After reading Sylion's posting
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/005012.html

about his Yamaha KB410 keyboard (marketed specificly to the China market) in which he states: "has several chinese instrument voices, such as erhu,dizi etc..."

it got me thinking about the definition of an 'oriental' keyboard in terms of arranger keyboards, in particular the: Ketron Vega.

I always associated the word 'oriental' to mean the Far East (China, Japan, etc), but it appears that in terms of a keyboard arranger, it refers to Middle Eastern music.

I currently play (professionally): classic american pop, jazz, latin, country, blues, & r&b, but as a 4th generation american born musician of chinese ancestry, I'm now interested in exploring and possibly integrating some asian influence (fusion)into my music. Do the Ketron 'oriental' keyboards (Vega or?) feature only 'Middle Eastern' specific instruments and styles, or do they also include traditional Chinese instruments (erhu,dizi, etc) and styles as well?

Is there a website which provides a complete listing of all the Vega's sounds & styles (including the oriental ones) ?

Does the Ketron Vega function identically and have all the same features as the XD9, but just add the additional 'oriental' styles & sounds, or are some XD9 features, sounds, or styles missing on the Vega?

Thanks in advance for all feedback,

- Scott

Donny: Yes, I read that article too, but it unfortunately doesn't provide the NAMES of the 45 oriental styles.

The review article also doesn't list the names of the Vega's 27 'oriental specific' instruments.

Are these available anywhere?

It would also be cool to hear some MP3s of these so called 'oriental' sounds and styles as well. Perhaps someone can provide a website link or post song demos.

- Scott


[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 11-10-2002).]

Vega is for Middle Eastern/Turkish/Greek styles...that's it. it's basicly an xd9+a stick modulation and a scale box for the middle easter music.

As I understand it, the Vega can do anything the XD9 can do, plus the Oriental stuff.
I'm not interested in the Oriental aspects, but the Joystick and Variation Jump facility got my attention.
A couple of months ago, George Kaye advised me of some other differences, but I don't recall exactly what they were.
DonM

There is the XD9 Turkish that George kay just got.it's got all the oriental sounds and the stick pitch bender.I don't know if it have the varation jump thing. I 'm sure George kay knows.

------------------
Vic:)

Oh and the XD9 Turkish doesn't have a scale feature.only the Vega

Hi Scott

I had that same problem at first. To me, oriental has always meant far east-China, Japan, and Korea. But in the arranger world, at least, it means the Middle East. This applies to the Ketron Vega, the oriental "OR" Rolands, etc.

THE MAIN reason I am hoping for a Roland arranger with an SRX slot is so that I can add the East and South Asian timbres from the Roland Asian card.

First of all, thanks to EVERYONE who responded to my thread.

From the information I've gathered so far, it seems the Ketron Vega only includes Middle Eastern instruments and styles. I'm curious if there is a manufacter out there (Yamaha?) that produces an arranger keyboard which not only includes the Far Eastern instrument sounds (like the Yamaha KB410 that Sylion, in China, owns), but also includes Far Eastern Asia style patterns. I guess I could checkout the Roland Asian card, but that means having to purchase a Roland specific box to install it in.

Back on the subject of oriental instrument sounds and styles: It's interesting that most arranger keyboards are manufacterered in Japan yet their styles and sounds are almost all (exclusively?) Western. I'm curious HOW MANY people in Japan and Asia play arranger keyboards. Do they ONLY play Euro-American Pop styles or are there special edition arranger keyboards manufactered which include traditional & contemparary Far Eastern sounds & styles, but are only available for sale in Asia?

Scott,
it all depends on numbers. For a manufacturer to design and build a keyboard targeted for a specific market it takes more than a reasonable hope to sell a number of keyboards large enough to justify the investment. How many keyboards could Ketron sell on the Far East market (China, Korea and Japan?)

Hi
I have some Vega Demos I made me and my friends on my website. http://www.abdallahsafar.com/Music.htm

I can't speak for Ketron specificly, but I'd guess there are more people living in Asia than Europe and North America put together, so I'd think the keyboard market potential (in China alone) could be enormous.

Asafar: MANY thanks for sharing your songs produced on the Ketron Vega. The Middle Eastern Instruments & Styles sound unique and beautiful. Very expressive playing. Which specific 'Vega' Arabic instruments and styles were used on your demos?

I too never understood why they call arabic/middle eastern targeted keyboards as Oriental ones...as everyone said Oriental to means the Far East.

As far the Vega Scott and any "oriental" arranger in today's market, it is marketed for the middle eastern music and the sounds and styles in it are mainly focused on arabic music.

Those oriental keyboards are not quit made in USA. it's always in Italy or Japan. so I guess they view the middle east that way.

Mosiqar,there is another reason that I'm thinking of.when we say oriental in arabic it's "sharki" and western is "garbe".if any body asked ( in the middile east) what style you play, an arabic musician answer would say "sharki songs or gharbi songs" or "just sharki songs" and vice versa.what I'm trying to say is I think that if you have a keyboard that can play middle eastern styles and sounds then in our words it's a sharki keyboards or oriental keyboard if you were to translate it to english.make sense?