How do you use the Sequencer on your 7K?

Here is another question that came up on the "Hopefully long life thread."

Are there more uses for the Sequencer than just recording and playing back your own arrangements and saving them to SD or Floppy?

Is it possible to actually create registrations within the Sequencer itself?

An inquiring mind wants to know...

Elizabeth


------------------

When I had my Kn7000 and the Sd card I was able to store and divide music into different categories. I set up one with subdivisions each contained music from one of the people who shared their music on this form. So when I in the mood I got to listen to different players while relaxing.
Once on a job I needed music for a break so I invited, by pushing a button, Bill Norrie to play for the people. Thank God I never received a bill from him. (Smile)

I use A sequence to listen to myself for correction. I can never really hear myself while I am playing.

I use a sequence or a midi file to listen to a song I am not sure of – to listen to a Big band arrangement so that I would get ideas when creating my own.

“Is it possible to actually create registrations within the Sequencer itself”?
Elisabeth, I feel that question should be asked in a different post where the topic to discuss would be recording a sequence. (That is if I understood the question correctly)

John C.

JOHN C...

Thanks for your post here too!

My use of the sequencer is minimal. I so want to play spot on perfectly! With perfection in mind....ooops...mistakes happen...one after the other from the first until I just quit with it till another time.

I like what you offer..."...to listen to myself for correction...to listen to a song I am not sure of..."

I am going to try your mindset, that may help... I do know the value of "Change your mind...change your life."

The question regarding creating registrations in the sequencer is here simply because it came to mind while asking the sequencer use question.... I do not want to post too many questions on SZ at one time...

Maybe someone will jump in with more info?

Elizabeth




------------------

Dear Elizabeth,
If a player is concerned about making mistakes then their criteria is to play perfect. I choose to play as interesting as I can and making a mistake is part of sounding interesting. I keep venturing beyond myself.

What is very, very, important is ---- to come back though your mistake so that it is not noticed. I would call that professionalism. Playing God bless America is more difficult than laying a Jazz rendition of Fly Me to he Moon. Playing a Jazz rendition allows me to hit a wrong note and work my way to a correct note. “Quick, hurry get off that black and get on the white one”, and that’s possibly Jazz.

John C.

On some of my recent recordings, the Composer is just not capable of providing a realistic 'backing' for the song, for several reasons such as 2/4 measures being inserted in an otherwise 4/4 time signature or running out of ACP parts. So, on these occasions, I use the 16 track sequencer to provide the 'backing' instead of the Composer. If I use this method when playing live, then I just turn off the Left, Right1 and Right2 tracks on the sequencer and play along with the recording.
This does mean that you have to know the arrangement very well, since the 'backing' is rigid

JOHN C....

Making the music sound "interesting" is also my goal. To play in my own unique style, rather than attempting to copy a professional rendition.

It is important to me also to keep on keepin on regardless of mistakes that can be covered up almost instantaneously...

Your suggestions about mind set during sequence playing are excellent... Thank you so much.

BILL NORRIE....
It is good to have your comments here...I will take a closer look at the possibilities in the Sequencer program...

The Composer program looks like a long and tedious way to put music together. Tweaking the "onboard" styles to my ear works well for me and is a lot faster than the Composer appears to be.

Not sure I understand why you say " ...you have to know the arrangement vert well, since the backing is rigid." How so?

Elizabeth

When I use easy record, I will immediately go into the sequencer editors and check all my chord changes. If they are too soon or a little late, then I will set them to "0" so they will always be on time. Then I will listen to the playback and note the measure of any mistakes and use the sequencer editor to correct them, insert a missed note, or get rid of the echoes. By editing Right 1 and Right 2, you can make your music presentable without making it mechanical. Deleting the "doinks" you sometimes get at the start of a measure when playing with T/C engaged is one way of editing. You delete the false note and make the length of the second note the same as the first and move that note to the same start position. Makes for much nicer listening. I didn't do that kind of editing in earlier works because I simply didn't know how. Practice makes perfect they say, but I still need the editors.

[This message has been edited by Bud Whipple (edited 06-20-2009).]

Hi Elizabeth,

You asked "Not sure I understand why you say " ...you have to know the arrangement very well, since the backing is rigid." How so?"

It's because the arrangement is fixed within the Sequencer - ie the number of times the individual phrases were played (Verses & Choruses), when key changes are made, when tempo changes are made, when the Ending kicks in etc. All these things have to be remembered when you are playing along with a previously recorded song in the Sequencer, otherwise you may end up playing the wrong melody part with the sequencer accompaniment
If a sequnce is recorded by following the written 'dots' and then you use the same 'dots' when playing back, then the problem probably wouldn't exist. However, since I don't use 'dots', I have to remember the actual arrangement I used, when I recorded the Sequence.......

Other advantages of using the Sequencer on some songs, during a live performance are :
1. You already know that the chord progression for the entire song is correct, since you will have presumably carried out any necessary editing, to ensure that it is correct.
2. All the Control changes are taken care of within the sequencer - ie sounds, Technichord, Panel Memory, Performance Pads etc., which leaves you free to concentrate on the melody parts - particularly if you are like me and don't read..........
I only use this method for some of the songs I play, which for reasons of authenticity, require a 'backing' which cannot be reasonably achieved in the Composer. The greatest majority of songs which I play during a live performance, use the more conventional method of 'backing' provided by either Built-In styles or my own Composer styles.

[This message has been edited by Bill Norrie (edited 06-21-2009).]

Bill, analogy of sequencing is good. Learning the song well is an excellent point

Playing my keyboard in a high-class lounge/bar A woman with an aged but beautiful voice began to sing the song I was playing. I had a chance to talk to her about her voice and they feeling she put into the song. She said that she spent a good deal of time trying to capture what the lyrics were saying -- and then she memorized them. Bill’s thought know the song well is to understand all that the song is to saying. If not we have just played a lot of notes.

John C.

Hello All,

For me, music is much like a painting. Not everyone sees/hears it the same. Most songs/
tunes I play, suggest their own rhythm and style, so once I have the setup, I then proceed to 'tweak' if necessary mostly using the KN7s on board sounds and rhythms.

I think the 'Music Pads' are one of the best features of the KN7 and I make very good use of them, particularly the phrases (pads 5 & 6) as these allow me to turn the pages of my music books seamlesly. As some of you know, I now also have the Tyros 3 which has what is known as 'Multi Pads'. They are a similar idea but believe me! they are not a patch on the Technics Pads and certainly nowhere near as easy to use (but that's another story).

I've never really been interested in using the sequencer as I found it to be too time consuming, but going on the few times I have used it, I appreciate what it does and how it can enhance your own compositions.

Something else I don't use at all and that is Midi Files. I have a friend who uses almost nothing else. He is a singer and says that midi files help him to sound good but again, I wouldn't know as I am what is known as "tone deaf" and you wouldn't want to hear me sing anyway.... Interesting topic this!

Audrey

John C. said it all. When I prepare to record a song, first I have to find a suitable backing style. If I can remember the song or parts of the song, I'm a step ahead and I know pretty much where to look for a particular style. If the song is unknown to me, or I've never played it before, then a learning curve begins. As I try out different styles, I'm playing the song, slow at first, then faster and faster until the tempo announces itself. It just seems right at that certain spot and then I work on the memory part, playing over and over until I learn the song and my fingers will play the right keys no matter what my brain tries to tell them to do. At that point I've already worked out what variations, fills, and what nots I'm going to use, so all I need now is the "feel" of the song so it's my interpretation and not a copy. Sometimes I change chords around or move notes to make it easier or maybe I'll use a style totally different for that type of song, but in the end - it's my version. To me, that's what it's all about, and the sequencer and it's editors help me reach that point.

[This message has been edited by Bud Whipple (edited 06-21-2009).]

Bud,
Isn’t music all about emotion. There are times when I play a slow ballad and after playing for a while I am off to somewhere very tender. At that point I feel I am deep into a very special feeling and you can not buy a moment like that.

John C.

Audrey,
Two thoughts.
The tyros 3 can play all four pads at one time, and as you press one it does not cancel the other. You can also press one pad, go to another group of pads press one of the other numbers and you have two pads from different places playing at the same time.

In my second post on “How do you use Pads” I am going to show the simplicity of very small changes in a style by adding pads. Most pads are to involved to be useful.

John C.

PS, Someone sent me two songs , Disco type and a Big band. Each one was played using only the pads. I do not think he played any melody himself. Of course the music sounded like all fills but it was good. He showed what is possible if we leave our comfort zone.

BILL... Okay now I see the reason behind you said "you have to know the arrangement."
You are a "hear" player....

Several of you Zonies have sent sheet music that I had never heard. Because I do read (the treble clef only), I can learn a piece slowly. Then increase the timing until it seems to flow comfortably. Next step is to find which style/rhythm feels like a good one for that piece. One that one of you who lives in the U.K. sent, is "All Kinds Of Everything." I play it to the "Sirtaki" at 120 tempo and use only the #4 variation, or to "Broadway Show" which I do not like nearly as much for this piece.... I do not know if I am playing it like anyone else does as I have never heard anyone else play it!
Like AUDREY wrote. "...most songs suggest their own rhythm and style." This is very true for me as well.

JOHN.... Yes, music is about expressing emotionally, it is the voice of the heart/soul.... It is a universal language that all life sings and can understand. Even the wind, rain, the animals and plants speak musically. The roar of crashing waves along with the smell of salt water is music to my ears...

I agree with AUDREY that the performance pads are very useful. I suspect you and I could have a really good time playing together AUDREY.

I am so pleased with the good participation here.... wonderful!

Elizabeth

G'Day,girls and boys,
You are all so wonderful. Thank you for reviving the Technics Forum.
Music, like all art, is expression and interpretation, which has been shown here. I recently played Begin The Beguine for some friends, fist as big band bold ,brassy and fast, then as a soft sensual beguine. The responses were interesting to both interpretations.
Re. the sequencer....I only use Easy Record to hear what i have played, make the necessary adjustments,and store on disc if I like what I hear, or wish to refer back to at a later date. I never use The Sequencer,I would rather spend that time playing, plus I find the technology difficult to master.
I use some of the pads to sometimes fill the content of what I am playing, and 5,6, are an opportunity to move the pages, adjust the seat, scratch my nose etc.whilst still having the moosic playing.
NOW!! how do I assign those other functions to the pads? The manual only tells me I can, not how??????or am I being stupid...again?
I too am a "dots" player, and my earlier organ training was based around variations of style and a lot of the time without rhythm backing, but that is a feature not so good on keyboards unless you are a darn good player. Someone might dispute that, but then I am not always right. Ask "The Gardener".
Question for homework ...Which wise person said "Music, the greatest sensual pleasure without vice"?


------------------
Ray The Saint

Hi Ray,
The answer to your question is Samuel Johnson

and what music would he have been listening to when he was alive...?

Bill and Roger,
I thought it was spelt Johnston, the same as my son-in-law, but you got it anyway Bill.
Actually I believe it referred to wine. "Music" was my plagiarising for my other indulgence.
Answer to your question Roger....see Bill's profile.

------------------
Ray The Saint

Ray, According to http://theotherpages.org/topic-m3.html both the name and quotation are correct

Incidentally, he was also know as Dr. Johnson 1709-1784, so I suppose the music he listened to was written by some of the Great Composers - Bach, Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi etc.
Sorry - a bit Off-Topic!!

Many thanks Bill,
Now I remember. I have seen it on a wine bottle(Verse 1),referring to a piece of music on the label.I was nearly right.
But guess what? "The Gardener" wins again.
See Ya !!!
Ray

------------------
Ray The Saint