PSRS900 » Arranger Keyboard

Review the Yamaha PSR â Arranger Keyboards from Yamaha!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:01:16 +0000

Looking for an arranger keyboard with 61 keys? Have a look at the Yamaha PSR series. The psr series is one of the most popular keyboard series from Yamaha and its popularity has remain intact throughout the years. The PSR series keyboards fall in the category of arranger keyboards and a lot of beginners buy these keyboards. But just because a lot of beginners buy it, does not mean it makes pro keyboards. At the higher price range, the psr series has some superb keyboards for the professional performers. Since these are more of arranger keyboards, the high end psr keyboards are also known as arranger workstations, because they contain a lot of features to enable you to create your own music tracks.So what psr keyboard should one buy? Depends on your learning level and budget! If you are a beginner and need a 61 key, touch sensitive keyboard to start learning keyboards, then the models to look for would be Yamaha psr e213, psr e313, and the psr e413.If you already can play keyboards and want to buy a great sounding keyboard, with workstation related features, but on a limited budget, then have a look at the Yamaha psr 550. The psr 550 is an entry level arranger workstation and a bit expensive to be your first arranger keyboard. Professionals who need a good keyboard for onstage performance can have a look at the psr s900 arranger workstation. If you are looking for some ethnic sounds, have a look at the Yamaha psrOR700 which contains a lot of Oriental and Persian sounds and styles.Overall, the PSR Keyboards are great keyboards. It is one of the most popular arranger keyboards from Yamaha; you can go ahead and pick one as per your requirement.Great Deals on Yamaha PSR Keyboards

Arranger Keyboards â A Complete Musical Band!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:53:35 +0000

Most of the kids get fascinated by the musical keyboard is because of their ability to create different sounds and the various built-in musical rhythms. Most of the parents identify these instruments by the name Casio. Though Casio is a manufacturer of electronic keyboards, they have a monopoly when it comes to keyboards with lesser number of keys and that explains why people refer to keyboards as Casio. But if you look at the keyboards in the higher price range, you will observe that not only does the quality of sound improve drastically, the number of sounds and built-in rhythms (also known as styles) also go up dramatically. You can easily find hundreds of sounds and rhythms, based on various musical styles. And it is because of these musical styles, these keyboards are also known as Arranger keyboards. Because, you just have to select one of the musical styles and that is what you need to accompany the melody that you play. These musical styles are basically a combination of various tracks like drums, bass, guitar, strings, etc. which create a rich arrangement. And the best thing is that these arrangements change as per the chords that you play. These arranger keyboards can be used to play live in front of an audience. If you can sing well, just pick up one of the high-end arranger keyboards and a good pair of speakers, thatâs all you would need to play to the audience. As you go in the higher price range, arranger keyboards also give you the features of a workstation. You can compose your original score right from scratch; you can edit your score, and you can even burn a CD out of it.

10 Things You Might Not Know About the Electric Keyboard

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:04:47 +0000

1. Some of you may think of someone playing the electronic keyboard as a “pianist”. Well you’d be wrong. They would actually be referred to (by someone who knows what they are talking about) as a “keyboardist”. Sounds clumsy, but it’s true.
2. The term “electronic keyboard” is used to mainly describe the cheap end portable home sequencing keyboards, but is also commonly used to include many variants such as the digital piano, the synthesizer, the electric organ and the arranger keyboard.
3. Many electronic keyboards commonly use MIDI signals to send and receive musical data. MIDI is essentially a sequence of instructions that identify the sound used, the note pressed, the duration of that press, although the complexity of the MIDI system will vary with each keyboard. Some cheaper end models of electric keyboard (such as keyboard toys) simply will not output that data.
4. Many keyboards have the ability to add a “foot switch” or “sustain pedal” as it is commonly referred to. The application of the foot switch enables a pressed note to “ring” for longer and better replicate the sounds of many keyboard based instruments including the organ and the piano.
5. Electronic keyboards across the world have been commonly built by instrument manufacturers such as Alesis, Casio, Ensoniq, E-mu, Kawai, Ketron, Korg, Kurzweil Music Systems, M-Audio, Moog Music, Ne-Ko, Roland, Technics, Yamaha and Sonic to name but a few!
6. Features that keyboardists would be interested in when choosing a keyboard include touch response, after touch, polyphony (the number of notes that can be played at the same time), multi-timbre (playing more than one instrument at the same time), tempo, split point (the ability to split the playing area into different instruments), style, synchronisation, auto harmony, wheels and knobs (to control and vary different features on the keyboard) and response (weighted or spring loaded).
7. Synthesizers are actually slightly different from the standard electronic keyboard in that they can produce a variety of sounds by generating, combining and distorting signals of different frequencies. Unlike the keyboard, the synthesizer produces an electric signal (rather than an acoustic signal) which can then be played through an amplifier of some kind. Synthesizers are most commonly controlled by a keyboard device, although this is often integrated into the machinery.
8. Perhaps the most infamous synthesizer is the Moog Synthesizer, famous for its role in many 1970s and 1980s pop hits and popularly used by artists such as Jean Michelle Jarre and Duran Duran.
9. The earliest incarnations of the non-electric keyboard are the pipe organ, the hurdy gurdy and the harpsichord. The organ is the oldest of these from perhaps as early as the third century AD.
10. The first keyboard to be powered by electricity is said to be the “Ondes Martenot” which appeared in the early 20th century (approx. 1928). It is actually still played today in some French conservatoires thanks to some compositions written specifically for the Ondes Martenot. It produces eerie wavering notes and was produced by “varying the frequency of oscillation in thermionic valves”. Whatever than means…

How to Become A Famous Keyboard Player

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:04:46 +0000

You have a little studio set up. You might have a Yamaha Motif ES 6 and maybe a Roland XV 5080 and possibly an arranger keyboard such as the Yamaha Tyros or Korg PA1. All this maybe hooked to a computer sequencer such as Cakewalk Sonar 6 or Steinberg Cubase or maybe you prefer a hard sequencer such as the Yamaha AW1600. Anyway, you have all the above or similar and you are ready to create the best keyboard single or album that has ever been created. So how is it done?
Well the first and probably the most important thing you need is luck and lots of it. That means making sure your musical masterpiece is heard by the right person. So you need to do some research and find out who you should be sending your demos to. If you can, send your demos to everybody on the planet and keep sending them. Create your own luck, talk to musicians, buy music mags, and create contacts. Make a policy of creating one contact per day.
Whether you are a working musician or studio geek, you MUST, come up with a new sound, style, or something that is different enough to make people sit up and listen. It doesn’t have to appeal to the masses; it just needs to appeal to enough people, so you get a slice of the market. A good example of this is Vangelis. He has a unique sound, he is different and he appeals to a small slice of the music market. How about Jeff Wayne, he has created his own slice of the market with just one album, “War of the Worlds”. Not forgetting Mike Oldfield and “Tubular Bells”. These are just a few examples, but they all have something in common, uniqueness.
It’s easy to write about and considerably harder to put in to practice. I have tried to come up with that different idea and I have demos on cassette tapes up in the attic gathering dust. Unfortunately I was not going to become the next famous keyboard player or composer. It did however, create other opportunities and as a consequence I have been a working musician for over thirty years and loved every minute of it.
So if you have any different, wacky, weird, violent, or silly ideas floating about inside you head. Try and put it to music, you never know, you might be the next great keyboard player or composer, and lets face it we need one. I’m sick of all the remixes. Let’s have something new.
Oh and one last thing. Never give up.

How to Buy a Keyboard (part 3)

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:11:20 +0000

In this article, I will discuss keyboard features that are not essential but can ease the learning process and operation of your keyboard.

The first feature you might find useful is the use of memory buttons. These normally range from four memory buttons to eight buttons, in your price range. The memory button remembers the complete set up of the keyboard, which might include the sound you are using plus the rhythm and speed and volumes of each part. This is especially useful if you have spent hours setting up your keyboard and you want to save your settings. There’s nothing worse than trying to find that perfect setting again, when you could have saved it.

Also some keyboards will have a floppy drive which can save the entire settings of the keyboard including memory buttons just in case there is a power cut or your memory buttons get wiped, again not essential, but useful.

The next feature is reverb. This setting on a keyboard can dramatically transform the sound of any instrument sound on your keyboard. An example of natural reverb can be found in a church or a large hall or an underground cavern. If you have visited any of these places then you know the sound created is echo like. Of course, it is very difficult to describe the sound difference when adding reverb but again this is another advantage to visiting a music shop where you can actually listen to the keyboard sounds.

The difference between reverb and no reverb is quite dramatic. If you haven’t heard the difference it is unlikely you will miss it but be warned once you have heard the difference between reverb and no reverb you will want reverb on your keyboard.

The next feature to look for is a recording facility. Recorders are built in to keyboard, they don’t use tape, they use memory chips to record actions made on a keyboard such as playing a piece of music. These recorders are referred to as music sequencers and can create very complex almost orchestral pieces of music although the features on a sequencer at your price range will be limited.

As a beginner you will not get a lot of use from this feature however, it can be used as a teaching aid, for example a teacher can play a section of music in to the sequencer and the pupil can then listen and practice the sequence of music as many times as is needed. If this feature is pushing your budget, then I would say you don’t need it. The choice is yours.

Finally, most keyboards made today have two or three “MIDI” connections; these can normally be found on the back of the keyboard and look like five pin din sockets and are marked up as MIDI In, MIDI Out and MIDI Through. MIDI stands for “musical instrument digital interface” As a beginner you will not use these connections. These connections enable your keyboard to play and be played by other keyboards. They can also connect to a computer and music can be played and created using MIDI and computer programs.

MIDI is a complex subject and if you wish to learn more about this subject, you can search the internet where you will find lots of information about MIDI. So if your keyboard does not have MIDI connections, its does not matter, if your keyboard does have MIDI connections it still doesn’t matter.

In part four I will discuss optional extras, which for some people could be necessary extras. Also information about keyboard lessons.

You can read the first and second article at Mikes Music Room.

How to Buy a Keyboard (part 4)

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:45:05 +0000

In this article, I will discuss those optional extras are they optional or do you actually need them. If you want to read previous articles in this series start with How to buy a keyboard (Part1) at Mikes Music Room.

Having read this series of articles you have set your budget, you have seen and listened to your keyboard in the flesh, you have the features you want on your keyboard, so that’s it, your ready to start learning. Right? Not quite.

Now you need to deal with the dreaded optional extra. I do not have a problem with optional extras as long as that’s what they are and not necessary. An essential part of a keyboard is the power supply. Most keyboards in your price range use a plug in power supply and because some of these keyboards can be powered by batteries as well, some manufactures will charge you for the power supply and call it an optional extra. In my opinion, this is very sneaky and very naughty. Before you agree to buy a keyboard make sure the power supply is included in the price. My opinion on this is that if it is a deal breaker so be it. Power supplies can cost about £25.00 and this money can be used for other items you will need.

The next item you will need is a keyboard stand unless you want to place your keyboard on the dining table or the floor (not recommended). Normally you would leave the keyboard in the same place, so it is useful to have a stand. These can cost from £25.00 to £50.00 and I would recommend an adjustable height stand rather than a static stand. I would defiantly barter to get a stand thrown in with the price of the keyboard; it’s always worth a try. This of course should not be a deal breaker as the stand is an extra.

The above items especially the first one are important. Other less important items include a keyboard bench to sit on, not essential if you have chairs at home and an adjustable keyboard stand. A volume pedal and sustain pedal, which are connected to the back of the keyboard, normally using a jack plug. These will be rarely used. Headphones can be useful for your family’s sanity during the early learning months.

Finally, the last item on my list is of course optional but I recommend you make it essential, and that’s keyboard lessons. Many music shops will offer a free keyboard lesson to get you started. These lessons are normally thirty-minute lessons and after your free lesson will cost between £10.00 and £20.00 per lesson. You will also need to buy music for your lessons, which again can cost £10.00 to £20.00 but this music should last from six to twelve months depending on how fast you can learn.

I hope this series of articles has given you sufficient information to buy a keyboard and start learning. If your unsure about keyboard lessons then try out my Lesson 1 e-book at Mikes Music Room, which will get you started and you can download it immediately.

Yamaha Electone Organ Versus Yamaha Arranger Keyboard

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:26:13 +0000

Over the past ten years or so, electric organ sales have slumped to all time low. Yet the arranger keyboard market continues to flourish, especially with keyboards such as the Yamaha Tyros, Korg PA-2X Pro and the Roland G70. In my opinion, the organ is much more playable as a live instrument, and using bass pedals, you can play the organ without any drum machine or automatic chords and get a fantastic sound.

The keyboard on the other hand would sound thin, definitely lacking without auto chord/bass. Of course, arranger keyboards are considerably cheaper than new organs and take up less room. This has created a new generation of keyboard players, some of which could never afford the hefty cost of an organ.

So is this the end for the electric organ. So how do organ manufacturers address this problem? Well they were and still are designed to be a piece of furniture. Great big lumps of wood, which appeal to the older generation, which is why they have the reputation of being an older person’s musical instrument. This need to be changed so they appeal to all generations. The next major change has to be the hefty cost. A top of the range electric arranger keyboard such as the Roland G70 would cost between two to three thousands pounds. The top of the range Roland Atelier organ will cost you in the region of twenty thousand pounds new.

This change may have already started with new models from Yamaha with the Yamaha D-Deck organ and the top of the range Yamaha Electone Stagea. Both are portable and very modern looking. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information on these models unless you read Japanese. Yamaha have decided there is no organ market in the UK, Europe or the USA. So if you want one of these models you will have to import it yourself.

At the time of writing this, even these new modern looking organs are now out of date. As far as I am aware the Yamaha Stagea electone organ and Yamaha D-Deck organ do not have the “Super Articulation” that is available on the Yamaha Tyros 2 arranger keyboard. There are also a lot of brand new features on the latest crop of arranger keyboards, which include Roland G70, Korg PA 800 and the Ketron Audya, the latter, still a prototype.

So if you want an electric organ set up. You might be better of buying two arranger keyboards and a pedal board. It would be considerably cheaper than importing the Yamaha Stagea and you would be assured of the latest sounds and technological advancements.