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#222205 - 11/29/07 04:06 PM
Re: 76 trombones? What about 76-key keyboards
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Senior Member
Registered: 07/27/05
Posts: 10606
Loc: Cape Breton Island, Canada
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When I gig with the PSR-S900, I am always in accompaniment mode and using styles...61 keys are plenty.
I stopped doing solo piano gigs(no vocals) several years ago, and now focus/specialize strictly on solo arranger(again, no vocals).
I don't use SMF, but if I did, 61 keys would also be fine for me.
If you need/want to play left hand bass, you may want more keys...I prefer the freedom of not having to play LH bass, so again, 61 keys are plenty.
I also prefer the PSR's light action...it maybe a sin to some, but it is me I am trying to please, not them.
Ian
_________________________
Yamaha Tyros4, Yamaha MS-60S Powered Monitors(2), Yamaha CS-01, Yamaha TQ-5, Yamaha PSR-S775.
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#222206 - 11/29/07 04:30 PM
Re: 76 trombones? What about 76-key keyboards
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Registered: 04/25/05
Posts: 14247
Loc: NW Florida
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I must confess that if I used an arranger STRICTLY in arranger mode, 61 would do it for me, too (just!), but as they include SMF players, MP3 players etc., it must be admitted that even the manufacturers of these things acknowledge that you are NOT going to be in arranger mode 24/7.
As such, a 61 starts to be a LOT more restrictive, limiting your ability to play full piano parts (if they are going to include a great piano sample, why not give us a keyboard you can USE it on?) and restricting the range of splits and LH bass sections.
So it all boils down to... do you ever play using SMFs? Do you ever play LH bass? Do you (or CAN you) play piano? If you answer yes to any of these, a 76 can be a better tool for all around use.
Sure, you CAN play on a 61, heck, you can play much smaller (I have a lot of fun with a KX-5 remoter controller, but wouldn't dream of using it instead of my G70 on a solo gig!), but at what point does the lack of range start to restrict you, and is the extra weight and size too much bother?
FAR too many choosing convenience over function, IMO...
Maybe if you CAN'T play the piano, fine. But if you can, you are shortchanging yourself (and your audience), the music, and all possibility of improving your pianism by opting for a tiny keyboard that can't be used for full piano playing. Heck, even 76 is a compromise...
Isn't it about time we started thinking more about making music well, and less about shaving a few pounds off of keyboards that are already featherweights compared to 20 years ago?
_________________________
An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!
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