Graham: I typically trigger pitch bend (1/2 step note bend) a split second before I play the note I want to bend 'up to' on the keyboard, and then release the pitch bend almost immediately. This creates the impression of approaching (sliding) the note from 1/2 step below. I generally apply pitch bend when approaching the longer notes.

Many of the principal soloing guitar notes (which benefit from pitch bend) occur 'right on' the chord changes, so I can't figure out how you guys are able have your left hand finger triggering the new chord and playing the pitch wheel 'at the same' time. hmmmm. I don't know about you guys (and gals), but I only have 2 hands. I hope to hear MORE from others on this.

Donny: I agree with you that it's "what it sounds like when you're playing" that really counts, but I think utilizing pitch bend (especially for country tunes) is an essential element to making a country tune sound 'authentically' country.

I concur with AJ (Bluezplayer) & Shiral re: joystick vs wheel. I used to own a Korg O1W/FD synth and miss having the joystick. I wish that Yamaha (and others) would replace the pitch/mod 2 wheel combination with a single joystick. I wonder why they did this? Are two wheels cheaper to manufacter than a single joystick (or the other way around)?

This is truly a special forum to me because it gives us all here an opportunity to share our many different & varied arranger playing styles, which then leads to each of us exploring new techniques we may never (individually) have considered before. Arranger keyboard playing is a relataively new art and requires special skills. I think the mainstream music community is beginning to finally take notice of what we do. - Scott

Scott,
Aftertouch is another way of bending a sound ! I rarely use mod. wheel ! dano
Another thing that I do on my Sd1 is double up or double down the right hand harmony . Particularily a steel guitar ! Over and out ! Dano

Since this discussion started it has prompted me to spend more time looking into this pitch bending thing.....I have found that the D-Beam on my Roland EM2000 works well if set to pitch bend amongst its many options....and would you believe I can keep playing my left hand chords because I can lean forward and trigger the D-Beam with my head....Now how about that for an option. HA!!!
Also the aftertouch works possibly even better, but the technique to do this requires more practice.

Graham UK

Uncle Dave:

I totaly agree.. I almost always bend up but rarely more than to a whole step...I have been emulating guitar for so long that it is a natural task for me. I don't even think about it anymore..kind of a similar reflex response to driving with a clutch. Now with a harmonica sound the bend often goes down just a hair or back and forth as I'm playing the notes.

Scott,

I also begin to trigger the bend as I'm about to play the note. As I said, it is such a reflex response that I almost actually have to do it manually and think about this when I want to describe it.

Shiral,

Same thing here..sometimes one thing or the other has to GO.. and it's a tough choice lol..I can't emulate guitar at all without bending..
I'd only assign it with a pedal if there was some way to control it to varying degrees. A half step or full step bend without some "bend" within the bend..would totally mess up my bending technique
( variation of bend within the bend might be a better choice ..man I'm confused when I actually try to DESCRIBE this stuff :-) )

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 01-13-2002).]

AJ,

This (bending by steps this way) might be a good way to emulate hammering and short trills (of course, if my toe/foot is quick enough :-)).

Shiral

[This message has been edited by shiral (edited 01-13-2002).]

I remember having some organs that had a slide pedal by the volume pedal. Another had a knee lever.
I agree it's hard to describe what you're doing when you've been doing it so long that's it's automatic.
A couple of times (G800, PA80) I had a joystick, I was awkward with it at first, but quickly learned to like it. It should be an option on Yamaha.
DonM

I find the best way to emulate what I do playing blues guitar is to assign aftertouch to pitch bend for guitar lead sounds. It seems most natural to have the hand playing the notes that are bent to do the bending. I keep my A-50 keyboard controller (with polyphonic aftertouch) since it allows me to bend two notes at once to different degrees. It is the lack of aftertouch, more than any other factor, that would keep me from getting a PSR-2000.

Can you actually control the aftertouch of two notes with different pressures at the same time? I'm impressed.
Aftertouch has always been a burdon for me. Never found peace with it.

Same here UD..I just don't seem to have the same level of ability to control just how the note bends if I use aftertouch. For me a note has to bend just right and I can't do it as accurately using aftertouch.

AJ

Usually aftertouch isn't polyphonic and most synths provide channel aftertouch where whichever key has the greatest pressure is applied to ALL notes on that channel.

But even channel aftertouch can be very effective. Uncle Dave, if you haven't found aftertouch to be useful you simply haven't tried it with the right patches. Obviously it only applies to sounds that are sustained while the pressure is applied such as pads, electric pianos, brass parts etc. I particularly like aftertouch to increase/decrease filter & resonance on pads and also to provide tremelo or vibrato on electric piano sounds. It's great to hold an electric piano chord and bring in a tremolo effect as it rings off.