Midi not working

[happyrat1]

These forums are totally international. We get posts from India, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Australia.

If you're looking to buy used in Canada, there's Craigslist and Kijiji.com.

If you're in the US there's Craiglist and Reverb.com

In the UK and Europe the used market is not as well stocked as here.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, if you are really looking for something specific and cheap there's always Ebay, but returns on dead equipment can be very problematic.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

I am slightly concerned that you may be heading in the wrong direction and the choice of keyboard is not going to provide you with the best learning tool.

My reasoning is that the software you quote as your learning aid is Piano focussed and it is not keyboard focussed.

Playing a keyboard and playing a piano is different, techniques are different, keybed feel is different between the two types of keyboard.

You have a keyboard, not a digital piano hence if you are serious about learning to play a Piano then I would suggest that a Digital
Piano would be a better buy for your next purchase.

A Casio Privia or Yamaha NP or P series would give you hammer action of the keybed which is more like an acoustic piano and full size 88 keys.

 

[anotherscott]

A Casio Privia or Yamaha NP or P series would give you hammer action of the keybed which is more like an acoustic piano and full size 88 keys.

Yamaha NP does not have hammer action/88 keys, maybe you were thinking CP. (And just for completeness... there is a p-121 which has hammer action, but not 88 keys.)

 

[Anton_Mac]

I am slightly concerned that you may be heading in the wrong direction and the choice of keyboard is not going to provide you with the best learning tool.

My reasoning is that the software you quote as your learning aid is Piano focussed and it is not keyboard focussed.

Playing a keyboard and playing a piano is different, techniques are different, keybed feel is different between the two types of keyboard.

You have a keyboard, not a digital piano hence if you are serious about learning to play a Piano then I would suggest that a Digital
Piano would be a better buy for your next purchase.

A Casio Privia or Yamaha NP or P series would give you hammer action of the keybed which is more like an acoustic piano and full size 88 keys.

Forgive my ignorance, but isnt what I learn by working through SimplyPiano going to be useful no matter whether I end up on a keyboard or piano? I appreciate they play differently, but the music theory I will learn will apply, plus also the actual playing skill? Many people on this SimplyPiano facebook group are using a keyboard. And I do feel the need to mention again that budget is a factor. I've seen a casio wk3000 for £100. This appears to tick the boxes for now, but certainly wont be my final keyboard/piano, but itll keep me moving in the right direction I think.

Thanks

 

[happyrat1]

There's nothing wrong with running a Casio WK at the beginning. I started out with worse and went thru a couple myself on the way.

Hammer action is something you can adapt to in a couple of days or weeks when/If ever you make the jump.

Meanwhile the WK series all ship with 76 or 73 keys so you'll be able to do a lot more with it than a 61 key keyboard.

And you're correct. Whether you're playing a Melodica or an accordion or an organ or a $50K Steinway grand, the basic theory is the same on all of them.

Before you hand over the money though, make certain all the jacks and connectors and buttons and sliders and knobs are working to spec.

No point buying a cheap board if it's gonna cost $300 to fix.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Forgive my ignorance, but isnt what I learn by working through SimplyPiano going to be useful no matter whether I end up on a keyboard or piano? I appreciate they play differently, but the music theory I will learn will apply, plus also the actual playing skill? Many people on this SimplyPiano facebook group are using a keyboard. And I do feel the need to mention again that budget is a factor. I've seen a casio wk3000 for £100. This appears to tick the boxes for now, but certainly wont be my final keyboard/piano, but itll keep me moving in the right direction I think.

Thanks

As I stated .....Playing a keyboard and playing a piano is different, techniques are different, keybed feel is different between the two types of keyboard.

Yes, what you are doing is useful but a hammer action digital piano has keys which require a substantial effort to press them compared to the very light keybed actions that you are using, to compound it further a hammer action keybed has a graded action, so heavy at the far left gradually getting lighter as you play each key, additionally each key will have a slightly different weight.

Ebay UK has plenty of Digital Pianos within your budget.

It boils down to what you want to play.

Learn on the kit you want to progress on up to a good level.

It is easier to transition from a hammer action to a synth action than vica versa.

Good luck and best wishes with your soon to change family life.

 

[happyrat1]

Col... Cool your jets man

There's no ONE right way to learn how to play an instrument.

Some of the greatest blues and rock artists of all time could barely read a note when they'd already made a dozen gold records.

Paul Schaeffer could barely read a note while he worked on the Letterman Show.

Some classic blues artists started out on 100 year old pianos that needed tuning, had missing keys and sticky actions and pedals but it's not the quality of the instrument that makes the musician. It's the drive to learn about and explore the sounds of the cosmos.

Even his Lordship, Paul McCartney was musically illiterate during the peak of the Beatles heyday. He invented his own short hand notation for chords and beats. Basically they worked from Lead Sheets.

All I'm saying is that this guy plans to start out pretty much the same way I did 25 years ago.

It's the JOURNEY that matters. NOT the destination.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Remember Anton. The only person you really have to entertain is yourself. You have to be your own worst critic and choose what feels right to you.

Gary

 

[Anton_Mac]

Thanks Gary. I have seen a Yamaha PSR 290 that's in budget and not too far to drive. The prospect of getting another yamaha where the MIDi doesnt work is a daunting one. Am I asking for trouble? I've looked for the other ones that have been mentioned, but there are none suitable that I can see on Ebay.

Thanks!

 

[happyrat1]

All I can tell you is apart from my mixer I wouldn't touch a Yamaha with a ten foot pole.

(For reasons too numerous to mention and I don't want to start a brand name war. )

If you wanna hear what my preferences sound like visit my soundcloud or my youtube channel listed in my signature.

Gary

 

[Anton_Mac]

Damn. Its stupid to ask for advice and then outright ignore it, especially given my current keyboard drama.... ok, point taken. I'll look for a casio or something.

I'll have a look at your sound cloud too

 

[happyrat1]

All I'm saying is Rolands and Korgs sound good too, but they don't make you jump thru all the stupid hoops that Yamaha does. Yamaha does everything in its power to confuse and intimidate you so you stay in their ecosystem.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Col... Cool your jets man

There's no ONE right way to learn how to play an instrument.

Some of the greatest blues and rock artists of all time could barely read a note when they'd already made a dozen gold records.

Paul Schaeffer could barely read a note while he worked on the Letterman Show.

Some classic blues artists started out on 100 year old pianos that needed tuning, had missing keys and sticky actions and pedals but it's not the quality of the instrument that makes the musician. It's the drive to learn about and explore the sounds of the cosmos.

Even his Lordship, Paul McCartney was musically illiterate during the peak of the Beatles heyday. He invented his own short hand notation for chords and beats. Basically they worked from Lead Sheets.

All I'm saying is that this guy plans to start out pretty much the same way I did 25 years ago.

It's the JOURNEY that matters. NOT the destination.

Gary

It's the JOURNEY that matters. NOT the destination.

Good Grief Gary have you swallowed a Management BS Speak Manual?
.
Which is precisely why I am questioning the path he wants to take.

He has stated he wants to learn Pacobel’s Canon in D and if he wants to follow up with more classical pieces he is better advised using a digital piano where he can learn to use the subtleties and nuances of a hammer action keybed and not a keyboard with indifferent synth action.

If on the other hand he wants to learn keyboard then my concerns are ill founded.

It would be wrong not to offer up the suggestion.

Finally there is sweet FA wrong with the MIDI on my Yamaha digital piano where the piano voices are imo superior to those offered by other manufacturers except possibly Kawai.

Buy wisely and consider monthly financing

 

[Anton_Mac]

Hi. I do have the capital to buy a more expensive keyboard, but at the moment I can't justify it, so getting one on finance wouldn't make any difference. Cheers for trying to help though.

I have, however, found that the roland um-one midi cable uses active sensing. Its £35 so I'd rather not buy it if its not likely to work, but could this be an easier solution than buying a new keyboard?

Sorry for dragging this out. I'm just trying to find the best solution.

Thanks

 

[Biggles]

It is what is best for you that matters.

You will probably by now have very little time to practice, the lack of sleep which you may well soon become the norm for you will not help learning but don't give up, grab what practice time that you can.

Best wishes to your growing family.

 

[delaware dave]

This is about as bad as Roland still sending sys-ex messages rather than CC#'s for MIDI. Why I love the Kurz....

 

[Anton_Mac]

Right, hopefully this will be my last post on this topic! I found someone selling a ypt340 about 15 miles from me. Bargain at £75. I've done my research, and it has a usb midi out, and yamaha stilk have the drivers on their site, so I've given them the benefit of the doubt.

Thanks for the help and wish me luck!

 

[Anton_Mac]

Sweet sweet midi. Thanks for the help

 

[happyrat1]

Good luck with your choice. We're happy if you're happy.

Gary