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For all members who have the tenacity to read through a post this long – I will give a great review of your next performance.
I'm a performing classical and flamenco guitarist, and though I love my instrument, it has one serious shortcoming – it is not a sustaining instrument, and so it cannot carry a long legato line. This has been a source of frustration for me, because it precludes playing a lot of music that I would like to play, music that really needs to be played legato to do it justice.
Music such as the "Albinoni" Adagio, Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings, or something like "Oblivion" by Astor Piazzolla, simply don't work on classical guitar. So lately I have been thinking of getting a keyboard that simulates the various solo instruments – violin, cello, sax, clarinet, oboe, etc. Of course my keyboard skills are mediocre at best, though I hope to improve.
My problem is that with performing, practicing, teaching, and running my business selling classical and flamenco guitars, I simply don't have the time right now to take piano lessons. So since it's not my instrument, I'm not too proud to accept auto-accompaniment where I can't do it properly myself.
I have a thousand questions about keyboards that I hope some members here can help me with.
* The first is about volume control. I have a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-123 digital piano, with "touch sensitive" keys. That's fine for piano, but when I play "Strings" or "Organ" the volume remains the same throughout a long sustained line. That's no good, because you cannot do a crescendo or diminuendo, and there's no dynamic range, and no chance for expression. I have seen something called a "Volume Pedal" that can be plugged into a keyboard, that I presume would do the trick.
But what I would really like, and there seems to be confusion about this – at least on my part – is volume control on the keys as you hold them down in a sustained note or line. So that way I could alter the volume of the note as I am holding it by increasing or decreasing the pressure. This would be ideal for me, and more natural than using a pedal. Is there a keyboard with that precise function, or do they merely add vibrato or some special effect. I have heard this called "aftertouch," but then I have seen "aftertouch" defined as something different from what I have described.
* Many digital pianos and keyboards have a traditional three pedal setup. In lieu of a regular volume control pedal, would it be possible to rewire the usual pedals to make say the right pedal into a volume control pedal and the left into a sustain?
* I understand how a split keyboard works, but is there any way of having separate volume control for each part of the split? Including the auto-accompaniment if used.
* Next I am wondering about changing the selected instrument in the middle of a piece. Sometimes you get the statement of an opening theme, followed by a repeat. In an ensemble frequently the repeat will be taken by a different instrument. On an organ, you can just flip down a large tab in a fraction of a second to change instruments. Do any keyboards have say big buttons that you can hit real quick to change instruments?
* I know about weighted hammer action, and it seems like most decent instruments have it – I presume some better and some worse.
* In what little exploring I've done, it's clear that some keyboards simulate the various instruments a lot better than other keyboards do. I begin to suspect it's a function of cost, and so possibly a question of finding a happy medium between cost and sound. I played a Casio 330 at Sam Ash, and the sounds could best be described as more or less vaguely suggesting the purported instrument. The very next day I went to the home of one of my classical guitar students, and he had a Roland KR-977. Well, I played that and it knocked me out. Of course I would have to wait for some unknown relative to bequeath me a small fortune in order to buy something like the Roland.
* So here is what I would like – LOL. A keyboard, preferably 88 keys, though if it had everything else I want I would take 76 - with decent weighted hammer action – with volume control keys as described above, or if not, then an input for one or two volume control pedals – with all or most of the main solo instrument sounds, possibly including voices, and chamber or full orchestra – with really good simulation of those sounds – with auto accompaniment – and with a quick way of changing instruments on the fly. And for less than five hundred dollars. JUST KIDDING!!! Is there such an instrument, and if there is, what cost would I realistically be looking at?
Many thanks to everyone for any help or advice (other than sticking to classical guitar) you can give me.
Ramon
I'm a performing classical and flamenco guitarist, and though I love my instrument, it has one serious shortcoming – it is not a sustaining instrument, and so it cannot carry a long legato line. This has been a source of frustration for me, because it precludes playing a lot of music that I would like to play, music that really needs to be played legato to do it justice.
Music such as the "Albinoni" Adagio, Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings, or something like "Oblivion" by Astor Piazzolla, simply don't work on classical guitar. So lately I have been thinking of getting a keyboard that simulates the various solo instruments – violin, cello, sax, clarinet, oboe, etc. Of course my keyboard skills are mediocre at best, though I hope to improve.
My problem is that with performing, practicing, teaching, and running my business selling classical and flamenco guitars, I simply don't have the time right now to take piano lessons. So since it's not my instrument, I'm not too proud to accept auto-accompaniment where I can't do it properly myself.
I have a thousand questions about keyboards that I hope some members here can help me with.
* The first is about volume control. I have a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-123 digital piano, with "touch sensitive" keys. That's fine for piano, but when I play "Strings" or "Organ" the volume remains the same throughout a long sustained line. That's no good, because you cannot do a crescendo or diminuendo, and there's no dynamic range, and no chance for expression. I have seen something called a "Volume Pedal" that can be plugged into a keyboard, that I presume would do the trick.
But what I would really like, and there seems to be confusion about this – at least on my part – is volume control on the keys as you hold them down in a sustained note or line. So that way I could alter the volume of the note as I am holding it by increasing or decreasing the pressure. This would be ideal for me, and more natural than using a pedal. Is there a keyboard with that precise function, or do they merely add vibrato or some special effect. I have heard this called "aftertouch," but then I have seen "aftertouch" defined as something different from what I have described.
* Many digital pianos and keyboards have a traditional three pedal setup. In lieu of a regular volume control pedal, would it be possible to rewire the usual pedals to make say the right pedal into a volume control pedal and the left into a sustain?
* I understand how a split keyboard works, but is there any way of having separate volume control for each part of the split? Including the auto-accompaniment if used.
* Next I am wondering about changing the selected instrument in the middle of a piece. Sometimes you get the statement of an opening theme, followed by a repeat. In an ensemble frequently the repeat will be taken by a different instrument. On an organ, you can just flip down a large tab in a fraction of a second to change instruments. Do any keyboards have say big buttons that you can hit real quick to change instruments?
* I know about weighted hammer action, and it seems like most decent instruments have it – I presume some better and some worse.
* In what little exploring I've done, it's clear that some keyboards simulate the various instruments a lot better than other keyboards do. I begin to suspect it's a function of cost, and so possibly a question of finding a happy medium between cost and sound. I played a Casio 330 at Sam Ash, and the sounds could best be described as more or less vaguely suggesting the purported instrument. The very next day I went to the home of one of my classical guitar students, and he had a Roland KR-977. Well, I played that and it knocked me out. Of course I would have to wait for some unknown relative to bequeath me a small fortune in order to buy something like the Roland.
* So here is what I would like – LOL. A keyboard, preferably 88 keys, though if it had everything else I want I would take 76 - with decent weighted hammer action – with volume control keys as described above, or if not, then an input for one or two volume control pedals – with all or most of the main solo instrument sounds, possibly including voices, and chamber or full orchestra – with really good simulation of those sounds – with auto accompaniment – and with a quick way of changing instruments on the fly. And for less than five hundred dollars. JUST KIDDING!!!
Is there such an instrument, and if there is, what cost would I realistically be looking at?Many thanks to everyone for any help or advice (other than sticking to classical guitar) you can give me.
Ramon
