
and fusion, including Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Dizzy Gillespie, the masters who did the recordings, who were in turn
and the Brecker Brothers. His formative years included private study with George tipping their hats to what the song was demanding.
Shearing and a bar band in which he played ’70s and ’80s top 40 covers—talk
about diverse. He’s also no less prolific a leader and composer than he is a sideman. So if you were to play the solo literally as
We caught up with Jim after a recent Dukes of September tour, as he was finishing transcribed, it’s not the same kind of energy
work on his upcoming solo piano CD, Show of Hands. with the band. You want to be more interac-
tive and not just play “parts.”
What was your touring rig for the Dukes of Before I joined the band in 2008, I played on Wal- Exactly. But some of what I’m doing is parts, and
September and how did it differ from what ter Becker’s CD Circus Money. In 2008, Steely Dan I think that’s a very underrated challenge: playing
you use with Steely Dan? was out on a world tour and they had some dates parts as if they’re not parts, playing parts as if it’s
With the Dukes I end up playing Hammond organ added in November, and Jeff Young [who was the first time you’ve played them or grooving them
for a majority of the show. Not only because it’s playing with them at the time] couldn’t make that like it’s the last time you’ll play them. A rhythm
a sound that belongs with most of the material leg of the tour. I guess Walter remembered my section plays certain parts night after night, and
they’re doing, but also because Donald is sitting work, because they called me and asked if I could each night it should feel like it’s the first time
at the acoustic piano and Michael McDonald has a do those dates. I, of course, said yes, and it was you’re discovering those parts, or then possibly
[Yamaha] Motif XF8 on which he’s playing Rhodes less than two months later that they called and the last time you’ll ever play them. It does become
and Wurlitzer sounds. So the Hammond fits that asked if I could do their entire tour for 2009. quite the Zen adventure. I need to add here, it very
situation best. I’m using the Hammond XK-3C, the much helps to have great parts to begin with.
double-manual system, through a Leslie 122. I also I read that you mentioned getting “the
have a Nord Stage, so it’s those two on my riser, and book” to learn for the tour. What’s a Steely In much of the music you’ve put out as a
on some pieces I’ll go down front and play acoustic Dan chart like? leader, your own songs are more than just a
piano while Donald sings and plays melodica. The charts I got didn’t all come from one source. head and then an excuse to solo. . . .
With Steely Dan we bring a Steinway grand Some had been around for many years, some were Composing and arranging is improvisation
piano, plus I have the Nord Stage and I use the more recent—not just by Jon [Dukes and Steely slowed way down—or perhaps improvisation
single-manual XK-3C so it’s those three key- Dan guitarist Jon Herington], but by other mem- is composing sped up. Growing up I think what
boards on my riser. I have to cover so many more bers of the band, present and former, who were struck me was listening to AM radio in the ’60s
parts recreating the sound of the records, which asked to make charts. For the most part the charts when record companies actually hired arrangers
weren’t too organ-centric. With the Dukes it’s do get voicing-specific; it’s usually a combination for their artists’ albums. It was being four years
more of a jam sort of gig, which leaves me more of written-out voicings and chord symbols—but old and really digging things like Herb Alpert and
room to play a fuller organ style. there are inconsistencies. I’d always known the the Tijuana Brass. Yes, it was corny music, but
voicings I heard on the record, but I’d also learn extremely well arranged corny music.
For which parts do you use the Nord Stage? from the charts. When rehearsals came, we’d bring Don’t get me wrong, I love blowing and I’ll get
The Nord has very believable, great-sounding Rhodes, these things up. Sometimes Donald and Walter re- up there with the best of ’em. Give me a piano
Wurlitzer, and Clavinet. I also use it for some synth arrange songs, in which case there will be different and a great rhythm section and let’s jam for six
things like the lead on “My Rival” and some strings chords and such. I knew the classic versions of the hours—that’s great. But for me personally, when
here and there. But the Steely Dan catalog is mostly songs, and so with Donald, Walter, and Jon, we’d I made my records, I sort of looked back at all the
filled with the classic rhythm section sounds. It’s not try things and discuss which way things should go. recorded history of jazz and I felt there was more
a synth-heavy band. I did take a Muse Receptor load- room for what I wanted to do rather than record
ed with everything in it from Wurlitzer to Clavinet, How did you approach those now-iconic so- yet another “jazz trio” record.
even acoustic piano, Hammond organ—I had every- los from Victor Feldman or Joe Sample, for
thing in it just in case they dropped the piano off the instance? What type of latitude did the band Your album Song of the Sun suggests a kinship,
back of the truck and my Hammond blew up. give you? timbral and otherwise, with Joe Zawinul. . . .
My attitude for playing those solos is not far from my The absolute genius of Zawinul, for me, was his
When and how did you get the gig with approach to the gig overall. The primary concern for way of being an arranger on the spot. He had his
Steely Dan? me is to convey a vibe, or feeling that I feel is impor- huge keyboard arsenal and he was constantly

08.2013 Keyboard 21
thinking like an arranger. There’s a reason to have
four, five, six keyboards around you in an arc
rather than a laptop filled with plug-ins. You just
can’t reach over and grab a sound in the moment
with a laptop setup. You can’t stop and squint at
a screen and click your trackpad on a sound—it’s
too late! The moment calls you and you’ve got to
put your hand on that keyboard and have that
sound be there. Joe was so great at that.
I saw Joe’s band at the Blue Note in New York
years ago, and Richard Bona was taking a bass solo.
It was very quiet and Joe stood up and was asking
one of his crew members to get him something and
his belly accidentally hit the keyboard and made this
really loud sound. Joe got this perplexed look on his
face and sat down, and what did he do? He hit that
keyboard again and again. Like he thought, “Dam-
mit, I’m going to turn this into something!” That
really summed up a wonderful side of Joe for me.
Zawinul was a pioneer in fusion. How do you
feel about that how that term has evolved?
Zawinul and Weather Report are high up on my list
of influences—Wayne Shorter’s composing, Joe’s
composing, their musical approach to the whole
thing. People like to use the “F-word”—fusion—but
all music, all really good, spiritually loving, forward-
thinking great music played a role in what they did.
Folk, pop, jazz, gospel, different ethnic music with
unusually tempered scales—they let it all in. John
McLaughlin once said, “What music isn’t fusion? Ev-
erything is fusion!” All music that’s ever been formed
is a result of combinations of other music that pre-
ceded it. Even traditional bebop is a type of fusion.
On so many tracks—“Jazz” from Advocate,
the use of vocal samples in “At the Glee
Club,” the whole vibe of “Major Darling’s
Impossible Half Time Show,” or “Side 2”
starting with the sound of the needle drop-
ping—there seems to be a sense of musical
humor. Any thoughts about that?
It’s safe to say that some people consciously avoid
humor because they’re afraid they won’t come
across as serious artists. To me humor is just one
of the many emotions and sensations we humans
experience. It’s a result of our long evolutionary trek.
There’s sentimentality, there’s being forlorn, there’s
nervous energy, there’s optimism and pessimism.
There are so many different feelings that we experi-
ence so I just figure, why should humor be ignored?
I don’t sit down and think, “I’m going to make this
funny right here.” It comes from as natural a place as
writing something dreamy and exotic, like the song
“Relief” [from Advocate]. As with all my songs, there’s
usually an initial sort of seed idea that I get and I’ll
say to myself; “Okay, this could turn into something.”
Right away in my mind, I assemble a character. I envi-
sion some sort of a creature or person: Are they short
22 Keyboard 08.2013
and fat, tall and skinny, what kind of clothes are they
wearing, do they have a silly walk, are they lonely,
are they in a crowd of people? The song becomes this
character and I’m filling out the rest of the song by
describing them and their environment. And I guess
some of these characters are funny.
It’s related to the fact that I want to take the
listener to a place that’s not only in the “note ap-
preciation” part of the brain. That’s not what it
was for me as a kid. I remember hearing Philly and
Motown music when my sister would put the radio
on, and I’d jump up and down on the bed until I
could touch the ceiling. I wasn’t thinking, “Hmm . .
. good notes.” It was making me feel something.
Composing and
arranging is
improvisation slowed
way down.
You’re releasing your first solo piano record,
Show of Hands. How did you prepare for it?
It’s a 180-degree turn from my last full orchestra CD,
Revolutions. I’ve got about five standards and five
original pieces on this new one. Plus a piece by Henry
Clough-Leighter, an early 20th century American
art song composer, a version of an 18th century
song that everyone knows, but I’m approaching
it differently. I’d say about a third of the pieces are
from a classical approach. I play “The Gentleman and
Hizcaine” which I wrote for Michael Brecker’s Don’t
Try This at Home record. I really had to practice this. It
sounds simple and I hope it sounds beautiful, but pia-
nistically it was really tough. There are a couple songs
like that—this Leighter song that’s so beautiful as-is,
it doesn’t need to be changed. There are other songs
where I basically had a shell and took liberties. I have
a version of Wayne Shorter’s “Face on the Barroom
Floor,” and one of my new originals is an ostinato-like
song with a written melody but the whole middle
section is completely improvised. So it does go a few
different places. I played this lovely Yamaha piano I
got to pick from their salon in Manhattan.
You’ve produced, you compose, you’re a side-
man, and you do your own records. How do
you change your hat from project to project?
You just have to make sure you have a closet with
some hats in it! If you only have one hat, you’re in
trouble—or that better be one special mofo hat! The
initial, critical first step in any of these endeavors
has nothing to do with sitting at my instrument. It’s
standing there, looking at “the situation,” and iden-
tifying whatever it is the upcoming project is need-
ing. It’s my job going out with Steely Dan to realize
the vision of Steely Dan. It’s not the Jim Beard Band
featuring Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Taking
out the Jim Beard Band, that’s a different story.
It’s simply seeing everything for what it is, like ap-
plying Occam’s razor. If the occasion arises where
you’re invited to step forward and fluff your feath-
ers, be happy to do that. Some musicians approach
everything like that, and good for them. But that’s
why those people only have their own bands or then
don’t work very much—or both.
How do you go beyond the study of the past,
the transcribing and all, into finding your
own voice as a musician?
I had a student just the other day ask me the same
question. I don’t think you can have one without
the other. It’s good to study the past. You need
to learn the rules before you can break them—at
least to break them properly. Transcribing is good;
that student had been doing a lot of it, has a lot of
licks, has a good ear and a good sense of time—
he’s a musical guy. But I could also tell what he was
really asking me: “What can I do to feel more free?”
I told him you have to spend time with yourself.
Spend time doing your practicing and transcrib-
ing, but also spend time just playing around. Don’t
worry about grooving, the time thing, just sit with
the notes. Play scales, maybe in a small chord se-
quence, and pay attention to yourself.
This process lets you make music where you
don’t feel you’re on a mission. I come across jazz
players who sound like they feel their duty is to
play 32 choruses of “Cherokee” really intensely
and imply all the altered changes. That’s great, but
can you play on “Blue in Green” and say something
beautiful with a few notes? More importantly,
what part of you is thinking about this? Are you
cultivating the part of your mind that’s critical and
discerning? I hear the catchphrase all the time:
“It’s all good.” Bulls***. There are some people who
are afraid to say that, but you shouldn’t be afraid
to judge yourself. Keep track of what you think
sounds good, and remember it. By the same token,
if you play something that sounds bad, stop and
say, “I’ll never do that again.”
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HEAR LE GENDS » ROAD WA R R IOR S » BRE AKOUTS » DEPA RTUR ES

BY ROBBIE GENNET | PHOTO BY KIRK STAUFFER

MAT t
KEYBOARDIST/VOCALIST MATT JOHNSON AND HIS MUSICAL PARTNER/DRUMMER
& Kim What keys did you use in the studio for the
Kim Schifino play some of the most exuberant music on the indie circuit, making new album?
records that practically leap out of your stereo and shove you onto the dance floor. When it came to the studio, I used a lot of soft
Since their 2006 debut, their equally enthusiastic fan base has grown with each of synths in Logic. There’s one called Diva, which is like
their four albums and the duo’s musical fire has burned only brighter. Their most a Minimoog emulator. I also wound up getting this
recent album Lightning is an energetic chunk of punky pop that translates into rock Mellotron simulator with a ton of different sounds.
mayhem at their live shows. Keyboard met up with Johnson to discuss the greater We really do like organic sounding stuff with a little
pleasures of vintage synths and modern production. more human personality to it. For example, I used an
old thrift store air organ. While it was in tune with
How did you get into playing keys? onstage. I say it can’t hold its drink because if you itself, it was out of tune with everything else, so I
I came from a guitar background. When I was 15, I spill any beer on it, it’s done! I went through about had to run it through something to tune it up. I used
found this Yamaha CS5 keyboard in my neighbor’s five or six of those, but I still use them in the studio it to put on top of horn samples to blend them
garage, which I borrowed. It just looked really cool because it has this cool sound that’s perfect. together. I also used a number of weird sampled
even though I could just make random sounds with pianos. There’s also some xylophones, plus a little
it. When I was around 20, I figured I should learn What are you currently using for live shows? Korg MS-20. My go-to method is writing in the
how to make music. I was learning how to play that For live shows nowadays I use the Yamaha CS5. box and then breaking out and trying to replace it
thing while Kim was learning how to play drums. I have three of those. It’s not an expensive with something strange.
We were trying to do that together and that’s when keyboard—I call it the poor man’s Moog—but
we started playing music together. That keyboard they’re hard to find. I had to order one from What did you use to create the song “Now”?
was the basis for me trying to understand synthesis Japan. I also use a modern Roland Juno-G, That’s actually the Yamaha CS5 pulsing through
and whatnot, and it made it onto all of our albums. I which is really diverse. I split it up sometimes 16 a tremolo timed to the bpm. I started doing that
also used to use a Korg Poly-800, which sounds glo- different ways and make it into something for us- a bit and it kind of emulates how strumming gui-
rious in the cheesiness of it but doesn’t hold up well ing its sample triggering capabilities onstage. tars add a percussive quality to a tonal sound.

24
ON SYNTH-DRIVEN
Keyboard 08.2013
P U N K POP
How about the opening synth in “Overexposed”?
It sounds like you used the portamento.
I don’t use a lot of glide between keys but some-
times it adds a little something extra. The arpeggiat-
ed synth in the verse was sequenced in the piano-
roll editor in Logic. It’s tough to recreate that stuff
live. I know that some bands match the clock of
their keyboards to their tracks live, which we don’t.
We find live and studio to be very different experi-
ences. In the studio things are a lot more precise,
but in the live show you just need the broad strokes.
We change our songs a lot live to make them a little
more punk, a lot more cymbal crashes and stuff.
And the fans’ reactions let you know they
approve.
I firmly believe it. A lot of times, the songs that
people respond to the most from our recordings I
wouldn’t consider to be the best live songs and
vice-versa. Older songs like “Daylight” weren’t
the best live songs, but it was still one of our
most popular recorded songs. There’s some-
thing about a mid-tempo song that people can
connect to—including myself—on the record, but
when it comes to our live shows, it’s more about
balls to the wall.
Tell us about the opening of the song “I
Wonder,” which may make listeners check
their sound system for glitches.
I’ve seen some tweets that said “I thought my
stereo was messing up” until they realized it was
part of the song. We were trying numerous things
with that song; initially it was a chopped rhyth-
mic vocal, then we tried different keyboards and
sounds. We used this abstract noisy buildup with
that rhythmic thing. It was just a fuzzy buildup
that we chopped.
You’ve gone from being a keyboard player to
making great use of the Logic MIDI grid for
chopping parts. Does that then re-influence
your keyboard playing?
Yeah, mostly because I came from a background
of guitar and bass and a very linear format of
writing songs. I think it’s great that all the rules
have gone out the window. I almost still feel a little
too rooted in the linear format of writing a song with
verse-chorus-bridge. Native Instruments recently
sent me a Maschine and I’m still trying to wrap my
head around that thing. I think people who came
up doing hip-hop production on an MPC probably
get it. But I do want to explore even further into
the realms of what technology has to offer. I find it
all quite fascinating. It’s made it into this world of
no more rules and my favorite things are the things
that sound like nothing you’ve ever heard before.
Live, it doesn’t seem to matter how the mu-
sic is made anymore, just that the energy
comes across.
It’s all about the energy. When you’re at a show and
it’s 100 or more dB and you’re drinking and it’s
sweaty, you’re not gonna pick up on every little
intricacy. In the end, as humans what we connect
to is the beat and the melody. As long as you put
that beat and that melody at the forefront, I think
that’s the best thing you can do. The rest becomes
just noise.
08.2013 Keyboard 25
HEAR LE GENDS » ROAD WA R R IOR S » B R EA KOUTS » DE PARTU RES

R AY M A N Z A R E K 1939 – 2013
COMPILED BY JON REGEN

RAY MANZAREK, BEST KNOWN FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY COMMANDING HIS RHODES, mula band. They had changes,
Fender Piano Bass, and Vox Continental organ with iconic L.A. psychedelic rockers and he’d solo through them while famously holding
the Doors, passed away on May 20 of this year after a long battle with cancer. Nev- down the bass lines, showing young players the
er one to stop playing, his recent work included 2011’s excellent Translucent Blues value of left hand independence and practice.
with guitarist Roy Rogers, and its follow-up Twisted Tales (shown), released this KOREL TUNADOR, KEYBOARDIST FOR GOO
June. Read more remembrances at keyboardmag.com/raymanzarek. GOO DOLLS

Hearing that organ on “Light My Fire” was like
getting struck by a lighting bolt. Ray opened the
minds of players like myself as to how keyboards
could take a lead role in rock ’n’ roll.
CHUCK LEAVELL, KEYBOARDIST FOR THE
ROLLING STONES
Being able to play Ray’s solo to “Light My Fire”
was the key to my popularity as keyboard player
at Cheltenham High School in 1970. Ray Manza-
rek showed us that keyboards could be as power-
ful as guitars, and thanks to him the Doors had
a sound that was compelling and unique. I don’t
think anyone has played quite like Mr. Manza-
rek before or since, and to kick bass at the same
time—that was even more impressive. I had
the pleasure of getting to know Ray briefly on a
project we worked on together in the ’90s and his
playing was inventive and inspired then as well.
He was a lovely gentleman who will be missed.
JEFF LORBER, RENOWNED JAZZ-FUSION
COMPOSER AND PERFORMER
I can’t tell you the number of times producers or
artists have asked for “that ‘Riders on the Storm’
thing” when I’ve been playing Fender Rhodes on
sessions. When you pick it apart, aside from the
“rain falling” descending diatonic parts—which
are super vibey and also borrow from Miles Davis’
“Kind Of Blue”—Ray’s Rhodes solo really imparts
a kind of Ramsey Lewis soul/jazz feeling. Against
the backdrop of the trancelike loping rock feel of the
Doors, it’s a classic juxtaposition. We also can’t ne-
glect the impact of Ray taking rock band bass duties
on the Fender Piano Bass. He was a real pioneer!
JEFF BABKO, KEYBOARDIST ON ABC’S
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE
Ray played a huge part in my appreciation of rock
and what the Doors were creating. His incorpora-
tion of classical themes into rock changes affected
me tremendously with “Light My Fire.” He was
like a jazz musician in his approach, always find-
ing new territories to discover, using his rock
sensibilities as a foundation. Ray’s contribution
will be firmly planted in music history.
GREG PHILLINGANES, MUSICAL DIRECTOR,
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MICHAEL JACKSON: THE
IMMORTAL SHOW
I heard the doors live on top of Mount Tamalpias
in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1960s.
The Doors were exciting and Ray Manzarek blew
my mind with his organ playing. His solo on
“Light My Fire” is a classic that has influenced all
rock ’n’ roll keyboardists.
MICHAEL WOLFF, JAZZ PIANIST
Ray was a great model of musicianship in the pop
music world. The Doors weren’t a four-chord for-
I was digging Ray when I first heard him play the
Fender Piano Bass with his left hand and rocking
the Vox Continental with his right. He was the
first! He had a distinct style that is still influencing
young players today. Ray was a definite influence
on me and we will miss him.
RICKY PETERSON, KEYBOARDIST FOR DA-
VID SANBORN
My first European gig was playing in a Doors
tribute band. I had a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass
and a Vox Continental. At age 16, I transcribed
every note and still know the solos. He was a
huge influence on me and playing his music was
the first time I played organ and bass at the same
time, which is basically what I do 95 percent of
the time now. The Doors are really a jazz band
with poetry to me, and they also codified the L.A.
art rock sound.
BRIAN CHARETTE, RENOWNED SIDEMAN,
LEADER, AND KEYBOARD LESSON AUTHOR
Ray Manzarek had all the power, tone, improvisa-
tional skills, and bravado of a rock guitar player.
But he also possessed finesse, taste, and imagina-
tion in his keyboard playing that transcended
musical genres. He opened my ears to the possi-
bilities of rock keyboards beyond cliché.
ROB SHROCK, MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR
BURT BACHARACH AND DIONNE WARWICK

26 Keyboard 08.2013
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PLAY JA ZZ » TEN -M IN UTE TECHN IQUE » POP

5 WAYS TO PLAY LIKE

Hiromi Practice Tip
“Hiromi is equally inspiring on both
acoustic piano and synth,” says
keyboardist and composer Brian
BY BRIAN CHARETTE
Charette. “Even if you gravitate
toward one, try these exercises on
HIROMI UEHARA WAS A CLASSICAL PIANIST AND JINGLE WRITER IN JAPAN both types of instruments.” Charette
when she met jazz keyboard icon Chick Corea. Corea was so impressed at the has performed and recorded with
talent of the then 17-year-old prodigy that on the very next day, the two performed Joni Mitchell, Lou Donaldson, Bucky
in concert together. Classically trained from the age of five, Hiromi developed a vir- Pizzarelli, Michael Bublé, and Rufus
tuosic, multi-genre approach and an ability to captivate audiences with her live per- Wainwright, in addition to leading
formances. Ever since, Hiromi has been performing to sold-out crowds around the his own jazz groups. Find out more
globe. On her new trio album Move, Hiromi is in top form on both piano and synth. at kungfugue.com.
Let’s examine a few of her signature musical devices.

Ex. 1.

bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& 44 b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ 45 b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ 44 b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ 45 1. Fourths and Fifths
Ex. 1 demonstrates how Hiromi is
fond of riffs in unusual time signa-

œœ œœ ‰ b œ œ 5 œœ œ œ b œj œ œ œœ œœ ‰ b œ œ 5
tures. In the right hand we have a
? 44 44
b œ b Jœ 4 b
J œ œ b œb œ œ b œ b Jœ 4
fourth shape that repeats while a
motif voiced in fifths twists in the left
hand below. This exercise works well
over an F minor tonality.

bœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
& 45 b œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
j
? 45 œœ œœ œœ b œ
J
bœ b b œœ œœ

28 Keyboard 08.2013
Ex. 2.
œ #œ
j
& 45 œ œ # œ œ ‰ # œ œ # œ # œ œ œ œ b œ ‰ n Jœ # œ 85 2. Wah Synth
On “Endeavour” from her new
album Move, Hiromi brings on
œ œ
?5
4 œ # œ œ # œ ‰ # œj œ œ œ # œ œ # œ œ ‰ # Jœ # œ 5 the quirky funk with a wah synth
8 patch. In Ex. 2, I salute her groove-
oriented explorations with a two-
handed line that employs Messiaen’s
third mode of limited transposition,

5 œ œ bœ bœ bœ
harmonized in thirds. This unusual
œ œ bœ bœ œ #œ œ œ
&8 œ scale contains both the major and
œ minor third of a tonality. Our funky
riff ends with a descending passage
œ œ bœ bœ bœ bœ œ bœ
? 85 œ bœ œ œ œ œ in 5/8 time, based on fourths.

Ex. 3.

7 œ œ j
& 4 bœ œ nœ #œ œ bœ
J œ #œ œ #œ #œ b œ œ
n œ #œ œ bœ œ œ
œ #œ œ
3. Lydian Lines
Inspired by the first movement of
Hiromi’s Escapism suite, the left
hand stabs fifths while the right
? 74 w Ó Œ Ó Œ spins an odd-meter Lydian mode
w w
w riff. In this exercise we descend by
whole-steps, but a great practice tip
is to try moving your own musical
ideas around by thirds, fourths,
j
nœ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ b œ œ œj b œ œ
and other intervals.
& bœ b œ n œ
œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ
? Ó Œ Ó Œ
ww
b ww

Ex. 4.

& 98 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 44 4. Cat and Mouse

Ex. 4 demonstrates how Hiromi
often plays affecting parts in both
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ hands at once. This exercise begins
? 98 44 with a closely spaced modal line
that closes to thirds in bars 3 and 4.
Another great way to practice two-
handed parts is by doubling right-
hand lines in your left hand. This

& 44 œ b œ b œ œ œ œ bœ
builds independence and strength
œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ in your left hand. Don’t limit your-
self to just thirds and fourths—try
bœ bœ œ œ œ
? 44 b œ b œ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ
constructing two-handed lines with
wider intervals as well.

08.2013 Keyboard 29
Ex. 5.
Listening List
& 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
HIROMI
Voice

? 4 ˙. œ œ œ œ
4 œ w &
HIROMI
Move
˙. œ œ œ œ w
œ
& CHICK COREA
AND HIROMI
Duet
œœœ œ œ œœœ œ œ œœœ œ œ œœœ œ œ
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

5. Classical Devices Hiromi and Chick

Corea live
Hiromi often incorporates elements of classical music in her playing, like the crossing of the
hands. In Ex. 5, the right hand plays a modal ostinato figure while the left hand plays a simple Hear Brian play
melody. In bar 5, the left hand crosses over the right-hand pattern and plays the melody in a audio examples
higher register. All the notes from this are derived from the D Dorian mode. from this lesson.

keyboardmag.com/august2013

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30 Keyboard 08.2013
PLAY JA ZZ » TEN-MINUTE TECHNIQUE » POP

Warming
Up On
the Run
PART 2
BY FEDERICO GONZALEZ PEÑA

IN LAST MONTH’S LESSON ON WARMING UP WHEN TIME IS TIGHT, I EXPLORED SOME OF THE MORE MELODIC KINDS OF
exercises I often create on the spot at sound check to help get my mind, ears, and hands ready for a performance. This month,
I’ll delve into some of the more rhythmic kinds of things I play to help me find my center when time is limited—such as when
sound check before the gig is the only chance to practice.

Ex. 1. 1. Rhythmic Ostinatos

Try the basic 6/8 pattern in Ex. 1 for a
more rhythmic approach to warming up.
In the examples that follow, you’ll see
how a little help from the left hand adds
movement to this otherwise static osti-
nato pattern. Feel free to program a beat
Ex. 2. and play along in your explorations.

2. Syncopation and
Forward Motion
In Ex. 2, both hands move identically
for the first half of both measures. In the
latter part of the measures they offer up
syncopation and forward motion. Play-
ing this type of pattern is almost cleans-
Ex. 3. ing. The more you focus on it, the more
relaxed you become.

3. Rhythmic Variation
Ex. 3 is similar to Ex. 2, except the first
beat of the measure is omitted in the
left hand. Making even small changes to
the patterns you come up with helps you
stay mentally agile.

32 Keyboard 08.2013
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Ex. 4.
4. Polyrhythmic
Implications
In Ex. 4, the left hand starts to imply
4/4 time. Let your body feel both pulses
and relax in that groove.

Ex. 5. 5. Rhythmic and Melodic

Possibilities
In Ex. 5 I’ve fully committed the left
hand to playing straight 4/4 time against
the 6/8 ostinato pattern in the right
hand. This type of exercise opens up a
world of possibilities, not only rhythmi-
cally but also melodically. If you listen
closely to the resulting counterpoint,
you can find melodic “suggestions.” Try
to hear what’s not being played!

Practice Tip
“Play around with fingerings to find the most effective way to execute your warm- Original
up lines and patterns—you’ll keep your hands nimble and your mind entertained,” audio
says keyboardist, composer, and producer Federico Gonzalez Peña. Peña has examples.
worked with Me’Shell N’DegeOcello, Maxwell, Chaka Kahn, Marcus Miller, and
many others. He currently co-leads a band called Gaia with Gene Lake and keyboardmag.com/
august2013
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08.2013 Keyboard 33
PLAY JA ZZ » TEN- M INU TE TECHN IQUE » POP

Guitar Voicings Keys, Please

“Once you’ve mastered these
ON THE KEYBOARD chord voicings, I recommend you
learn them in every key so that
BY MATT BECK you can break them out at any
moment you see fit. Then they’ll
become part of your vocabulary
AS SOMEONE WHO PLAYS BOTH GUITAR AND KEYBOARDS, I’VE BEEN ABLE forever,” says Matt Beck, who plays
to explore the idiosyncrasies of both instruments. Perhaps the biggest difference keyboards and guitar with Rob
between guitar and keyboards is that on the guitar, you can play the same note in Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, and Rod
many different places on the instrument. Because of this, you can create uncon- Stewart, as well as in orchestras for
ventional voicings that you might not otherwise stumble upon. Exploiting the open Broadway musicals. Follow him on
strings of the guitar is one way to find unusual voicing structures. Here are five of Twitter @mattymay.
my favorite guitar voicings transposed to the keyboard, as well as an example of
them in action.

Ex. 1.
#
F maj13#11

1. Fmaj13#11
& w
LESLIE DELA VEGA

ww Ex. 1 is a very “guitaristic” chord in that it

features three open “strings” and sounds
a lot darker than it might if a keyboardist
? ww simply played a voicing based on seeing
w the chord symbol alone.

34 Keyboard 08.2013
Ex. 2. Ex. 3.
F #7add4
2. F#7 add4 #
B b6#11
3. Bb6#11
Ex. 2 is a wonderful voicing that sounds both Ex. 3 illustrates a simple voicing which sounds
suspended and not suspended at the same time. very complex. The beauty of the guitar is that
& w & ww
# ww
This is achieved easily with the guitar by lifting you can take a simple triadic chord shape and
up a finger to utilize an open string. Adding the drop in extra notes around it by playing open
fourth to a major chord is not usually some- strings that are not being used. Here we have
? # # ww thing that comes to the mind of a keyboardist. ? ww a simple Bb triad with the open G and E string
#w It’s more of a guitar thing, and it yields surpris- b w added to give a sixth and a sharp 11th.
ing sonic results!

Ex. 4. Ex. 5.
D add4add9 E maj7
4. D add4 add9 5. Emaj7
4 Ex. 4 adds a 4th to the major chord like Ex. 2,
& # ww
Ex. 5 is a somber and bittersweet sounding
& 4 # ww but with this voicing we are adding it in a dif- voicing with not much filling up the middle
ferent octave, (as opposed to right next to the # w and a minor second between the top two
3rd) and as such, we create a more open sound- notes. On the guitar, this voicing would incor-
? 44 www ing voicing.
?
w
porate the open high and low E strings.

w
Ex. 6.
E maj7 #
F maj13#11 E maj7
6. Voicings in Action
4
& 4 # œœ œ # œ œ œ . # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ
#œ œ.
œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ Ex. 6 demonstrates these structures in

# œ œ œœ œ ˙ # œ action with a piece I wrote that imple-

ments all of the above voicings. The

? 44
first half of the piece uses the chords
ww www ww in a more block kind of way, and the
second half uses the chords in a more
° * ° * sim rolling way. Practice this exercise slow
at first and then work your way up to
F #7add4 E maj7 #
F maj13#11 about 80 bpm. The objective isn’t to
4 learn the piece itself but to make these
& œ #œ œ #œ œ œ. #œ œ voicings a permanent part of your
œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
# œœ œ œ œ. ˙ # # œœ œ chord vocabulary.

? # # ww www
#w ww
#
B b6#11 C add4add9 D add4add9 E maj7
7

& œœ œ #œ œ œ. #œ œ
b œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ . # ww œ œ
#œ #œ œ œ
œ œ œ. œ œ œ

? b œœœ ... œœœ ˙˙˙ œœœ ...

j œ œ #œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœ
J œ ˙ œ œ œ
#
F maj13#11 E maj7 F #7add4
10

& œœ œ œœ œ ˙ #œ œ œ. #œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ #œ œœ œœ
œ œœ œ œœ ˙ # œ# œ œ œ #œ œ œœ œœ œ œ
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœ œ # œ œ œœ œœœ œœœ # œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ #œ œœ
œ œ

08.2013 Keyboard 35
Ex. 6. cont’d
2
E maj7 #
F maj13#11 #
B b6#11 C add4add9
13

& œ # œ œ # œœ œœ œœ .. # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œœ b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œœ ˙
? #œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œœœ b œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ

D add4add9 #
B b6#11 C add4add9 D add4add9
16

& # ww œœ b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # www
ww w
? œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œœœ œœœ œ œ œœœ œœœ b œ œœœ œœœ œ œ œœœ œœœ
Matt Beck
live with
œ œ Dana Fuchs

#
B b6#11 C add4add9 D add4add9
Play-along
19
U audio

& œ œ œ œ œ œ
examples.
œ bœ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ #œ œ œ ˙.
keyboardmag.com/
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INTRODUCTION TO

Using Backing
Tracks Live
BY MITCHELL SIGMAN

NOT LONG AGO, PERFORMING TO PRE-RECORDED BACKING TRACKS WAS might begin a song at a particular tempo, click it
considered cheating—and if taken to Milli Vanilli extremes, still should be. If you’re up a few bpm for the verse, then speed up a bit
playing contemporary hits in a cover band, though, the dense vocal layering and more for the big chorus, bring it down for a second
precise, repetitive sequecned elements of many of today’s productions can make verse, and so on. Another simple way to make
some use of backing tracks necessary if a live show is expected to “sound like the tracked material sound more “live” is through clev-
record” and doesn’t have the budget for a dozen or more musicians. In this first er use of quantization—or lack thereof. Though it’s
installment of a new series about backing tracks, we’ll examine the basic elements tempting to just quantize to sixteenth-notes and
involved in their creation and use.

Why Use Tracks?

Percussion loops are excellent backing track can-
didates. Not only are options for playing them
live (e.g., on a keyboard or drum pad) prone to
timing errors, they also tend to be a waste of your
musical “body bandwidth,” often forcing you to
hold down a single key for one or two bars repeat-
edly throughout the song.
Precisely sequenced bass lines or sixteenth-
note synth ostinati can likewise be tedious to play
throughout an entire song. In any case, it’s a good
idea to put the more repetitive parts on backing
tracks and reserve the more fun-to-play parts for
the live musicians.
The most common (and sometimes frowned
upon) use of backing tracks is for background vocals,
and though they can add a great deal to your show,
discretion is certainly advised. The extent to which
you track vocals should vary according to the number
and abilities of your band’s vocalists, but even in a
band of strong singers, I often quadruple-track each
note to create big harmonized sections. The ideal
situation is to have each harmony represented in the
backing track and sung live. The combination works
because audience members hear the sheen of stacked
studio harmony plus the emotion of real vocals.
Drawbacks
Depending on how track playback is imple-
mented, it’s likely you’ll be locked into exact
tempos and arrangements. While not as big a
deal if songs are always played exactly the same
way, things get dicey if the band is inclined to
stretch out arrangements—or if band members
aren’t as rehearsed as they should be. That said,
there are ways to modify arrangements on the fly,
such as Ableton Live’s time-locked clip playback
and Apple MainStage’s Playback plug-in (shown),
which features realtime tweakable loop and re-
peat functions.
Another bone of contention can be other band
members’ attitudes toward backing tracks. I’ve
played with drummers who swear it compromises
their groove, but to be blunt, this usually means
they can’t play to a click—something the key
timekeeper in the band should certainly be able
to do, since a click is really just a metronome.
Finally, backing tracks can open up a percep-
tual can of worms as to the integrity and abili-
ties of the players. Opinions vary, but I stick to
the idea that tracks should be used to enhance a
show’s soundscape, not as a substitute for mu-
sicianship.
Ridin’ On the Grooveline
The rigidity of fixed tempos can be ameliorated
somewhat by programming tempo changes in
tracks as a live drummer might play them. You
be done with it, it pays to consider not only the
musical genre, but your drummer’s general groove
tendencies. If they aren’t obvious, you can record
the drummer playing to click and see where kicks
and snares fall in relation to the grid. If you want
to go all out, most DAWs allow creation of custom
groove templates—MOTU Digital Performer was
one of the first.
Who Hits Play?
Another important consideration is who will
physically run the device playing back tracks. In
my experience, this is always the drummer, for a
couple of reasons. Bands are accustomed to the
drummer being the one who counts off tunes,
so this maintains the standard. Also, since most
songs immediately begin with drums, if another
band member presses “go” and the drummer isn’t
ready, you’ve got a train wreck.
In future installments we’ll cover more specif-
ics including pros and cons of different playback
platforms, live mixing and monitoring, how to
create great sounding tracks, and more.

40 Keyboard 08.2013
KNOW BAC KTRACK » DA NCE

Wub-Wub 2.0
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE LFOS
BY FRANCIS PRÈVE

IN PREVIOUS COLUMNS, WE’VE COVERED USING LFOS FOR EVERYTHING FROM DUBSTEP “WUBS” TO DUTCH HOUSE
sirens. So if you’ve been following along at home, you should have a solid grasp of the essentials of tempo-synced LFOs.
This month, we’re going further down the rabbit hole and exploring the possibilities of using multiple synced LFOs to create
hyper-rhythmic effects that can make even a basic synth patch do groovy tricks that would be hard to replicate without resort-
ing to time-consuming automation tactics.

Application 1: Filters
In dubstep, it’s incredibly common to use a sine or triangle
LFO—applied to filter cutoff on a bass patch—to create that
classic (some might say hackneyed) wub-wub bombast. Things
get way more interesting when you apply two or more different
LFOs to the same filter cutoff destination, especially if you use
different note-value rates and waveforms. Here I used Reason’s
Thor to apply dual LFOs to its Ladder filter—one with a down-
ward sawtooth and the other with a sine wave—then changed
the tempo of the sine wave LFO as the patch played.

Application 2: Pitch
Using the same technique described above, I applied the two LFOs to the pitch of a single
oscillator, and then varied the tempo of the sine wave again. Note: With pitch modulation, a
little goes a long way, so I throttled back on the LFO amounts for each.

Application 3: Advanced Techniques

Once you get the hang of working with multiple LFOs, it’s time to
experiment in earnest. Sticking with Thor, I created a dual-oscilla-
tor patch that relies on hard sync on oscillator 2 to create harmon-
ic sweeps. From there, I added a sawtooth to the amplifier gain to
create a retriggering effect, then played with the rate of the LFO
on oscillator 2’s pitch, thus syncopating the harmonic rhythms.

Step by step audio

examples.

keyboardmag.com/august2013

42 Keyboard 08.2013
 FAIR USE IS FAIR PLAY
Ken Lewis has written, and
produced for artists like
Jay Z, Kanye West, Eminem
and others. Ken creates his
magic in a studio packed with
the latest music hardware and
software tools. When it comes
to software Ken believes in
fair play and uses only legal
software to create his work.

Respect yourself, your craft,

and the work of others.
Buy the software you use, and
buy the music you love.

www.imsta.org
International Music Software Trade Association
New York • Toronto • Hamburg • Tokyo
Tel: 416 789-6849 • Fax: 416 789-1667
The International Music Software Trade Association is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of music software and soundware publishers.
One of our most important functions is to advocate for the legal use of software in the music production and creation landscape. We do this primarily
through public education campaigns. We are supported by our members who are software and soundware developers, distributors, retailers & publications.
We are challenging piracy on moral grounds appealing to the good in all of us. We are trying to change behavior.
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP
CASI O KAWAI KORG ROL AND YAMAH A

CASIO

Privia Pro PX-5S

BY RICHARD LEITER

IN 2011 CASIO ELEVATED THEIR POPULAR PRIVIA PIANO LINE TO PRO STATUS on-the-fly control. Even plug-in-and-play button-
with the PX-3, an 88-note, weighted keyboard stage piano and controller. Essen- phobes are going to get into the highly addictive
tially they swapped the onboard speakers and amps for a professional player’s twisting and sliding options here.
serving of sounds, DSP, and MIDI control. What made this instrument instantly On the right side is a rubbery, textured-surface
desirable were the $800 price tag and the 24-pound curb weight. Since then Casio to hold your iPad (I’d add a couple of Velcro strips
introduced the XW series—a pair of performance synths with complex sounds and for security), which opens to access the eight AA
deep editing capabilities—and a significant upgrade of the Privia’s already impres- batteries that provide up to four hours of play. Just
sive piano sound and action. Now they’ve combined their uncanny Privia piano ex- above the C5 key is a USB flash drive port that lets
perience with a synth section that bears some resemblance to the XW-P1 (reviewed you save and load data, and also record and play
June ’12), but is in fact better sounding and more powerful. Casio says the “S” in 44.1kHz WAV audio files. The casing is sturdy, two-
PX-5S can stand for either “stage” or “studio.” I vote for “serious,” because with this tone plastic; jack insertion feels firm, but without
incarnation of the Privia series, Casio is playing with the big boys—hardball. the rugged “chunk” that you’d get from a heavy
metal frame. (This is the only time I’m going to men-
Overview compromised are the fundamentals: sound, tion it, but complaining that the Privia is plasticky is
Casio’s mantra with the Privia Pro line has been: playability, and programmability. like whining that your Mini Cooper is small—espe-
under 25 pounds and under a grand. But un- Like most Privias, button-banks are center- cially given how easy it is to throw the former into
less you’re sitting in front of this instrument, clustered around a small, backlit LCD display. In the latter and go to the gig.) The black-on-white con-
it’s difficult to appreciate fully. Yes, there are place of speakers, Casio has added, on the left, a trol surface really makes the button lettering pop
first-rate, scaled hammer-action stage pianos welcome array of four knobs and six sliders, plus and all rear inputs are, thankfully, top-labeled.
and workstations out there, but many weigh 40 pitch-bend and modulation wheels. These control As for the keyboard feel, it’s amazing. The same
to 50 pounds (or more) and cost twice as much the deep—and I mean deep—DSP and filter pa- textured keys and tri-sensor scaled hammer ac-
(or more). Casio has economized on a few rameters. The Privia PX-3 did have quite a bit of tion as the PX-350, but with even more expression
features to keep their product outrageously sound shaping and DSP onboard, but nothing as and dynamics when playing the new electric piano
light and affordable, but what they haven’t sophisticated as this and without even a nod to sounds. It’s become my default controller for the

44 Keyboard 08.2013

studio because not only is it a joy to wail away on,
but it’s so small and light that it lets the PX-5S fit
on racks and desks where few other 88-key instru-
ments will. There’s a bit of a muscle memory learn-
ing curve, but once you’re used to it, you’re hooked.
Sounds
The PX-5S sound array is made up of 720 Tones,
350 of which are slots for user creations, and 100
Stage Settings (SS), which are like Combis or Reg-
istrations. The really fascinating sounds, showing
off the wealth of zone and layering functions, are
found in the Stage Settings—and that’s the best
place to go for sound auditioning. You can step
through the tone list in any SS, and many of them
have hidden dimensions. More about this later.
The keyboard powers up on “Concert Grand
0-0,” which is a good place to start. As we pointed
out in the PX-350 review in the January 2013
issue, you’d have to go to a considerably more
expensive digital piano or one of the better soft-
ware instruments to surpass Casio’s acoustic
grand. The PX-5S shares the same piano sample
as the PX-350, which was already emotional and
Snap Judgment
PROS Same piano sample
expressive with its 256-note polyphony, four-lev- as PX-350, but with added
el sampling, and very smooth velocity mapping to DSP and programming for
keyboard action. However, new DSP in the PX-5S even more realism. Dazzling
elevates the experience with sympathetic reso- EP, Clav, and complex synth
nance, four-band EQ, lid position, reverb, and sounds. Deeply programmable
even release velocity sensing that informs how synth with realtime control.
staccato or legato your next note(s) will sound. Four zones each of internal
Note-to-note and velocity-sample transitions are and external MIDI controller
seamless; I couldn’t find one key to gripe about. capability. Battery powered.
There are no weird aliasing or looping artifacts; Stellar 88-key weighted
sustain is long and natural. action. Impossibly low weight
Casio provides the standard array of piano and price.
variations, which is less of a big deal on this key-
board than others, because it’s so easy to custom- CONS No expression pedal
ize sounds. Want to turn your concert grand into input, split button (though
a tack piano in three seconds? Dial out bass and splits can be programmed),
mids and slide in some chorus. or music stand. Editing can
EPs are a huge improvement over anything be challenging without the
Casio has done before, and meaningfully com- free Data Editor software.
petitive with those on more expensive stage Tonewheel organ emulations
pianos. The samples are rich and varied, but the don’t match the high
magic is in the DSP; the phasers, choruses, amp standards set by the rest of
emulations, delays, and reverbs are all first rate. the sounds.
Even the tremolos—which live on the mod wheel

08.2013 Keyboard 45

Fig. 1. The free Data Editor gives you full access to envelopes, portamento, DSP,
filters, waveforms, arpeggiator, phrase generator, pedals, mixer, and much more.
for electric piano sounds—sound like the built-in
ones on classic EPs. You’ll find the full assort-
ment of Rhodes and Wurlys in all their tiney,
reedy, phasey, funky incarnations. I played the
“Dyno E.Piano2” Tone with full-on tremolo and
auto-pan for an hour one night—and I didn’t
even like the real Dyno Rhodes.
Clavs are equally appealing, and a good ex-
ample of the options at your fingertips. Stage Set-
ting 8-4, for example turns the damper pedal into
a wah-wah. You’d think that an on-off controller
couldn’t give you a full-throw wah . . . and you’d be
wrong. So once you’ve got the wah pedal technique
down, you grab slider 1 and dial in distortion pre-
gain as you dial out distortion level. (Each slider
controls one or two parameters at once, and in the
same, or opposite directions. Think crossfading.)
Slider 2 lets you run through a selection of combo
amps, bass amps, and stacks. Slider 3 has more
Distortion parameters to slather on the grease.
Slider 4 offers a full-throated Chorus. Slider 5 con-
trols a Delay that you can instantly match to your
tune with the always-on Tap Tempo button. Slider
6 brings in a short, platey reverb. This kind of pro-
gramming and control assignment is implemented
across the PX-5S sound set.
The tonewheel organ simulations lack the
satisfying authenticity of the pianos, EPs, Clavs,
vibes, and other electro-acoustic instruments.
You’ll find a selection to cover any rock, pop, or
church gig and you can live-tweak the sound with
drawbars (via the sliders) and a decent rotary
speaker simulation, but other manufacturers of
late have raised the reality bar so high that, let’s
face it, we’re spoiled. I played a jazz gig with the
PX-5S, did three organ tunes, and had a blast
46 Keyboard 08.2013
stepping through the preset selections. If I were
to play three sets with organ sounds front and
center, however, I’d want a dedicated clone.
The PX-5S handily covers the spectrum of real
instruments and shines equally brightly in the
synth firmament thanks to a stacking technology
Casio calls Hex Layering: up to six samples, mapped
to keys and velocities, each with its own set of filters
and envelopes. Every Stage Setting lets you stack
two hex layers and two single layers for a 14-layer
sound. The results are what you’d imagine: galactic.
Riveting. Filled with surprises and on par with some
popular workstations. The PX-5S has only been
in limited availability since April and already user
groups are popping up and late-breaking presets are
flying through cyberspace.
Programming and
Special Features
Casio provides free downloads of the Data Editor
PX-5S for Mac and Windows, with its 18 pages of
straightforward controls of most of the parameters
in this axe (see Figure 1). If you’re doing serious
editing you’re going to need it, because there’s more
going on in the PX-5S than just pretty sounds.
For starters, the onboard arpeggiator sets you
up with 100 patterns and invites you to program
100 more. You can then plug these in to zones or
individual keys in the Stage Settings and they’re
all instantly synced to MIDI or tap tempo—or
not, if you prefer a Philip Glass freakout. And this
is not your father’s arpeggiator; you can play in
bass lines, montunos, pans, filter sweeps, what-
ever. If your musical phrases get too complex for an
arpeggio, you can use the Phrase Generator to create
looped or single-play sequenced mini-compositions
that you can also plug into Stage Settings, or
string together to make songs.
Need to send off a quick piano track to a friend?
The PX-5S lets you record anything you can play as
a 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV file, which you can save on
a thumb drive for working with on your computer.
It also plays WAVs from the same device so you can
jam along with pre-recorded backing tracks.
So what doesn’t the PX-5S have? For one thing,
a Split button. This means that if you’re kicking
bass, you need to set up your splits as Stage Set-
tings in advance because it’s too complicated to do
onstage. The good news is, once you have a zone
template you like, it’s easy to step through differ-
ent instruments in the top and bottom parts. The
most head-scratching omission is that neither of
the pedal inputs can accept expression/continuous
control pedals—though you can program enve-
lopes to fire when you hit a switch pedal and, by
mapping them to various parameters, sweep dif-
ferent aspects of the sound. This is how the afore-
mentioned wah effect is accomplished. Finally,
there’s no music stand included, which may or may
not matter depending on the kind of gigs you do.
Conclusions
Even if the PX-5S cost twice as much, its awesome
sounds, deep editing, and generous (and usefully
programmed) realtime controls would make it a prime
contender for any gigging musician’s next purchase of
a main keyboard that inhabits the bottom (or only) tier
on the stand. That said, the feather weight means you
could easily put it on top. We applaud the Casio engi-
neers and designers and their expanding commit-
ment to manufacturing lightweight, affordable
keyboards that seriously kick butt, and award the
PX-5S our Key Buy for outstanding value.
Bottom Line
A first class digital piano, with a
powerful synth engine and deep
editing, that checks in at 24 pounds
and a thousand bucks? It’s not too
good to be true. Don’t buy a new
stage piano until you try the PX-5S.
$1,299 list | $999 street
casiomusicgear.com
Read about past
Privias, and hear
original audio
examples of the
author playing
the PX-5S.
keyboardmag.com/august2013
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CREATION Source

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REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP
CASIO KAWAI KORG ROL AND YAMAH A

Snap Judgment
PROS Gorgeous grand
KAWAI piano sounds. Very soulful

ES7 and realistic electric

pianos. Surprisinglly
robust complement of
accompaniment features
BY STEPHEN FORTNER adds important fun factor.
Beautiful design.

WHAT SHOULD A PREMIUM TRANSPORTABLE DIGITAL PIANO BE LIKE? KAWAI’S CONS Heavy compared to
new ES7 represents some thoughtful and committed answers to this question. Of other digital pianos reviewed
course it should have excellent sounds. Splitting and layering on the fly and saving in this issue. Limited number
the results should be dead simple. It should offer fun ancillary features while keep- of non-piano sounds. Internal
ing them out of the way of pure pianists who don’t require them. It should have an speakers could be better.
understated appearance, as plenty other keyboards out there advertise their own-
ers’ love of technology. Let’s investigate further.

First Impressions
The ES7 is the digital piano you’d take to a black
tie (or even white tie) event. Except for the but-
tons and key surfaces, there’s no plastic in sight.
The black metal curves of my review unit were
noticeably fingerprint-resistant. The red-backlit
buttons reminded me of the Synclavier, and the
LCD is easy to see even in sunlight. The continu-
ous speaker grille looks much better than obvi-
ous pods at either end would. The gloss finish
on the end blocks, which make convenient lift
points, has concert piano depth. My review unit
didn’t include the designer stand and triple pedal
shown, and its music rack was sturdy black met-
al, not the translucent one pictured. The included
single damper pedal is not only beefy enough to
resist sliding around on hard floors, but also sup-
ports half-pedaling.
The dual headphone jacks are on opposite
ends of the front rail beneath the keys, letting
student and teacher sit together without one
player’s headphone cord stretching over the
other’s lap. A “four hands” mode supports side-
by-side teaching by splitting the keyboard into
duplicate note ranges.
Keyboard Feel
The actions on the highest-end digital pianos
from the major players are all so good that it
largely becomes a matter of personal preference.
Where Kawai has an edge, though, is with the ac-
tions on their midrange digital pianos, and that’s
certainly the case with the ES7. It’s the second
generation of Kawai’s RH (Responsive Hammer)
action, and while it’s not a wooden-key action like
on their pricier offerings, it does use triple sen-
sors and detect release velocity. Both the black
and white key surfaces have just the right amount
of texturing, it’s graded, and most importantly, it
feels fantastic and is very non-fatiguing.
Sounds
The main piano sounds in the ES7 benefit from
samples for all 88 notes. What Kawai calls “Pro-
gressive Harmonic Imaging” presumably refers
to extensive multisampling in order to capture
differing harmonic content at different velocities.
It works. These piano sounds are rich, gorgeous,
detailed, and offer eight variants from very mellow
(“Mellow Grand”) to very bright (“Rock Piano”).
I couldn’t detect any velocity layer transitions, so
whatever crossfading and interpolation is going on
is very sophisticated. I also didn’t hear any obvious
loop points when critically listening to sustained
notes, though on quiet legato passages, the initial
decay down to the sustain level at which the sound
rings out is a bit faster than I’d prefer.
The electric piano sounds are very good. “Clas-
sic E.P.” 1 and 2 cover darker and more bell-like
Rhodes, where “60s E. Piano” is a nice sassy
Wurly. What’s this I hear? Seemingly random tine
and mechanical noises in the background? Nice!
Though you can only edit a few parameters within
the effects in any case, the phaser in the effects
section is a perfect match for the EPs, providing
just the right rate and tone for that Steely Dan
sound. (Learn more about the effects at key-
boardmag.com/august2013.)
Organs are what you’d expect in a stage piano,
which is to say no match for dedicated clones, but
the “Drawbar Organ” patch has above-average
Gospel grease. Strings and choirs are good for lay-
ering, though I’d like there to be one string sound
with a faster attack. As to basses, you get fretless,
electric, and the obligatory upright-plus-ride-
cymbal that begs to be split with the vibraphone
as you play the Black Lodge dance from Twin
Peaks. There’s no Seinfeld slap or Herbie synth
bass, though.
The single-driver oval stereo speakers are
pleasingly full-range at practice volume, and can
get loud enough to fill a room for the sort of gig
where you’re playing for up to 100 people with an
upright bassist and cocktail-kit drummer. That
said, they get a bit boxy and midrangey when you
turn the volume way up, so I’d use an external
amp for any pro gig.
Features
Splitting is easy. Whatever you do when holding
the Split button affects the lower part, such as
selecting sound categories, repeatedly pressing a
category’s button to step through its patches, or
striking a key to set the split point. Layering is
accomplished by holding the first sound button
while pressing a second.
The “Virtual Technician” settings offer con-
trol over many of the sonic nuances you’d find
in a high-end software piano. Six preset veloc-
ity curves are augmented by the ES7’s ability to
analyze your playing and create custom curves.
Six “voicing” options include a “Dynamic” mode

48 Keyboard 08.2013
where the piano sounds gets pointedly brighter
as you play harder. It’s an exaggerated effect, but
manageable and amazingly useful on full-band
gigs for laying back but then cutting through.
You get separate settings for damper resonance,
damper noise, sympathetic string resonance, two
kinds of key-release noise (the damper returning
to the strings and the chatter of the action itself),
and even adjustable hammer delay that becomes
relevant on soft pianissimo passages.
I didn’t expect the ES7’s large variety of accom-
paniment styles. Unlike a full arranger keyboard,
there’s no onboard editing (though the ES7 will
play back type 0 and 1 Standard MIDI Files multi-
timbrally), but what you get is surprisingly usable.
Intros, endings, auto-fills, and two variations per
style are on hand, and can follow your playing or
a preset chord sequence. The funk and disco styles
include some tasty Nile Rodgers-style rhythm
guitar and are very fun to jam over. Fully voiced
and simple one- or two-fingered chord recognition
are supported, and the ES7 has no trouble under-
standing less common chords like a minor major
seventh. You can select whether the style plays just
drums, drums and bass, or full instrumentation.
For fun, a one-finger ad-lib feature assigns various
riffs, all matched to the current style and chord, to
be triggered from the top 17 keys.
You can record MIDI of your performance
including accompaniment styles, or record stereo
audio of everything (in MP3 or WAV format) to
an inserted USB stick. Last but not least, you get
28 Registration memories that save pretty much
the entire state of the instrument: splits, layers, room, please your family, and occasionally step
style settings, and the like. out to your better-paying gigs, the ES7 should be
on your very short list.
Conclusions
The Kawai ES7 is a class act through and through.
I’d characterize its focus as 75 percent home (or
residency in a venue such as a hotel lobby or Bottom Line
lounge) and 25 percent road. While pro stage A world class premium digital piano
pianos certainly get heavier, the ES7’s 49 pounds that can do double duty at home
make it the heaviest of the five pianos reviewed and onstage.
in this issue, and these days it does seem like
“30 is the new 50” when it comes to what regular $2,395 list | $1,999 street
gigsters consider truly lightweight. That said, its kawaius.com
acoustic and electric piano sounds are world class,
the weight gives it a certain stability, and it deliv-
ers a wealth of keep-the-kids-playing features in Expanded video review
a package that looks at home in even the most of the ES7’s sounds,
formal of settings. I’ve only had room to scratch effects, and features.
the surface of those features here. If you’re look-
ing for a digital piano that can anchor a living keyboardmag.com/august2013
08.2013 Keyboard 49
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP
CASIO KAWAI KO RG ROL AND YAMAH A

KORG

SP-280
BY TOM BRISLIN

FOR SOME, A DIGITAL PIANO FOR THE HOME NEEDN’T COME IN A PIANO-LIKE
furniture cabinet or be laden with many bells, whistles, and auto-accompaniment
Snap Judgment
patterns. In the SP-280, Korg presents a retro-futuristic shape and a straightforward
playing experience that’s geared for the living room, and at around 32 pounds (just PROS Onboard speakers
under 42 pounds with stand), is relatively easy to take with you as well. How far can angled upwards towards the
you take it? Let’s have a look. player and are plenty loud.
Simple, effective controls.
Out of the Box function buttons, and a three-digit LED screen. Instant layering of any
One can get set up and playing with a SP-280 and There’s not much to tweak, and only a handful two sounds. Duet-friendly
no other equipment. It ships with included metal of functions that require a peek at the owner’s “partner mode” and two
legs that screw into the bottom of the unit, a mu- manual. The next clue is the presence of two 1/8" headphone jacks. Damper
sic stand, and a sustain pedal. The pedal supports mini headphone outputs (one on the front left resonance on grand piano.
half-dampering, meaning that the SP-280 will corner, one on the rear panel) instead of the more Multiple microtunings available.
recognize the position of the included damper pro-oriented 1/4" headphone jacks. Includes piano legs, music
pedal and apply it to the sound accordingly: Press We then get to the keyboard action, which stand, and sustain pedal that
the pedal about halfway down, and you get a Korg calls the NH for Natural Hammer. At first supports half-pedaling.
shorter-than-full but definite sustain. This is a touch, it feels on the lighter side as far as fully-
subtle effect, inching us closer to the nuances of weighted keyboard actions go, with fast note CONS Some sounds are
an acoustic piano. The SP-280’s built-in stereo repetition. The sounds respond well dynamically not as detailed as higher-
speakers angle up towards the player and offer to the action, though not in as nuanced a way as end Korg offerings. No
plenty of volume. There is an optional triple pedal a more professional digital piano when it comes bass sounds or key splits
for sustain, sostenuto, and soft pedaling, but as it to playing. After prolonged playing, I noticed a (other than the two-piano
comes, the SP-280 delivers a good deal of instant slight sponginess, where you could press further partner mode). Slightly
gratification out of the box. into a key while holding it down. If this was a spongy keyboard action. No
synth with aftertouch sensitivity, it could be onboard recorder.
Look and Feel useful, but with piano repertoire, it led to some
There are a few clues that point to the SP-280 finger fatigue. That said, there are three touch
being geared towards the home user (which can sensitivity curves to work with in order to tailor
include beginners, students, and those who the SP-280 to the response of your liking. triple piano pedal, a mini (1/8") stereo line in,
don’t require professional features). For starters, On the rear panel you’ll find MIDI in/out, a mini stereo headphone out, and power supply
the front panel has a simple layout, with small stereo/mono TRS 1/4" line out, pedal input that jack. A second headphone mini-jack is on the
circular buttons for each sound category, some can accept the included single pedal or optional front of the unit.

50 Keyboard 08.2013
Sounds and Features
Of the 30 built-in tones, the heart of the SP-280
is the grand piano sound. The very first sound
you hear on power-up features the most detailed
tone of this instrument. It’s a stereo grand piano
that includes a damper resonance effect. This
means that the sound will have the added inter-
nal reverberation and string harmonics that
one would hear while holding down the damper
pedal on a piano. It adds to the stereo imaging—
which, by the way, is easy to experience thanks to
the aforementioned internal speakers angled up
towards the player.
The main grand piano sound has the most
complexity, though it also uses more resources,
and cuts the polyphony down to 40 notes if
you’re holding down the damper pedal. Most
other sounds achieve 60- or 120-note polyphony,
depending on the underlying number of audio
streams employed. If the resonance isn’t to
your liking, you can pick from three other grand
pianos: classic, jazz, and “live.” You’ve also got a
detuned honky-tonk piano for saloon fun, and a
less-inspiring “Elec. Grand,” based on the Yamaha
CP electric grand pianos.
Thankfully, other electric pianos are more
engaging. They cover the common areas: tine
(Rhodes), reed (Wurly), and digital (FM and
Korg’s DWGS), plus Clavinet. Some of the sounds
have a short time before transitioning to the loop
of the sample, but the tine and reed EPs do have
key-off mechanical noise. The electric pianos have
good dynamic response, though the Wurly’s fixed
tremolo effect is set quite a bit faster than that
found on the vintage piece.
All in all, the non-piano emulations won’t fool
the seasoned pro, but they do provide some fun
and utility. For instance, the pipe organ sounds
respond to key velocity. While a real pipe organ
doesn’t behave that way, I can see where this
could be helpful in a church setting, as the player
could use the key dynamics to compensate for the
SP-280’s lack of expression pedal control. As for
the strings, they won’t trick anyone into thinking
they’ve harnessed the London Philharmonic, but
they do layer nicely with piano sounds for ballad
layers and dramatic effect.
The internal speakers get quite loud and stay
clean when you turn the volume up. There’s more
than enough volume on hand to play a house
concert or even some jazz combo gigs without an
external amp.
Conclusions
The SP-280 covers a lot of bases and will appeal
to fans of the “Korg sound” as well as those who
have never tried a Korg keyboard before. It’s a
great first digital piano for a student of any age,
with a solid main piano sound and enough other
good sounds to provide the important fun fac-
tor. It continues Korg’s trend of a more curved
appearance and form than we typically see in a
digital piano, which has a practical benefit in the
effective positioning of the speakers. It’s a no-
nonsense machine, with simple controls that will
get you up and running with the sounds you want
quickly. Click on the metronome and start prac-
ticing, and invite a friend over to play in “partner
mode,” which splits the keyboard into two identi-
cal key ranges. On the subject of splits, we would
like to have seen a bass/piano split, and there’s
no built-in song recorder, but in the sub-$1,000
electric piano category, there’s usually some give-
and-take. There’s certainly plenty onboard to
inspire you to take the SP-280 out of the practice
space and onto the stage.
Bottom Line
A cost-effective, student-friendly
digital piano that can spruce up a
living room and hang at a gig.
$1,199 list | $699 street
Korg.com
First look at the Korg
SP-280.
keyboardmag.com/august2013
08.2013 Keyboard 51
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP
CASIO KAWAI KORG RO LA N D YAMAH A

ROLAND

RD-64
BY TOM BRISLIN

IN THE STAGE PIANO SCENE, WE’VE SEEN MODELS CATERING TO GIGGING

pianists who are looking for a weighted-action keyboard in a more portable pack-
Snap Judgment
age. One way to lighten the load is to reduce keys from the 88-key standard; lop off
an octave and you’ve got the 76-key format that has become ever more common PROS Fully-weighted
in recent years. Some manufacturers have used the classic Rhodes electric piano as keyboard action in a
inspiration to give us 73-key models. Roland takes its cue from another classic, the compact, lightweight
Wurlitzer electric piano, to give us the RD-64, the first digital stage piano to offer package. Practical selection
a 64-key fully weighted action. Does it offer the right combination of convenience of quality piano, electric
and power? Let’s dig in. piano (tine and reed), Clav,
and drawbar organ tones.
The Form Is the Thing anything making the footprint any bigger than it High-quality onboard
For a player to want fewer than 88 keys, anything needs to be. As constructed, it’s as wide as a 73-key effects. Ivory-like keyboard
calling itself a stage piano needs some compel- Nord Electro. Granted, it’s probably a matter of texture is subtle but
ling attributes. Portability and price can certainly construction, as it’s presumably easier to build the pleasing.
entice you to the store to play one, and the action electronics into the left block with the action tak-
and sound are what would bring it home. Since ing up most of the interior room behind the keys. CONS Reverb amount is
the RD-64 occupies a unique niche in terms of The RD-64 weighs in at just over 28 pounds. non-adjustable (on/off
form, let’s discuss this first. We love the trend towards more lightweight only). Electric piano and
Like the Wurly, which itself took a cue from instruments to schlep, and getting a weighted- Clav sounds exhibit uneven
a piano action, the RD-64 starts at A as the low- action stage piano under 30 pounds puts it in decay when played at
est key, and goes to C as the highest. Having the rare company. high velocities. No MIDI in.
same low and high note as a piano creates a more Back to that control panel, where we see a Expression pedal can only
pianistic atmosphere than the five-octave C-to-C handful of lighted buttons, knobs for volume be used when unit is in MIDI
format we see in synths (most of which trace their and low/hi EQ, the trademark Roland pitchbend/ controller mode, which
origin to the organ world). The RD-64 is wider modulation paddle, and—surprise—a D-Beam disables internal sounds.
than a Wurly from side to side, however, thanks to controller for using hand proximity to modulate
its controls located to the left of the keyboard. This pitch, volume, or an assignable destination. To
design deserves a “pros and cons” section unto access the deeper editing functions of the instru-
itself. On the plus side, you’ve got convenient left- ment, one must hold the Function key and strike Sound and Feel
hand access to controls and a flat, clear dashboard keyboard keys labeled on the front panel. It’s Now that we see what this unit is made of, let’s
that allows a second keyboard to be placed in close cumbersome, but it does unlock more functional- get to the playing experience. The key action is
proximity to the RD-64. On the minus side, if I’m ity for tweaking parameters ranging to velocity Roland’s “Ivory Feel G,” a substantial weighted-
sacrificing two octaves of playability, I don’t want curve and MIDI controller functions. action with a textured key surface. The keys are

52 Keyboard 08.2013

enjoyable, with neither too much slip or grip. The
weight of the action is plenty meaty, though it
doesn’t provide the quickest key repetition we’ve
encountered in a digital piano. The default touch
response curve is very dynamic, and allows zero-
velocity “silent” notes, like you would find when
playing an acoustic grand.
Acoustic and electric pianos both benefit from
Roland’s “SuperNatural” technology, which by
now most savvy keyboardists know comprises
sophisticated sample-switching based on your
playing technique and use of realtime controllers.
Basically, when you see this term, it refers to the
most current and expertly programmed sounds
Roland has available to put into various products.
The acoustic piano category has three tones:
concert piano, bright piano, and concert mono,
and all are derived from the piano sample set. The
piano tone and attitude lean towards the clean
and “classical” side, and feature simulated sym-
pathetic key resonance. At first I thought it was
perhaps a little too clean, until I discovered that
pressing the EFX 2 button activates damper pedal
resonance. This gives the sound more life and ac-
tivity, though it’s reserved enough to not include
mechanical pedal or damper noises.
Electric pianos include two Rhodes sounds
(tine) and one Wurly (reed). There are also three
Clav settings and three drawbar organ settings.
The organs are surprisingly useful; they include
a properly-triggering harmomic percussion and
adjustable two-speed rotary effect. There’s also
overdrive, though it’s curious why the D-Beam is
used to bring the amount up and down. It seems
like more of an effect you’d want to set and save.
It’s too bad that the RD-64 will only recognize
an expression pedal when it’s in MIDI controller
mode (which disables the internal sounds); it’d be
nice to use one with the onboard organ tones.
Each tone has a built-in reverb (on/off only),
adjustable high and low EQ, and two built-in
effects (labeled EFX 1 and 2) that are specific to
the tone category. Grand pianos have an enhancer
and damper resonance effect. The tine piano tones
have EFX 1 set to a stereo panner (like a Rhodes
Suitcase) and EFX 2 set to a sweet phaser. The reed
piano features a Wurly-like tremolo and phaser as
well. The Clavs have an auto-wah and enhancer.
These are astute effect choices all around. These
sounds excel in recreating these classic tones, with
the exception of the decay characteristics in some
cases. When playing sustained EP and Clav notes
or chords at high velocities, I could sometimes
hear a bump in the sound—as though an envelope
generator’s decay segment was set a bit too quick.
We’ve reviewed many other Roland SuperNatural
instruments that ostensibly contain some of the
same sonic raw materials, and this was either not
audible or not as pronounced. Currently the RD-64
doesn’t offer a way to edit patch-level settings such
as envelopes, but based on this review, Roland U.S.
told us they’re looking into the feasability of add-
ing it—possibly by way of an iPad editor app—in
the future.
Conclusions
As a gigging pianist, it’s lovely to see an instru-
ment that balances practicality and power. Roland
Rear panel I/O is grouped
behind the control panel,
and includes USB MIDI and
RCA audio inputs, which are
useful for hosting an iPod for
backing tracks or break music.
gets points for delivering a stage piano that weighs
under 30 pounds and costs just under a thousand
bucks. Its utilitarian nature means that you won’t
find strings, brass, synths, or basses; all the ROM
is dedicated to grand piano and electro-mechanical
keyboards. Some may wish they could trade the D-
Beam for a modulation wheel, or expression pedal
control for organ. From there, it’s down to person-
al taste. Not every player can do with fewer than
88 keys, but just as many others may take to the
RD-64’s form factor and exclaim, “Now this is what
I’ve been waiting for!” After all, the Wurly—which
had an identical key configuration—did very well.
If you need to go ultra-compact while retaining
weighted action and high-end piano sounds, the
RD-64 just might be perfect for you.
Bottom Line
Roland gives you the weight where
you want it—on your fingers, not
your back—by packing their current
piano tones and action into their
most compact stage piano yet.
$1,165 list | $999 street
rolandus.com
First look at the
Roland RD-64.
keyboardmag.com/august2013
08.2013 Keyboard 53
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP
CASIO KAWAI KORG ROL AND YA MA H A

YAMAHA

P-105
BY GRACE LARKIN

YAMAHA’S P-105, WHICH REPLACES THE P-95 IN THEIR LINEUP, IS AN INSPIRING for further work in a DAW or sequencer. Addi-
tool for many practice, performance, and studio uses. Its extremely approachable tionally, the stereo 1/4" line outs make it easy to
layout and design invites a beginning player to explore, and its grand piano sound connect to your recording interface, speakers, or
and action will satisfy accomplished pianists as well as serious students and music mixer. This function makes recording a songwrit-
educators. I’m a recent Berklee graduate and singer-songwriter who performs solo, ing session or even a gig easier than using the
in a duo with an electric violinist, and sometimes with that duo plus a full band. Like stereo headphone out and a Y-cable—which is
most musicians in New York City, I also don’t have a car and get to gigs by cab and what some affordable digital pianos and portable
subway. Keyboard asked me to review the P-105 from the perspective of my musi- keyboards would make you do.
cal needs. With excellent grand piano sound, an uncomplicated yet very useful fea-
ture set, and light weight, it proved to be ideal.

Sound and Feel
Where some digital pianos in this price range
have a single full-range speaker on either side, the
P-105 has separate woofers and tweeters, vibrantly
reproducing low frequencies while leaving the
treble especially clear. Like the keys of an acoustic
piano, the lower register on the P-105’s graded
action has a more weighted feel, while the higher
keys respond more lightly. Also, velocity response
can be adjusted to your touch via four response
settings: soft, medium, hard, and (if desired) fixed.
The P-105’s main grand piano sound (called
Pure CF because it’s sampled from their CFIIIS
concert grand) is a breath of fresh air: strong, ar-
ticulate, and resonant. It has two acoustic piano
sounds, covering the mellower and brighter vari-
ants we’ve come to expect from Yamaha instru-
ments. Both sound full and rich, with tons of har-
monic and dynamic range, and I’d be satisfied with
them in a digital piano that cost twice as much.
Non-piano sounds include realistic Rhodes
and Wurly EPs, a couple of serviceable drawbar Snap Judgment
organs, pipe organ, harpsichord, a string pad
that’s good for layering, and electric and upright PROS Pristine, expressive,
basses for your left hand. above-its-class grand piano
sound. Two-track MIDI
Features recording also useful for
Ever feel like your chord progressions sound live looper-like effect. USB
too bare on their own? Play your chord ideas, or MIDI connectivity. Very easy
even just a simple bass note, and the ten Pianist split function. Has duet
Styles will provide accompaniment, following mode. Built-in speakers have
your notes and chords as you go. These aren’t crisp, detailed sound. Very
accompaniment styles with full instrumentation portable at 26 pounds.
as on an arranger keyboard (think PSR or Tyros).
They’re more like having an extra person sitting CONS Limited non-piano
to your left, but they exist on all sounds, not just sound set. Drum patterns
piano. In addition, separate drum patterns give are a bit limited in styles,
you ten different rhythms to jam along to. Once ranging from basic rock
you come up with a great piece of work, the on- to jazz but excluding
board two-track MIDI recorder lets you capture it. contemporary pop and hip-
The USB-to-host connection lets you transfer hop feels.
your musical ideas to your computer as MIDI files

54 Keyboard 08.2013
 The duet mode is ideal for lessons, as teacher
and student can split the keyboard to be able to play
identical phrases in the same note range, as opposed
to playing in different octaves as one would need to
do on an acoustic piano or on any digital that lacks
this feature. The assignable split is also extremely
easy to use. For instance, if you wanted a bass in the
left hand and a vibraphone in the right, you’d hold
down the L button while pressing the Bass button
and then hold down the R button while pressing the
Vibraphone button. The keyboard is split at the F#
below middle C by default, and you can change the
split point by holding L and pressing a key.
On the Gig
I took the P-105 to a recent gig and, being rather
petite, couldn’t believe how easy it was to carry
an 88-key weighted digital piano by myself. This
is a big deal for me for two reasons. Acoustic
pianos are usually absent from the venues I
play, so I almost always bring my own keyboard.
Sometimes I use my older Yamaha P-60, which
has a very authentic sound but weighs about 40
pounds. This is taxing because I also have a stand
and accessory bag and can’t put the P-60 over my
shoulder to load in in one trip.
Thus, I’ve been borrowing friends’ portable
keyboards and have been continuously frustrated
with the dinky grand piano sounds on a wide va-
riety of them. Enter the P-105, which I put in its
soft case and slung over my shoulder with ease.
One trip achieved!
At a particular show with the P-105, my
piano/violin duo was playing without the full
rhythm section we sometimes have, and we knew
the set would feel less full for this reason. To beef
up our sound, we took advantage of the two-track
recording function in order to bring in bass lines
and melodic ideas that I wouldn’t otherwise be able
to play at the same time as my main piano parts.
For a number of songs, I did the recording passes
live and was then able to play and pause them when
desired (not unlike using a looper pedal), and for
our first song I pre-recorded the bass line on one
track and a second piano part on the other before
heading to the gig. It was wonderful to be able to
enrich the music in a live setting like that.
As for amplification, the sound was pristine.
The P-105’s Intelligent Acoustic control really
worked as advertised through the venue’s P.A.
system. It’s a realtime automatic EQ that keeps
your sound so balanced that you actually feel as
if it’s being adjusted by a sound engineer based
on your volume setting and playing velocity.
Similarly, the action’s sensitivity and velocity re-
sponse proved trustworthy throughout the night,
making for a consistently solid sound—some-
thing not to be taken for granted in the world of
differing rooms, P.A. rigs, and numbers of musi-
cians onstage.
Conclusions
The Yamaha P-105 is an inspiration to the stu-
dent, songwriter, and performer, and (thanks
to its Intelligent Acoustic feature), even the
engineer. I’d highly recommend it to anyone
looking for a first digital piano. The main grand
piano sounds are superb and the supplemen-
tal sounds are fun to play. With its Pianist
Styles, drum rhythms, duo mode, easy split-
ting, and two-track MIDI recording, you
have the tools for practice, creation, and
performance across a multitude of scenarios.
It’s not often that you see this kind of no-
compromise grand piano sound and useful
feature set come as affordably as this. [The
Casio Privia PX-150 comes to mind as quite evenly
matched, but we’ll reserve judgment as we have yet
to review it. —Ed.] Factor in the portability, and
the Yamaha P-105 handily provides Key Buy-
winning bang for your buck.
Bottom Line
Excellent grand piano sound,
enough features to be musically
useful but not daunting, ultra-
portability, and low price. If the
P-105 had an Internet meme in
LOLspeak, it would be “Basic: Ur
doin’ it right.”
$999 list | $599 street
yamaha.com
08.2013 Keyboard 55
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » A PP

STEINBERG

Cubase 7
BY MARTY CUTLER Snap Judgment
PROS Chord Tracks make
TODAY, ANY DAW CAN DO CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN RECORD, EDIT, AND MIDI tracks follow user-
finish a polished musical project. I can’t think of a single one among the major play- specified chord changes.
ers that doesn’t offer a solid set of editing tools, plug-ins, and features that can get Based on the Chord Track,
the job done. And yet, come NAMM or AES, the air is buzzing with updates, and VariAudio 2 can pitch-
you have no idea how you’ve lived without some new feature. Steinberg’s latest ver- correct and harmonize
sion of Cubase shows that there just may be something to buzz about. audio files. Revamped mixer
looks great and is easy to
When choosing a DAW, you can find sufficient dif- with any other DAW. The Padshop soft synth fused navigate. Strips for each
ferences in workflow and “vibe” despite basic simi- granular synthesis with a hefty semi-modular synth mixer channel provide inline
larities in what they all do. If Cubase 7 has a vibe, architecture to enable lush, animated soundscapes. EQ, dynamics, limiting,
it’s that it favors unique instruments and editing Version 5’s introduction of LoopMash put a novel gating, and envelope
tools geared more towards the composer, arranger, and animated spin on groove-oriented loop-creation. shaping—and rival many
and songwriter than the audio engineer. Version 6 Now, version 7 is here with a revamped audio edit- third-party plug-ins for
(reviewed Nov. ’11) expanded on Note Expression ing engine, a totally redesigned mixing console, and sound quality.
(introduced in version 5), which added polyphonic an impressive composing and songwriting assistant
modulation capabilities to previously monophonic in the form of a new Chord Track. CONS Documentation can
types of expression, such as pitch-bend, volume, If you’re a Snow Leopard holdout on the Mac, be skimpy on a few details.
and vibrato. If you don’t think that’s revolutionary, you’ll need at least Lion to run Cubase 7. It might
try contrary-motion pitch-bend on a MIDI track work on OS 10.6.8 as it did for me for a while—

56 Keyboard 08.2013

Fig. 1. In this rhythm guitar part, MIDI data is re-voiced to fit the new chords
I’ve inserted using the Chord Track.
Fig. 3. Complex Chord Track voicings on a single vocal track generated
soprano, alto, and tenor harmony tracks.
until the menu bar disappeared forever. I bit the
bullet and installed OS 10.8.3, and what do you
know, I’m still standing.
Chord Tracks
The Chord Track is essentially a tool to remap MIDI
notes, but that would be like describing three-
dimensional chess as a board game. Still, it’s not a
difficult concept: You lay out chord events by click-
ing in the Arrangement window’s timeline, or you
can call up the chord editor, which lets you place
chords at measure boundaries (or anywhere you
want, though they snap to measures by default) and
provides options to edit and name the chord. Al-
though chord events can provide aural feedback to
your entries, they don’t generate sound themselves;
you route the Chord track to instrument or MIDI
tracks, which causes the MIDI data therein to follow
the harmonic road map you’ve generated. You can
also simply drag a chord event into a MIDI track,
but that produces rather static performances. The
good news is that you can play practically anything
into a MIDI or instrument track, and as long as your
playing is rhythmically solid, the Chord track can
Fig. 2. VariAudio
2 adjusts an audio
track’s pitches
according to scales
suggested by the
Chord Track. Green
represents chord
tones, blue is a scale
tone, and red is an
uncorrected pitch.
provide satisfying results. You can drop the events
anywhere you want—or with the Snap parameter
turned on, land the events precisely on a beat.
You shape the complexity of your chord changes
with the Chord Editor. After you insert your chord
events, which are clean slates at the start, double-
clicking on an event invokes the editor, which
can analyze the chords you wish to play. If you’re
stumped for intermediary chords, you can use the
Chord Assistant to provide a batch of interesting
choices, based on cadences or common tones. You
can select chords ranging from simple, unadorned
triads to increasingly complex tensions ranging
from Donald Fagen to outré clusters of sharps, flats,
tensions, and slashes. Not every track needs to take
its cue from the Chord Track, and for that reason,
you can play as inside or outside as you’d like. The
Chord Track can also generate scale information
so that single lines can be constrained to follow
the changes.
The beauty of the chord track is its utter flexibil-
ity. Here’s an example. One of the great keyboardist
quests has been realistic rhythm guitar parts, and
Chord Tracks make this relatively easy. Like other
tracks, Chord Tracks have an Inspector, and there,
you can choose piano, guitar, or simple voicings.
Selecting the latter, I used my Fishman TriplePlay-
equipped MIDI guitar to strum parts, which expertly
followed the Chord Track. This required minimal
left-hand activity—as long as I was in the pocket
rhythmically, the Chord Track had me covered with
regard to the correct notes (see Figure 1). If you
save the strums as a MIDI file, you can call them
up later as templates that follow any Chord Track.
Likewise, guitarists attempting to emulate decent
keyboard parts can grab a friend’s comping track or
paste data from a MIDI file.
VariAudio 2
With the previous version of VariAudio, Steinberg’s
pitch-correction and audio-stretching tool, we could
generate pretty accurate MIDI data by analyzing
monophonic lines from audio tracks. With 2.0,
Chord Tracks can return the favor with a number
of ways to polish and build polyphonic audio tracks
(see Figure 2).
For starters, VariAudio can now generate har-
monized tracks. Once I specified the number of
voices to create from a solo vocal track, a click of the
button generated three harmonized tracks: soprano,
alto, and tenor, all with the option to open the audio
editor. The parts sounded a bit static and although
the program did its level best to provide a useful
harmony, it needed work. Once again, Chord Tracks
came to the rescue; I assigned the Chord Track as an
input in the inspector, and all the lines took their
marching orders from a complex progression I built
(see Figure 3). My R&B vocal now sounded as if
it took its clues from Claude Debussy. Because the
Chord Track also generates an appropriate scale for
the chords, I was able to create more embellished
movement within individual vocal tracks. Choosing
to derive the color-coding from the Chord Track and
selecting Pitch and Warp as the editing tool in the
inspector, I could drag individual vocal segments
to new pitches; the event changed color indicat-
ing whether I played a chord tone, a scale tone, or
if I was totally off the mark. To cap this off with a
feature from an earlier version, I can then derive
MIDI data from my results and create padding with
harmonic movement that doubles the vocals. Kudos
to Steinberg—this is powerful stuff that elevates
Cubase from a “recording platform” to a proactive
creative partner.
Reimagined Mixer
The redesigned mixing console is a joy to look
at, but even more of a pleasure to navigate. Edit-
ing anything is a breeze. I can get to any track
08.2013 Keyboard 57
 Fig. 4. Cubase 7’s new mixer
now has inline channel strips
that sound great and are easy
to customize.

Compared with other DAW mixer windows

with the left and right arrows. The up and down
arrows send your cursor to any of the routings
or inserts in that track’s virtual rack of channel
strip parameters (see Figure 4). Once you select
a channel strip, hitting your Enter key brings up
the strip’s processors: EQ, gates, compressors,
transient shapers—all per channel, with no menu
to wade through. You just use the up and down
arrows to select one of the processors, hit Enter
once more, and the parameters for that processor
open up. Importantly, all this inline processing
sounds good enough that much of the time, it’s
what you’ll reach for instead of a third-party plug-
in when you want to tweak the EQ or dynamics
of a track—in a large part because you have im-
mediate visual access and don’t have to open up
a plug-in window to see what’s going on with the
processing.
that can leave me squinting and with a headache,
Cubase is a balm for the eyes and brain. Color-
coding immediately tells me whether I’m looking
at MIDI, audio, ReWire, or any other type of track.
As with most DAW mixers, I can choose tracks or
track types to show or hide, but the panels that
enable this are always accessible. I’ve often had
to jump through hoops to rearrange my mixer
landscape onscreen, but not here. I can also resize
individual board sections, so for instance, if I
don’t need or want to see the inserts, EQ, or chan-
nel strips, I can grab the upper border and drag
downward until it’s all hidden. This happens with-
out resizing the entire board. As mentioned in my

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review of Cubase 6, Steinberg has done a remark-
able job of presenting a lot of functionality with a
minimum of searching and mousing; nowhere is
this more evident than in the mixing console.
More Features
One complaint about MIDI and synthesizer-
driven tracks concerns how equal temperament
tuning tends to sound unnatural, particularly
with emulation of strings and fretted instru-
ments. In order to preserve a natural sound
between certain intervals, string players contin-
ually adjust their intonation based on the key.
Fortunately, Cubase 7 includes Hermode tun-
ing, a technology that fine-tunes the tempera-
ment of MIDI notes in real time based on the
type of material in the track. Employing these
gave me audibly beneficial (though often subtle)
changes based on the keys and voicings I used,
as well as the type of adaptation I chose. Among
others, setup in the project menu includes pre-
sets for pop and jazz (suitable for sax and other
monophonic instruments), Baroque (which re-
tunes based on the harmonic progression), and
“Classic” Hermode tuning.
All this said, the documentation needs to
spell out some things more specifically. With
Hermode Tuning, for example, you select the
59
type of tuning from a project window, but you with the former, Cubase 7 will cut through the
activate it from a subsection buried in the In- utilitarian tedium of modern-day recording and
spector, and I had to “show all” in a menu at the inspire your muse in all the right ways.
top of the Inspector to see it. For the most part,
it’s surprisingly easy to find your way around
Cubase, but now and then you can tell that the
documentation needs to follow the feature creep
Bottom Line
more closely. Quite possibly the perfect balance
I’m tempted to cover more new features, of traditional multitrack DAW and
such as VST connect (a free tool that lets you active songwriting companion.
collaborate remotely, with “through the studio
glass” webcam video and sample-accurate sync) $599.99 list | $499.99 street |
and Steinberg Hub, which lets you access tutori- $349.99 academic | upgrade prices
als, support, user forums, and cloud-based proj- based on version you own
ect starter templates from within Cubase itself. steinberg.net
As usual, it would take at least an entire issue
of Keyboard to catch up on the wealth of less
touted but equally impressive updates.
Conclusions Demo at Cubase user
What’s most attractive about Cubase 7 is its meeting.
outstanding bent for providing tantalizing, one-
of-a-kind creative tools that are aimed clearly
at the “musician who wants to compose a song” Audio examples of new
more than the “engineer who wants to emulate features in action.
a huge console and rack of outboard gear.” Both
of those are legitimate approaches to design-
keyboardmag.com/august2013
ing a DAW, but for anyone who identifies more
MARKETPLACE
08.2013 Keyboard 59
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SY NTH » A PP

WAVES

Element Snap Judgment

PROS Classic subtractive
BY JOHN KROGH synth design. Fat, analog-like
sound. Good variety of well-
programmed presets. Easy
WAVES ELEMENT IS A DECIDEDLY SIMPLE ANALOG MODELING SYNTH WHOSE to program. Arpeggiator/
classic throwback design is somewhat of a surprise considering that its developer sequencer section lets you
is arguably the leading innovator in the audio processing plug-in universe. Indeed, create complex melodic
Waves is a pioneer that has pushed the boundaries of what we’ve come to ex- and rhythmic patterns.
pect from the sonic characteristics and performance of third-party plug-ins. When
Waves decided to enter the software instrument domain with Element, many of us CONS Classic subtractive
took note in hopes that this would set a new standard, as Waves has done many synth design. Not all LFOs
times over during its 20-plus years in the business. So does this straightforward can be synced to tempo.
and seemingly humble polysynth have a place in Waves’ pantheon of plug-in titans? Step sequencer doesn’t
Read on. allow notes to be tied.

60 Keyboard 08.2013
Overview
With Element, Waves set out to create a synth
that captures the punchy analog characteristics
of classic ’80s polysynths, while also being dead
easy to program. To this end, programming
sounds is accomplished via a single-page user
interface that’s sensibly arranged according to
the signal flow common to subtractive synths:
oscillator into filter into amplifier. There’s no
need to dive through multiple pages or menus to
tweak—an aspect of working with Element that
I’m sure many users will appreciate, especially
considering that it can get tedious and mouse-
intensive to craft sounds using many of today’s
soft synths.
As for matching the juicy and somewhat
gritty characteristic that many early polysynths
are known for, Waves used what their marketing
team cleverly dubbed “virtual voltage” technol-
ogy. Presumably, this is akin to the circuit model-
ing used in other Waves plug-ins. In Element’s
case it means that Waves modeled individual
components along the signal path from oscillator
to amplifier in order to create a more analog-
sounding synth.
Waves has a tradition of developing plug-ins
based around a particular producer’s aesthetic
or specific piece of gear, a la the Puigchild (mod-
eled after Jack Joseph Puig’s personal Fairchild
compressor), CLA-2A (modeled after Chris
Lord-Alge’s LA-2A compressor), or the signature
series of plug-in bundles developed with the
input of such famous recordists as Tony Mase-
rati and Eddie Kramer. Element was developed
in collaboration with Yoad Nevo, known for his
work as a producer, engineer, and remixer with
synth-heavy artists such as Air, Pet Shop Boys,
Goldfrapp, and many others. In particular, Nevo
was heavily involved in programming many of
Element’s presets, which offer no shortage of
production-ready sounds to work with.
Synth Specs
Element is essentially a two-oscillator synth
that offers a choice of four waveform types per
oscillator: sine, sawtooth, triangle, and square
with pulse width modulation. Oscillator 1 also
offers a triangle sub-oscillator for adding extra
low end. Noise is also available, although there
are no tonal shaping options, just a single knob
for mixing noise into the signal with oscillator 1.
Adding to the analog-like sonics, both oscil-
lators offer the choice of producing a “digitally
controlled” waveform (i.e., more stable pitch)
or a “voltage controlled” waveform (i.e., oscilla-
tion starts at a random point in the waveform’s
phase). To my ears, the voltage controlled mode
truly gives Element a more analog character.
Following in the tradition of many subtrac-
tive synths, Element also offers basic frequency
modulation (FM), which is implemented in a
couple of ways. Oscillator 1 has a dedicated
sine wave oscillator, allowing you to modulate
the frequency of oscillator 1 without tying up
oscillator 2 as the source of your modulator
waveform—though oscillator 1 can modulate
oscillator 2 in classic FM style. In addition to
modulating oscillator frequency, Element’s filter
offers an FM knob for audio-rate modulation
of the cutoff frequency—something many
synths don’t offer.
Element features a single, resonant multi-
mode filter with lowpass, highpass, bandpass,
and band-reject modes, along with selectable
12dB- or 24dB-per-octave slope. As for the fil-
ter’s character, I wasn’t able to dial in quite the
amount of squelch as I was hoping for. The filter
itself seems rather tame, but fortunately I was
able to coax a lot more attitude by enabling the
built-in distortion, which can be applied before
or after the filter.
Complex rhythmic and animated sounds are
easy to create thanks to Element’s four LFOs,
6 x 6 mod matrix, and the Arp/Seq (arpeggia-
tor/sequencer) section, which features a 16-step
monophonic sequencer that can double as a
traditional arpeggiator. Actually, it’s a little better
than monophonic, as you can strike a chord and
the sequencer will then play it back as a step in
the sequence. You just can’t do polyphonic coun-
terpoint—unless of course you open multiple
instances of Element.
All of the LFOs offer the same six waveform
choices, and curiously only LFOs 3 and 4 can be
synced to tempo. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but an
odd choice, given that it’s common these days to
expect tempo sync from any rhythmic component.
The Arp/Seq section makes up for this
thanks to the arpeggiator’s “sequence” mode,
which makes it easy to create melodic patterns
by setting the pitch for each of the sequencer’s
16 steps. You can adjust the gate time for notes
globally (not per note, though), and massage the
feel via the swing slider. It’s a reasonably flexible
design, although I wish it were possible to tie
notes together, which would allow for more so-
phisticated rhythms. Instead, you can only turn
individual steps on or off.
Impressions
Element definitely has a more authentic analog-
like quality compared to a number of other soft
synths I’ve used. There’s a perceptible denseness
to its sound that many soft synths lack. In fact,
I compared Element to several popular synths
including Reason’s Subtractor and Thor, Logic’s
ES1, Spectrasonics Omnisphere loaded with clas-
sic waveforms, and FXpansion’s Cypher. Hands
down, Element was thicker and I dare say more
ballsy. That said, it was also darker in general,
with less top-end bite.
I was impressed by the quality and variety
of the presets. There are a lot of great leads, se-
quences, basses, and pads to mine. And since the
interface is dead simple, I found it easy to tweak
the factory patches into interesting variations.
When it comes to programming, however, Ele-
ment could benefit from dedicated bypass con-
trols for its built-in effects, which include chorus,
bit-crusher, reverb, and tempo-synced delay. In
particular, many of the sounds are polished with
a healthy dose of reverb and delay, and I found I
often had to turn down each control.
Conclusions
Waves doesn’t specifically claim to model any
particular synth with Element, though it
does have a definite analog character. It
doesn’t evoke, say, the sound of a Roland
Juno or Korg Polysix or Oberheim OB-8, and
I think that’s a good thing. Element can be a
chameleon and can be made to fit into many
different musical contexts. If you don’t al-
ready have a go-to virtual analog soft synth in
your arsenal, Element is a fine entry point into
subtractive synthesis.
Bottom Line
Element captures the vibe of all the
classic ’80s polysynths without trying
to emulate any specific one, and its
“virtual voltage” modeling makes for
superior analog authenticity.
$200 street
waves.com
Screen-capture video
detailing Element’s
sound and features.
keyboardmag.com/
august2013
08.2013 Keyboard 61
REVIEW DIGITAL PIANOS » DAW » SOFT SYN TH » APP

CAMEL AUDIO

Alchemy
Mobile
Pro 2
BY FRANCIS PRÈVE Snap Judgment
CAMEL AUDIO’S ALCHEMY MOBILE HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE NOW, AND THE PROS Intuitive and easy-to-
free version has developed quite a following among iPad users thanks to it letting you navigate sound design tools.
whip
hip up co
whi cool
oll ttextures
exttures without
ithoutt a d
with deep understanding
eep under t ding off sy
d standi synthesis
nth i ttools.
thesis ools.
l L Last spring,
astt spring,
i Audiobus support. User-
Camel updated the popular app to version 2.0, adding some cool new features like adjustable balance between
drum pads, new presets, Audiobus support, and a four–track sequencer for doodling. latency and polyphony. Great
sounding synthesis engine.
That said, the real fun begins when you plunk These sliders change their function based on the Compatible all the way back
down an extra 15 bucks for the in–app purchase preset selected. For some instruments, the mac- to first-generation iPad.
of Alchemy Mobile Pro, which lets you save your ros control familiar parameters like cutoff and
four–track songs for future work and light edit- resonance. For others, the sliders control more CONS Sequence editing tools
ing tasks. Oddly, the Pro version also adds the exotic aspects of the sound, like comb fi ltering,
filtering, are meager at best.
ability to add swing to your grooves—a feature effects levels, and even grouped parameters with
that seems like it should be included standard, unusual [yoga-inspired?] names like “Prasavya”
but that’s really just a quibble. The upgrade also and “Lotus.” Bottom Line
includes the ability to tweak your overall laten- The sequencing tools are functional, but re-
cy, which can help with polyphony. This is a ma- ally basic compared to many of the other multi- Another useful and affordable color
jor plus for original iPad users, who thankfully track iPad apps. You get a basic ruler at the top for your iPad synth palette.
are supported in both versions of the app. of each selected preset-plus-track combo that
Alchemy’s approach to sound design is quite corresponds to bar length and play position, $14.99
intuitive, even for beginners, thanks to Camel’s but that’s it. There’s no full-screen editor that camelaudio.com
intelligent use of macros, a pair of X/Y pads, and allows you to manipulate individual events on
a 4 x 2 grid that provides morphing between the MIDI timeline. Yes, you can overdub and/or
eight variations on the preset. This last feature re-record, but that’s about it. this may be splitting hairs since the app sounds
lets you smoothly transition through preset Of course, the Alchemy synth sounds so so darned good.
variations by sliding your finger around the grid, good that some users will probably just use it All in all, Alchemy Mobile—Pro or free—is a
delivering useful results with a minimum of as another tool in their arsenal of iPad sound great sounding addition to any iPad rig and its
technical knowledge. generators or, thanks to the inclusion of Audio- ease of use in the sound design department should
More savvy users can experiment with the bus compatibility, incorporate Alchemy into a make it a go-to synth for nascent sound designers,
macro sliders on the left side of the interface. larger iOS sequencing environment, so again, regardless of your preferred musical genre.

62 Keyboard 08.2013
Product Spotlight S P E C I A LT Y A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N

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 CODA
5
T
THINGS
II’VE
LEARNED
L
BRAD BUCKMAN
ABOUT
A San Diego
Solo Jazz Piano
BY GEOFFREY KEEZER
WHETHER YOU’RE A JAZZ PIANIST OR A VOCALIST ACCOMPANYING YOUR-
self, the ability to play great solo piano can translate into more job opportunities
and more musical confidence. I first played solo piano in front of an audience with
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and have been developing my concept ever
since. Here are five things I’ve learned about playing solo jazz piano over the past
25 years.
1. The Groove Is King
Numero uno for me is always the groove.
Drums were my first instrument, and when I
switched to piano in my teens I spent many hours
practicing with a metronome as well as playing
along with records by groove masters like Count
Basie, James Brown, and Jimmy Smith. Try to
create compelling grooves and bass lines with
your left hand, and lock into the time like you’re
playing with a rhythm section.
2. Think Like an Arranger
I often visualize the piano as an orches-
tra, mentally assigning instrument parts to each
hand or different fingers. My left hand can be a
bass or cello or trombone; my right can be a flute,
trumpet, or violin; the middle register (shared
between both hands) can be saxes, violas, or any-
thing else I can imagine. Actually writing arrange-
ments for various instrumentations and studying
scores by master composers and arrangers can
give your solo playing added depth and variety.
66 Keyboard 08.2013
pianist,
composer,
and arrang-
er Geoffrey
Keezer has
performed
with
wiith virtually
h viirtuall all the
lly ll th livings legends
he liviings le of
jazz and currently tours as a member of
Chris Botti’s band. His new solo album
Heart of the Piano is out now. Find out
more at geoffreykeezer.com.
3. Use All 88 Keys
Most of us tend to avoid the extreme
lower and upper registers of the keyboard, con-
5. Use the Damper Pedal
Sparingly
Pushing the sustain pedal to the metal like
sidering them too muddy or brittle to be practi- you’re Mario Andretti can mask improper piano
cal. I loved hearing pianist and vibraphonist Bud- technique, and the colliding overtones can blur
dy Montgomery play solo piano in the late 1980s the pretty voicings you’re working so hard to
in New York. He was the first pianist I heard who create. It also tends to take you into the “cock-
really made use of these “forbidden” zones in a tail piano” zone pretty quickly. I consciously
delightfully musical way. Be fearless. work on developing a good tone and finger
legato, practicing without using pedal. Being
4. Any Song Is Fair Game
On my concerts or recordings, I enjoy
presenting a wide variety of material ranging
able to play fluidly sans pedal is also extremely
handy when you’re stuck with an old Rhodes
with a broken pedal!
from contemporary pop covers to jazz standards
to free improvisation. My only rule of thumb is
this: If a song’s melody and chord progression Geoffrey Keezer plays
resonates with me, I’ll play it! Songs with lyrics Wayne Shorter’s
“Footprints” solo.
pose a unique challenge, so I always strive to find
a way to convey the feeling and meaning of the
poetry from the piano keyboard. Keeping the
keyboardmag.com/august2013
lyrics in mind helps you with phrasing and timing
when playing the melody.
 MEET YOUR 88 NEW BEST FRIENDS
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