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I'm kicking around the idea of getting a band together again. Not for the cash, just because I miss performing.
So I'm hunting about for a new second-hand keyboard. I've still got my fantastic Kurzweil K2500XS, but I no longer want to lug around the weighted 88-note behemoth to gigs!
In my search I came across a couple of my previous keys - a Kurzweil K2000 and, most special in my heart, the Korg M1.
I had to fight back temptation to hit 'buy now' on that sucker. (some of you may remember the classic piano sound of the M1 from the hit 80's track 'Right on Time').
So I'm officially nostalgic for old keyboards....
Anyone else miss old instruments?
Also - anyone got any advice on keys that are:
76 notes or more doesn't matter if weighted has a decent piano sound older than a couple of years to really bring the price down.
Anything with a built-in WallyBox (1-touch drum tracks and/or chords in a variety of crap styles) need not apply!
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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Sorry, no advice here. I thought when you were talking about old instruments you meant things like the Crumhorn or Theorbo or things of that ilk...
I have a weakness for old guitars. Sadly (or not, depending on who does the dusting) I don't have the cash to indulge myself.
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I was hoping so too, Scott. Also bagpipes--my father plays the pipes and it makes me nostalgic. I'm looking forward to our town parade tomorrow because I know the local pipe and drum band will be in it.
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I'm worried that an autoharp is just wimping out on trying to become a decent guitar player, but really I just want to be able to play for sing-alongs before I have kids, and an autoharp seems like a pretty good way to achieve that.
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Beverly (my wife) plays the mandolin. It seems to be about as hard as learning the guitar or banjo, which is what I play.
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quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: I'm worried that an autoharp is just wimping out on trying to become a decent guitar player, but really I just want to be able to play for sing-alongs before I have kids, and an autoharp seems like a pretty good way to achieve that.
Learning the 5 guitar chords necessary for the vast majority of sing-alongs shouldn't be so difficult that you're considering ways around it. I'm sure there are plenty of good reasons to learn the autoharp; I just wouldn't call that one.
It should take 6 months, tops, of playing guitar for an hour or two a week before you're proficient enough to do that. Or so I would estimate.
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I'm fairly moderate at guitar. Would the banjo or mandolin be easy to pick up with those skills? I'm debating whether or not to find someone that plays locally and seeing if they'll teach me a thing or two.
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quote:It should take 6 months, tops, of playing guitar for an hour or two a week before you're proficient enough to do that. Or so I would estimate.
I can play lots of chords. I just can't string them together and think about how the song goes enough to actually play it.
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Well, that's just practice, and honestly, I'm not sure it would be easier with an autoharp. You'd still have to string chords together and think about how the song goes.
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What he said. I find it also helps to have the changes written out so you don't have to remember them.
But nothing will skip over that goofy time where there's a noticeable pause as your fingers change positions except practice.
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76 notes or more doesn't matter if weighted has a decent piano sound older than a couple of years to really bring the price down.
A keyboard like that doesn't exist. Weighted keys are a must.
What are you really going for? Will you need a bunch of synth, or would you like a keyboard that's pretty much a light, portable, piano?
In my (Extremely limited) experience with electric keyboards, Korgs are better for synth, and Rolands are better for an actual piano sound, and Yamahas aren't good for much of anything. Of course, I'm probably a little biased on that count.
But I don't know keyboards very well... I just play them.
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quote:Originally posted by vonk: I'm fairly moderate at guitar. Would the banjo or mandolin be easy to pick up with those skills? I'm debating whether or not to find someone that plays locally and seeing if they'll teach me a thing or two.
Yes, it would be fairly easy to learn either one of them. There's a lot of skill crossover.
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Nathan I beg to disagree - when you've had to lug 88-note weighted keys around to gigs for five years, you begin to realise just how unnecessary weighted keys are, particularly in the kind of music you play in cover bands.
My own keyboard weighs 72 lbs. It's so heavy that hardcases make it impossible for one person to carry. I had to have a custom softcase, which added an extra 11 to 20 pounds.
I never want to deal with that again.
That said, playing on a 61 note keyboard is completely untenable.
So, it's 76 or 88 notes.
And non-weighted!
I'm kinda anti Roland tho, they're just too dinky and I don't like their piano sounds. I guess I'm just a Kurzweil man through and through.
- and yeah, I'm still Washer.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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I picked up a recorder on my mission so I'd have some sort of instrument to play on a lonely evening. I got pretty good at it or at least I thought so, my companion disagreed and called the mission president complaining that I was not playing hymns on the recorder. Mission President called back and asked that I not play unless it was preparation day and then only hymns. Played once a week instruments really do not go anywhere.
I've got a classical guitar, and a keyboard setup in my apt and that suits me just fine. I might buy a clarinet again one day because I really do miss playing it.
Dagonee: Sounds like you are just about over the hump on guitar. If you need practice stringing chords together just start with a bar chord, move it up 4 frets, then up one more, then lift your middle finger and thats your basic power chord sequence. Practice singing while playing that on a loop and it will start to come together.
I personally hate the fact that I can play piano quite well, and can write songs, but when it comes to singing I just can't do it.
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Try the II-V-I (i.e Dm, G, Cmaj or similar) sequence to sound like a Jazz King. It works for me, although the Jazz Kinglyness is debatable.
Failing that, the C, Am, F, G chord sequence is good for a laugh.
A good tip is to buy a good "Popular songs with easy chords" book. I have a jumbo grimoire that serves for BBQs and other drunken gatherings where sing-a-longs are required.
I am envious of Crumhorn skills. I have a fife, if that counts. I bought it in Boston and play marching songs on it.
I would dearly lke a set of Uillean(sp?) pipes, but I would be banished to the mountians to practice.
quote:Originally posted by Troubadour: Nathan I beg to disagree - when you've had to lug 88-note weighted keys around to gigs for five years, you begin to realise just how unnecessary weighted keys are, particularly in the kind of music you play in cover bands.
Just get a 'new guy' in your band, and make him carry everything. Or get groupies.
I've never actually had to carry one, but I can sympethize.
But you must understand I'm a purist. It's a pretty big step for me to play an electric keyboard, for I'm a piano diva. (Can I say 'divo'? Is that word okay?) So, understand you're talking to a tempermental musician. I, personally, don't think I'm all that tempermental. But, my point is made.
Anyway, I usually will never play on a keyboard unless the keys are weighted (Not that I'm given much choice most of the time), and even then I want a 'real' piano (Even a Baby grand would do). And even then I want to be sitting down. I don't like standing and playing. Ick. But, you may want the keyboardist to stand. It looks 'modern', I guess. And, if the bench or chair is too heavy...
LOL (I'm poking fun.)
But, I get it. Although it would be nice to have a bunch of really great sounding instruments magically appear on stage wherever you go, the instruments must be portable. As does the sound system. So, I play electric keyboards.
I guess it makes sense that if some poor guy is stuck lugging them around, you can go to unweighted keys (Although I still hold that it makes a major, major difference.)
Just promise not to use synthy strings, okay? No, no. Never mind. I don't want to know... Could you -- No. Forget about it. What I don't know won't hurt me. <Bites nails>
***Edited for grammatical errors. I said 'your' instead of 'you're'. <Sigh> I could die.***
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Tante - my first band was called 'Drill' so 'Washer' would be fantastically appropriate. Especially if there's a band called 'Bolt' in my future... Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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If you can play those chords you can play dozens of songs.
I can think of a Better than Ezra song and a Stones song that use those first four chords. D A and G (hah!) will get you through several country songs ('specially if you learn Bm).
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My problem is that once the singing starts, I hear the lyric's melody, not the underlying chord progression of the rhythm part.
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Do you mean you have trouble determining where the chord change should take place?
I used to have some problems with that, too. I didn't do anything specific to fix it beyond just practicing the songs enough to remember where the changes happen. Now, though, I can remember the chords and not the progression and figure it out based on the melody. Playing along with the CD would be a great way to work on that, but I don't like doing that because I don't want to get tied down to playing the song like the original artist did. Once I learn a song I try to minimize how much I hear the original version.
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Actually, I just realized something. Here's some useful advice.
You should go visit some churches (Preferably on a Wenesday night service). Try for pentecostal/charasmatic ones, or those with a strong 'youth' program (Or both).
They usually have an electric keyboard of some sort, to go along with the electric guitar and bass in their 'modern' band (They'll be exceedingly proud of it, too), and, honestly, since most churches don't have money to throw around, any worship leader or pastor would probably be an expert on finding stuff cheap. So, a church in your area may have done most of the research for you.
Just go there and ask them about the keyboard, where they got it, do they like it, etc.
They should be nice, and if they aren't, just flash a WWJD bracelet around in their face or something.
"Would Jesus be rude to the weird guy who came into his church inquiring about the price of his electric keyboard? I don't think so. For shame, pastor, for shame!"
And, don't be offended. I play on a couple of 'modern' worship teams in pentecostal/charimatic churches with strong youth programs. I'm allowed to poke fun at them. It's in the Bible.
A couple denominations you may want to look at (Allthough, most will be 'non-denominational') will be --
1. The Assemblies of God
2. Anything affiliated with 'RHEMA' ministries,Sometimes called 'Word of Faith' or 'Faith' churches. Not to be confused with 'snake' churches. Those you'll want to steer clear of.
Any denomination with a strong youth program (Even some without) could have a band, but these denominations (Or non-denominationals) almost always have a band.
quote:Do you mean you have trouble determining where the chord change should take place?
Yes, exactly.
quote:I used to have some problems with that, too. I didn't do anything specific to fix it beyond just practicing the songs enough to remember where the changes happen.
How did you get to the part where you could practice the song? Right now, it becomes a mess by the second or third line.
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Well, I practiced alone. So if it became a mess I could just stop, figure out where I got off track and backtrack to that part before starting again.
If you're just playing and not singing, the easiest way would be to play along with the recording.
Another way that I've heard works (that I never attempted), is to play along with a metronome (you can get cheap ones for 10-15 bucks, or most audio programs contain one). That way you actually learn the rhythm of the changes (i.e., 2 measure for the 1st chord, 2 measures for the second, and then 4 measures for the 3). This method would probably be the best in the long run but always seemed like homework to me. I never even learned how to keep time by tapping my foot. I just noticed one day as I was playing that it was tapping of its own accord.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: Cool. I'll try some of these as soon as I find my tuner.
Thanks for the tips!
If its the timing of the chord changes that's hanging you up, try playing the bass note of every chord, (The lowest one) along with the actual song. That clears up some of the mess and lets you hear the way the song is supposed to be played as opposed to your mistakes.
Once you have the bass line down, its a simple matter to continue the same timing in chord form.
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