How does a creatively challenged person learn what notes to add and what sounds to layer for a better sounding result. Are there books with lots of examples, DVD's etc? General rules don't help me much. I'm a copy cat person, not creative. Telmo and The Solitaire have their sounds.
I would like to modify current voicing and musical notes for a song for a change of pace for my own satisfaction. I play at home on a Tyros.
regards, chuck

Come on guys....
This is the kind of topic that will help us less creative players.

You could show us a lot....Just pick something and you-tube it for us...so we can learn to be better players.

Chuck,

The easiest way to do this is to download a good midi file of the song you wish to modify. Then, using the keyboard's onboard Song Creator program in combination with the Mixing Console, you can change anything you wish in the song, save the changes, and change them again if you wish.

For changing individual voices, the keyboard's onboard Voice Creator program is a very powerful tool when used in conjunction with the Mixing Console. The modified voices can then be saved to a User area where they can be instantly recalled.

You can find lots of detailed instructions on performing these tasks at www.psrtutorial.com by clicking on the Lessons tab.

Gary

Chuck, I recommend "Arranging Techniques For Synthesists"., by Eric Turkel.




Though it's been out for a VERY LONG time (circa 1988), it's theories, techniques and examples are still as applicable today as back when it was used for my sound synthesis class back in college. It comes with a CD which includes lots of examples. The book is currently out of print but available used here.

Thanks Scott, I ordered the book.
regards, chuck

My advice would be to experiment with different styles, voices, layers, etc. Record yourself with various setups, then play back and LISTEN. Does it sound good? Does it sound REAL?
DonM

It's really a VERY deep question, because not only does it pertain to the patches themselves, and how you play them, but it also pertains to orchestration, and how you use that (and play it!)...

It's basically a 'How do I play music?' kind of question. Without much info on how do you play WHAT?

I suggest you break this down into smaller bites. 'How do I get a better piano/string layer?' or 'How do I use brass patches?' or 'How do you easily voice extensions?' and so on. As it's worded, I wouldn't know how to even START to answer your question...

Diki, those things you mentioned are actually covered in Turkel's book:

Click on this amazon.com book contents link.
Then click on "Look Inside", and then on 'table of contents'.

you are basically asking about how to be a capable painter by buying a few more brushes. There's a lot more to music than equipment, sounds, layers and styles.
You won't get 'better sounding' with these tools.
You don't 'modify musical notes' with that. I am selling some dvds about modulations and how to arrange intros and endings, in the buy and sell section.
With my total surprise, no one here cares about these topics.

Great, but don't complain if you get drown in mediocrity....because what's in these dvds is what separates the men from the boys. I am not saying that to sell my dvds...whether or not I sell them, is no big deal to me.

The question is: do you want to be someone who plays a keyboard for a little fun, or do you want to be something more? You have to put in 70 per cent to get out 30 per cent, make no mistake...

What I am saying is, if you want to be a better player, learn about music and technique. You can pretty much ignore all the rest, which is largely very relative.

There were two questions. Voice layering and notes to add. I like the "beauty" of the resulting sound when some combinations of two or more patches/voices are layered. Will not check out every combination on my keyboard to experiment. Looking for some general rules/examples of combinations that work.
As far as notes added, I know there are several little things, unknown to me, that can be done to dress up a very simple melody.

I am, in this question, not trying to become a better player. I want to enjoy the sounds that I make on the keyboard. I am 77 and not going to improve my technique or repertoire much at this point. I want to enjoy myself at the keyboard.
regards, chuck

Are you using music? Chords? . . . or playing "by ear"?
I assume you are using styles and playing right hand melody.
This information will help us help you.
Donm

I play chords and styles with left hand and melody with right hand.
I play simple classics for warm up and then enjoy melodic pieces in 4/4 or 3/4.
regards, chuck

Light classical, huh? OK...

The thing about layering is, it's not REALLY a technique from normal orchestra arranging. Yes, you will find tutti passages, and often some basic doubling, but the strength of orchestral arrangement comes from when things AREN'T doubled.

For instance, a four voice chord broken up into two different instruments. A line on one section, and a counter-line on another. 'Open' or two handed chord voicings rather than close one handed ones...

A lot of basic orchestration technique doesn't lend itself to arrangers very well, because of the need to keep one hand firmly on the chord recognition side. But there ARE things you can do to expand the sound palette. One way is to use a pair of footswitches to change registration up/down while you play. As long as your arranger will change sounds without chopping off the previous sound, you can have a quick and smooth changeover between say a string/woodwind layer and a string/brass cross switch and back in the blink of a phrase. You'll need to put these Registration Up/Down commands on a footswitch, because your hands are going to be busy!

Next is using either velocity cross switches, to add certain sounds on ONLY hard hit notes (good for adding a piatti cymbal and a tympani roll, or a brass hit), or using the footpedal to either add in some winds to a string layer, or to cross fade between a string layer and a wind layer solo.

Basically, ANY technique to allow you to change sounds while still playing is good. Once that is mastered, you can think of some subtle things, like having the strings come down a BIT as you add in the winds (so things don't get too loud) or using Low velocity response for the strings (so they don't get TOO much louder when you play harder) and High vel. response for brass, so they stay almost in the background until you 'pop' a line or note out.

But you are still often faced with, for instance, string parts that span a HUGE range, usually way too much for one hand, sometimes even too much for two! If you still want your arranger's accompaniment while you play, this is often the time to enable your arranger's 'Piano Mode' which usually means it looks at the FULL keyboard for chord recognition, but won't change chords until you play a full three note chord. So you can 'pop' the three note chord, and then play two single note lines (but ultra-clean, as the slightest 'slop' into three notes will disturb the chord setting) or just the one melody (easier, as you have a one note buffer before the chord changes) and the accompaniment tracks on nicely.

If all that sounds a little complicated, and you want to stick to just a LH chord and a melody, then particularly the first few ideas is what will work best for you. Particularly using registrations to change orchestration (put the style and tempo on 'Hold' so those don't change, and you can build a set of registrations that you can freely swap between at will), and you can start to do things like strings on LWR, then strings on UPR that drop down a bit when you use the swell pedal to bring in an oboe, next to a registration that is the same, but substitutes a flute for the oboe (and maybe changes the strings from a full section to a string quartet sound), next to a registration with some french horns on the lower, and trumpets cross switched with full strings on the top, and so on, and so forth...

These techniques can go a LONG way to making a simple melody over simple chords the lush experience the same thing done with a real orchestra is. After all, much classical music isn't REALLY complicated. But varying the orchestration is what makes it glow...

Hope some of these tips help.

Good stuff Diki. Some arrangers, as you know, can control relative volumes of two sounds with Expression Pedal too.
DonM

this isnt really a 'tell me how' topic. its definately a 'show me how topic'. Diki can you post up any clips to illustrate what you mean to help the OP out ?

I agree with Spalding definitly a SHOW ME to be SEEN vs a READ ME Topic for sure. Then repetition, playing level, type of arranger KB used, techniques to be used on different songs vary greatly also. Another suggestion if your using a yamaha unit is to go thru each song in the MFD....listen to all the OTS sounds setup by the factory ....and study how they are used and also you have to know what EFFECTS to use with these combinations also....but still it will give you very good references as to what works together.
You can also then take these OTS sounds from these songs and make your own user styles very easily.

Here's one more tip...

Get comfortable with your Sostenuto pedal... (You know, the middle one on the piano's three pedals)

On a piano, the effect is often subtle, but used on an electronic instrument, with sustaining sounds, it is quite radical. Basically, what it does is sustain ONLY the notes that you are holding down when you press the pedal. Hold the pedal down, but now play more notes, and they don't get held.

This allows you to do all KINDS of tricks that are typical of orchestras, but hard to do on a keyboard. High 'floaters', where a string note is held on the high strings, while all kinds of moving stuff gets played underneath it, or pedal tones, where a bass note is held, and then a bunch of busy stuff is played on top of it. Also, sostenuto, THEN a change of registration allows you to play. say a nice open string voicing, hold it with the sostenuto, change to another registration, and play say a brass/winds split over it.

If your arranger has TWO footpedal inputs, you'll often find that sostenuto is one of the options for the second pedal. Use it... it is a blast!

Diki, thanks again for your knowledge, thoughtfulness and time.
regards, chuck

BTW, Donny, spalding (and anyone else!)...

How about actually TRYING the tips described before asking for me to go to the considerable time and effort to video or record examples for you? I think I've described it well enough for you to get the idea, and possibly, instead of spoon-feeding the concepts to you, your own experimentation with the ideas will come up with results that I haven't thought of!

it wasnt for my benefit Diki. I didnt post the question. If its too much effort thats cool. But its hard to teach something like this without actual examples. its like telling some one how to draw but without any pictures......