Doesn't make sense Donny...

That thread discusses paramater or effects edits that might add an effect, but you specifically posted something about a "lightening fast technique" remember?

Never mind, Donny...doesn't matter...

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Bill in Dayton

MIDI piano needs all the help it can get as it is.

MIDI piano without a sustain pedal properly used, sounds like poo.

--Mac said that.

And I'm stickin' to it.

Although I do not use a sustain pedal on stage because I am not a piano player, scarcely use piano as a main sound, and don't play full-fingered two hand mode on an arranger..."lightening fast technique" refers to using your fingers to make button changes while you play vs a pedal of any kind.

Well, don't you think it is somewhat presumptuous to tell people they don't need a sustain pedal when you admit you are NOT a pianist, don't play piano parts, scarcely play piano as a lead sound at all and don't play two fisted fully fingered piano at all?

That's just basically saying 'I never use a sustain pedal, but that is because I suck at piano!'. Now THAT'S advice we can all respect, eh?!

I don't play all that much guitar, and I would NEVER presume to tell anyone how to play it, or that my system works 'for me'... I would simply admit I suck, and perhaps actually LISTEN to someone who IS better than me at something, in the hope that I might get better. If you didn't spend so much time telling people how good you are, Donny, you might actually learn something... But stubbornly sticking to a 'lazy-boy' approach because you are too self satisfied is the way to stop any growth musically you might ever have.

DON'T 'enjoy what you play'.... Try to play better, and enjoy THAT!

I use the piano sound quite a bit and rarely use the sustain pedal. I use the technique one would use playing an organ, which I am more of than a pianist.

An organist has to learn how to sound smooth without a sustain pedal. This means kind of crawling with your fingers. Let's say you play 2 or 3 notes with your right hand and then you need to move up, you move one or more fingers over to play some of the same notes as you are moving to play the next series of notes etc, etc.

This is kind of hard to explain in words, but, if you put on an organ sound and just using the right hand try and play harmony with melody on top with your 4th and 5th finger, fill in chord notes with the remaining fingers, make it sound as smooth as you can and you will see what it takes to play this way.

I have just transferred this technique to arranger keyboard. This is the compromise I have made since I play the keyboard like an organ as my preferred way. I like to use all the different sounds and be able to change them quickly, so full keyboard is not my first choice.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 04-21-2010).]

Playing both piano and organ for years, I must say that there are two distinctly different playing styles needed to be mastered in order to do justice to either.

*Piano-Forte* -- Literally, the "Loud-Soft" connotes the difference in the instrument's name. It is a Velocity Sensitive kaybed and the way you finger that is *all important*. Playihg an organ style keyboard and using organ fingering technique may get the notes out there, but it is indeed going to sound different than playing the same part on a velocity sensitive keyboard, with correct settings and correct fingering techniques.

That said, I think it also depends a lot on the genre of music being played at the time. I have, for example, played some rock or R&B tunes on a MIDI keyboard with no sustain pedal on a few occasions where the stage show or whatever dictated that. Most of those were NOT examples of the piano-forte, though, they were more like examples of cover tunes that weren't recorded by very good pianists in the first place. But for their intended purpose, they work.

**When I first started on organ, after about a decade on piano, the drill was to place coins on the backs of the hands and practice scaling and later on chording, etc. without moving those coins or dropping them. Exact opposite technique from what we do on the piano, which is to move the fingers or whole hand a lot more in the vertical.

**I can't stand those darn MIDI keyboards that leave the Velocity Sensitivity turned on for an organ patch, either. Again, might come in handy for a rock cover where there is no Expression Pedal available, but certainly not very realistic, even when you know what to do and how to mimic the real McCoy.

It's amazing what the Ross sisters can do vocally and physically eh?

Thank you for the response, but I have some questions...

You say the ""lightening fast technique" refers to using your fingers to make button changes while you play vs a pedal of any kind."

What specific buttons are you pressing to replace the sustain pedal? Have you re-assigned the sustain function to another button on top of the kb?

Please explain...

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Bill in Dayton

The Yamaha S910 (probably other Yamaha models too) has a sustain button on the right-hand side that comes in handy. Although, I think that a pedal is a little friendlier to use.