Need advice on buying a keyboard

For all members who have the tenacity to read through a post this long – I will give a great review of your next performance.:grin:

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!!!:grin: 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
 

Mat

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
Regulator
Hi Ramon,

I personally don't know of a keyboard that would meet all of your expectations (which doesn't mean, of course, that such keyboard doesn't exist). But, have you ever considered buying a MIDI controller keyboard? You'd have to hook it up with a laptop/desktop and get some VST instruments. You could easily find a 88 keys, hammer-action, weighted, USB powered keyboard and some volume control pedals to go with it. You'd have the possibility of installing only the instruments you need (and getting new ones whenever you want). Changing between instruments could be done both on the computer and on the keyboard. Splitting would allow you to use more than one instrument at time. You can also look up my thread on buying a keyboard. I bought a M-AUDIO and I am quite happy with that choice.

Anyway, good look with your search. Hope you'll find what you're looking for soon.
 
I think that of all the items on my "wish list," the most important is some kind of volume control foot pedal, and it seems these are available. Am I correct in thinking that if you press down it gets louder and vice versa? If so, I think that might be all I would need. At least with that much I could do a crescendo and diminuendo on a sustained note – is that right?

With respect to "aftertouch," I have read somewhere that some keyboards have a feature where you can control the volume with the keys in exactly the same way as I described just now for the foot pedal – more pressure, more volume, etc. And not just when you first hit the key, but instead you can control it as you hold the key down on a sustained note. Is there any keyboard that does that?

Thanks again –
Ramon
 

Mat

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
Regulator
As far as I am concerned, aftertouch is exactly what you described above. It allows you to control the volume of the sound by pressing the keys softer/harder.

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

On electronic keyboards and synthesizers, pressure sensitivity is sometimes called aftertouch. The aftertouch sensors detect whether the musician is continuing to exert pressure after the initial strike of the key. The aftertouch feature allows keyboard players to change the tone or sound of a note after it is struck, the way that singers, wind players, or bowed instrument players can do. On some keyboards, sounds or synth voices have a preset pressure sensitivity effect, such as a swell in volume (mimicking a popular idiomatic style of vocal performance with melodies) or the addition of vibrato. On some keyboards, the player can select which effects are applied when aftertouch is detected. This allows a performer to custom-tailor the effect that they desire. It may also facilitate the imitation of various non-keyboard instruments. For example, a keyboardist who wishes to imitate the sound of a heavy metal guitar solo could use a distortion guitar sound, and then set the aftertouch feature to apply a pitch bend to the note.
Have a look at these:

http://www.fatar.com/studiologic/pages/VMK_188.htm
http://www.cme-pro.com/en/product-detail.php?product_id=2
 

wljmrbill

Member
my keyboards are touch sensitive..just as a piano is.. touch/pressure applied equals the loudness/softness of the notes sound. I know of no keyboard that increases loudness by pressure alone as you press it... there is some that does add a vibrato by moving the key after pressing it as a string sound. goodluck in yout search
 
Does anyone have any opinion or comments on three digital pianos - the Roland HP-201, HP-203, or the Casio Celviano AP620.

Thanks
Ramon
 
Top