I use Fingered mode, But, I have seen a few videos lately with arranger KB players using the 1 finger left hand chord method,....That said,...I was wondering how they handle if at all chords like maj6th, aug, 9ths, dim, etc, etc, with only 1 finger chords wen the song requires more? And doesn't this limit many songs only using these few chord options with
1 Finger vs Fingered,or Multifinger mode? Imo the 1 finger mode becomes a crutch to an extent making it more difficult later on to learn full fingered chords,....but it does give beginners a way to play in a simple limited format also.

Donny, on the demo video in finger mode, it seems like he used 2 or 3 fingers more than he used 1 finger. I didn't notice any b9,#9 etc and never noticed any dim chords. None of these chords can be played with one finger, right?

I use the multi-fingered mode cause I'm lazy. But when I need to use a dim, maj7, etc, I use the required number of fingers to get the job done.

Gary

Boo correct...not in 1 finger mode...

Gary why be lazy when playing songs without more chords in fingered.....unless your doing all country ...lol

Are you trying to tell me there's another kind of music other than Country? Donny, I know how to play all the chords, but I have never been good with inversions, some kind of mental block there, and not sure why. Maybe one day, after I retire, I'll learn inversions. Gotta retire first, but Carol said I can't do that till three days after I'm dead. Maybe I have to rethink the retirement part.

Gary

DNJ country's stepped up. "Friends In Low Places" has a dim chord, and I bet DonM can name quite a few more tunes with dim chords.

One of my favourite chords is the MAJ7th. Haven't found a way to play major 7ths in one finger mode. These chords have that haunting quality. First heard them in "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying".

One of my favourite songs is flavoured with the MAJ7th chord. I just added it to my You Tube channel. It is Micheal Murphy's "Wildfire"


I must say that this site is the easiest on which to embed video. Thanks Nigel!

God Bless,
Don

Another nice job, Don ...
Another 'Pop/Rock ballad where the M7 plays an important role - at least to MY ears - is John Lennon's "Woman" ... playing/singing it in the key of 'C' with the band, I would add the D (9th) to the M7 chord on the 'bridge' ... made for beautiful harmony ...

Don't forget Lennon's "Imagine"

God Bless,
Don

Donny first a clarification... in most cases "one finger" mode means that when you press one key in the chord recognition area the arranger recognizes a Major chord.

All brands allow the player to add 2, 3, 4, or even 5 keys to trigger more complex chords. Some chord types such as maj6 have to be played in the root position, to prevent confusion with minor 7th for example. Augmented and 9th chords can be played by pressing at least 3 keys.

I personally find major 7th chords easier to play in "one finger" mode. Korgs and Rolands only require you to play two notes (root and major 7th.) I believe Yammies require you to play 3 notes (the arranger plays a full pattern even if you omit the fifth.)

The only chords you can't summon right now in the "one finger" mode are unisons (1+8) or open fifths (1+5). And that's only because the programmed in chord recognition tables don't cover these types. Perhaps someday the manufacturers will add them. Meanwhile I would use Yamaha's "AI fingered" mode, or Korg's "Fingered 2" mode for authentic performance of a song containing these types of chords.

As I see it, the main limitations of single-finger mode are:
-If you WANT to play single note embellishments in the left hand voice, you can't do it in this mode.
-The Yamahas and Rolands I've tested have kind of a hair trigger. If you're sloppy and don't get all the keys down within a quarter of a second or so, you may briefly hear a false chord or the attack of a false bass note before the arranger recognizes and sounds the chord you intended. If you're making a recording, you can go back and delete these false notes out of the score. Korgs have a slight built-in delay that generally prevents this.
-The "short cuts" and rules for advanced chords aren't universal across brands. Roland, Korg, Ketron, Gem, Kawai and Lowrey are similar with subtle variations. Yamaha and Technics use different rules.

Hope this answers your question! -Ted

So in essence, b9ths, #9ths are out, and of course a Dm7b5, which is in the bridge of "Give Me A Kiss To build A Dream On," and there's one in "Give Me The Simple Life," when played in the key of Eb. I assume with one finger mode, it would be wise to use a midi on such tunes. I have maybe 20 midi files that I use. That doesn't bother me and they sound just like the original recording. So 11ths, 13ths etc. are out too! What about a sus4?

I'm sorry Brickboo but you're mistaken. The whole point of my post is that other chord types, including those you mentioned ARE playable in the "one-finger" modes.

I just tried on both my Roland and Korg. Flatted and sharp ninths can be played by pressing four notes (which is what you would have to do in any case.) Minor 7ths with flatted fifths also require pressing four notes, but are no problem. The arranger recognizes these chords and adjusts the accompaniment pattern as you would expect (for example, lowering the fifth by a half step.)

Elevenths are no problem, just add the 11th and you can hear the tension added to the pattern. Suspended fourths are easy: On Roland you just play the chord [1,4,5]. On Korg you can get away with only the root and the suspended fourth.

I had a really hard time figuring out 13ths, the machines kept defaulting to a 6th chord. However, by adding the 7th AND the 13th note, the Korg was able to play a 13th chord in Fingered 1. It's a reach of course, but the machine does recognize the chord. Sometimes there isn't any difference in playback of the style pattern between C11 and C13.

As I said above, there are a few limitations to one finger mode, but a lack of chord variety isn't one of them. Try it, you might be pleasantly surprised! -Ted

... perhaps I am missing something here, but I would think that people using 'one finger chord mode' are only looking to play the most basic chords they can, perhaps due to the lack of knowledge of how to construct more complicated chords ... that being said, I would expect a MOTL or especially a TOTL keyboard to recognize whatever I am playing in the left hand below the 'split' location and play the appropriate chord - REGARDLESS of whether I am playing in 'one finger', 'multi-finger', or 'five fingers and two toes' mode ...
I do realize, however, that there are going to be some limitations ...
I guess people might use 'one finger' (I had somebody use that on me while driving the other day - I'm sure it wasn't anything 'minor' he was thinking about ) to easily play a Major chord just by playing the root, even though they may be constructing chords using 4 or 5 fingers like Ted ...

Tony, some of the older keyboard didn't recognize the various fingered modes. Of course, I'm going back to the days of the PSR-5700 and earlier models of other brands.

Gary

... yes Gary, and I was talking about today's boards ... although my technics kn1000 circa 1990ish had three fingering modes ...

One of my first arrangers in 1983....and it was one of the first made the KORG SAS-20 Personal KB that I used for a while didn't have all the fancy chord recognition's features of today either.
The cartridge was kool gave you a few more styles.....

http://www.korgpa.com/support/discontinued-products/korg-sas-20.html