Keyboardist

How many keys you need doesn’t depend on how good you are, but on what you want to do with them. A producer recording basslines will get by fine with a couple of octaves, whereas someone learning the piano will hit a wall within a few months. In between lies a whole range of options, and each size suits its own kind of musician.

The right hand on its own goes fine. Now the left-hand part: also fine. Great, time to put them together. And that’s the moment everything gets tangled up. This isn’t a personal failing; it’s the stumbling block for almost every beginner pianist. Playing with two hands at once is a skill you have to train separately, and you do that by making the problem smaller and smaller until it works. Time to start cutting.

An ordinary piano is really a grand that’s got out of bed. The grand piano came first, with its horizontal strings and action, and only much later did the upright piano, also known as a vertical piano, come along. So what are the differences? And is one better than the other? Read on to find out.

If you’re looking at a piano keyboard for the first time, the layout might seem random: a few black keys here, a gap there, and the white keys aren’t all evenly spaced in terms of pitch either. Yet there’s a logical explanation behind it — one that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Virtual hybrid, er… what? Plenty of keyboard players and producers wonder what virtual-analogue and hybrid (i.e. analogue-digital) synthesisers are, and what the difference is. Guest blogger and studio expert Freek Roffel, from Freaky Studio, explains how these VA synthesisers and hybrid synths originally evolved from the ‘pure’ analogue synthesiser. And where does Freek’s preference actually lie: analogue, virtual analogue, or analogue-digital?

As a musician, you’re of course familiar with staff notation or chord symbols. Two forms of music notation that make it possible to play songs straight from the page. But you may also have heard of a third form of notation: the Nashville Number System. Guest blogger and singer-songwriter Kevin Okkema explains exactly how it works.

A melodica looks like a mini piano, but you have to blow into it to get any sound. It’s easy to take with you, simple to learn, yet versatile enough to earn a place in all sorts of styles — from reggae to jazz. Let’s take a closer look at this unusual instrument, where it came from, and how it’s used today.

Just started learning the guitar, bass, drums or any other musical instrument? Then you’ve made a wise decision! Making music is a ton of fun, and it only gets better when you play in a band. If you can’t find a band that plays your style, then you can always start your own using the tips we’re about to share.

As a musician, the spotlight is usually yours. After all, capturing the full attention of the audience is part of the job, but for some gigs, you need to take a step back and provide the background music. This demands a really different way of working and of performing and can sometimes be hard to pull off. Here, Guestblogger Kevin Okkema offers some tips for getting the best out of those quieter shows.

One trend that has been picking up speed is gigs where a DJ and one or more musicians team up to make music. What’s the driving force behind this? And what does it entail? Read on, learn and get inspired!

What would you say if I told you twenty years? Granted, most manufacturers ‘only’ offer a few years of warranty, but anyone who’s ever owned a digital piano from one of the big-name brands will know that a fifteen to twenty year lifespan isn’t unusual. What about maintenance, you ask?

While you’re busy mastering any musical instrument, inevitably, a relationship is also busy developing between your instrument and your body. For any musician, the art lies in moving the body as efficiently as possible to guard off any possible aches, pains and even injuries. The Alexander Technique (AT for short) has already helped countless musicians, and here, we lay out the basics so you can start playing better and playing healthy.