New Samples releases

[CountFosco]

As a serious keyboardist you should insist on playing only the big three - acoustic, Rhodes, Hammond and Wurli...four, you should insist on playing the big four - acoustic, Rhodes, Hammond, Wurli and Clav....five - acoustic Rhodes, Hammond Wurli, Clav and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope...*Amongst* our weaponry are elements such as electromechanical keyboard emulations, the occasional (shudder) mono synth line with a touch of vibrato to taste, fear, surprise and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope. (I'm not arguing with anyone, just having a beer and a type. Cheers all)

[CountFosco]

You've gotta admit though, thai gongs and tuned cow bells was kind of asking for it

[analogika]

As a serious keyboardist you should insist on playing only the big three - acoustic, Rhodes, Hammond and Wurli...four, you should insist on playing the big four - acoustic, Rhodes, Hammond, Wurli and Clav....five - acoustic Rhodes, Hammond Wurli, Clav and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope...*Amongst* our weaponry are elements such as electromechanical keyboard emulations, the occasional (shudder) mono synth line with a touch of vibrato to taste, fear, surprise and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope. (I'm not arguing with anyone, just having a beer and a type. Cheers all)

The Big Three were obviously Moog, ARP, and Roland.

Four. The Big Four were Moog, Arp, Roland, and Yamaha. And Sequential.

Five. The Big Five were Moog, Arp, Roland, Yamaha, and Sequential. And Korg

BRING IN THE COMFY STOOL!

nice-victorian-piano-organ-stool-with-fringe_1_a9bde03617a9240e5c2eaa8bd3b6b435.jpg (32.48 KiB) Viewed 1971 times

[Gambold]

>You probably pissed some people off implicitly saying they are not serious keyboardists.<

I can see that. And it was a poor choice of words on my part. I don't doubt anyone on this forum's seriousness - my gods, given the amount of typing we all do on any topic, I KNOW we are all serious.

I was trying to express, perhaps inelegantly, that while it may be fun and possibly creative to bring out the strings or horns on your Nord when your band asks for it, that there is a danger (to my way of thinking), of being perceived as the "sound machine" in the band - where everyone else is allowed to just play their axe or drums.

Soon you are being asked to trundle out the latest bleep or blurp depending on the particular tune. Just playing along in your style on piano or organ isn't enough...they wanna hear that exact Prophet 5 whoosh that Geek Gecko played on that record...can you find that on your Nord?

I don't think anyone is going to argue that playing samples is the zenith of the keyboarding craft. And I'm pretty sure that most people here, when hitting their own peaks, are not doing so while emulating a male chorus or...wait for it...a thai gong. They are most likely playing an instrument that requires a keyboard and some fingering talent.

That's what I was getting at when I said "serious." When I listen to "serious" keyboard music on Spotify, I'm not listening to an emulated santoor. I'm listing to a piano or an organ.

[Gambold]

This of course is the curse of showing up with a Nord. They are great for us, because unlike a Rhodes, Hammond, or an actual acoustic piano, we can fit them in our car and take them to practices and gigs. Show up with a Nord and it's like Christmas for them - gee, does it have this sound? Or this one? Or...etc ad nauseaum

BUT - if you just show up dragging your Rhodes on a four-wheel cart, well then, that's all you will be expected to be, a Rhodes player, just like Billy Preston! Set up over there, my friend...

[analogika]

It is a fact that the instrument we have chosen to play makes us the most versatile person in the band, we can emulate almost any sound needed. As a result, we are considered as kind of octopus who will play everything all the others are not able! Of course we can chose to play a song our way, much different than the original and the results may be astonishing. Weather we want to do it or the rest of the band agrees with that, it's another story. When you play for fun there is more freedom, but if you are a proffessional musician what can you do? if they pay you for triggering some bleeps in a tune or playing some pads to fill the other instruments's gaps, that's your job, accept it or loose the job.

[Hlaalu]

Once again I think this whole issue boils down to the difference between a piano/organ player and a keyboardist. Gambold is saying he doesn't want to become the latter. Some people nowadays are proudly being the latter.

I see nothing wrong with the notion of keyboardist (or keyboard as a separate instrument) per se, but on the other hand it's true that once electronics push you that far, things start to lose their identity too much.

[Tasten-Bert]

No danger at all, if you know and are self-confident enough to say the word No. My band mates know me, other bands which from time to time ask me to help out know as well that my big love is Deep Purple and similar rock tunes. There has grown a feeling that they know what they can ask me and what rather not. And at the end - if it comes as Gambold says ‘Somebody asks you for this and that sound‘ - it‘s up to me to say Hm, I don‘t like that, and everything is okay.

I see all the sound and sampling possibilities as an enrichment of choices, not more, not less. Everyone can, noone has to. Rockin‘ all over the world ... Oh, how I miss playing live!

[dhbp-nord]

" of being perceived as the "sound machine" in the band" "blurbles and bleeps"

Sorry, that's an obvious passive aggressive dig.

Some of us consider our selves synth players first and foremost - makes us no less serious than you, not one whit.

And if you think all synths are capable of is "blurbles and bleeps" I feel sorry for you.

You definitely did yourself a disservice by not including the simple phrase "imho" in your OP but instead decided to pontificate.

My 0.02$ Canadian.

D. - a proud synthesist

[alex78]

It's a matter of weather you want to be innovative and explore new fields in music or stack with the past past and play the standards. There are many musicians that have chosen the first and the music they make is crap (to my taste), there are others that make great use of the technology. And there are others that play great music even with an old piano. The fact is that many of those players we now consider as keyboard Gods are people that didn't hesitate to experiment on classic instruments. John Lord or Keith Emerson eg.