Keyboardist

A question we’re often asked is, ‘how do you connect a keyboard or digital piano to a mixer or keyboard amplifier?’ Maybe you’re preparing for your first ever live gig, maybe you’re figuring out how to make home-studio recordings, or your sonic instrument of choice needs more volume if it’s going to compete with your drummer in the rehearsal room. If you’re not familiar with them, the sheer number of different ways of connecting up your gear can be a little overwhelming. But luckily, it’s all pretty straightforward once you know how.

Say you’ve got a keyboard or digital piano and want to hook it up to a tablet or smartphone and see what it can do alongside the many sound-generating and tweaking apps out there. In this blog, we will find out if your keyboard or piano will be compatible, what kind of software you’ll need, and more!

It’s highly likely that you have no memory of ever having to learn to … sit down. But if you’re a pianist, the way that you sit at your piano is more important than you might think. When combined with your knowledge of technique and theory, a correct playing posture can make a world of difference to your playing, and is really easy to learn. And, if you maintain the correct posture, then you’ll also avoid any future back problems. In this blog, I explain how you can improve your piano playing, by simply learning to sit down!

Have you always wanted to learn to play the keyboard and are you finally ready to find out what you’d need to make a solid start? Awesome, because in this blog we’re going to give you a small list of the things you’ll need!

If you want to be able to pluck solos out of thin air or even compose a ripping solo, then one thing is certain: you absolutely have to be able to improvise. The honing of this skill demands hours upon hours or practice and an experimental spirit. Only then do you have to power and intuitive flow to weave a stunning solo, even if you’re composing it bit by bit. This is not only about playing along with a recorded track perfectly, but is more about spending days on end inventing little lines of melody on the fly.

Whether you’re a singer-songwriter, keyboard player in a band, composer, or sound technician, sooner or later you might want to record the sound of a genuine acoustic piano. And I’m not talking about any pre-recorded Steinway or Yamaha C7 samples either, because no matter how good these sound, it wouldn’t be your own unique sound. So how do you record a piano, which microphones do you need and where do you even put them? Read on to find the answers to these questions and more!

It’s impossible to avoid the term ‘velocity sensitivity’ when you’re looking at electronic keyboard instruments such as pianos, keyboards and synthesizers. In this blog, we explain what velocity sensitivity is and what you can use it for.

Whether you play an acoustic or digital piano, in most cases, the stand or cabinet comes fitted with three pedals. If not, then you might be lucky enough to have the option to connect up a separate set. But what exactly do you do with these mysterious pedals? Bax Music product specialist, Marc will now illuminate everything!

Since most composers don’t mind boasting their complex melodies, harmonies and use of keys, it can be a bit of a struggle for fledgling pianists to find a piano book with easy-to-play yet great-sounding pieces. Fortunately, composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Mozart have also written beginner-friendly music that might even sound familiar to your ears.

Singing while playing guitar or piano, or any other combination of vocals and an instrument for that matter, all comes down to high-level multitasking. While for some the thought alone can cause nightmares, anyone can learn to do it. Start by asking yourself two questions: 1) Can I sing? and 2) Can I play an instrument? If your answer to both questions is “yes”, then you can also do both at the same time. It’s a really just a matter of practice, practice and mostly, practicing both individually.

First, the bad news. A MIDI keyboard doesn’t make any sound on its own. Now, the good news. If you thought your MIDI keyboard was broken, it’s not. How does a MIDI keyboard work then? And how do you get sound out of it?

A keyboard and a digital piano look very similar to one another. This can make it confusing when you’re trying to decide which one to buy and you’re not really sure what the differences between them are. Read this blog and you’ll have all the information you need to make the right decision.