Locks and Keys

Martyn Brown asked:


I was roadie for Martyn Brown on one of his mobile disco shows last week. As you may know, one of Martyn’s home businesses is running a mobile disco agency where he is self employed as a disc jockey.

I don’t normally roadie for him but his usual guy couldn’t make the venue so he asked me. I always like a laugh so decided to go along, after all he was paying me £10.00 in cash, so I couldn’t refuse.

I use the term ‘venue’ loosely because he was actually performing at an old people’s home in front of 25 ‘over 75’s’ age group.

We eventually found ‘Undertakers lodge’ which was an unusual name for an old folks home, but still.

My job as a roadie was to help carry the DJ’s equipment into the hall, the hall turned out to be no bigger than my living room at home and it was a struggle to fit his equipment into the corner.

We started setting up the gear – speakers, amplifiers, lights, CD players, MD players, DAT players, crickey, was Martyn going to USE all this stuff.

I squeezed his CD collection into the corner of the room and had to overspill onto the piano stool as we’d run out of the space allocated to the DJ.

The lounge was entered via walking past several of the residents doors. There was a terrible smell of pudding and poo coming from number 9 and I found myself holding my breath each time I passed it.

I nearly knocked one old lady for six with a speaker as she leaped out in front of me to say ‘Hello dear’. Why they insist on giving you a cuddle as well, I don’t know.

We were constantly held up from old folk telling us about the weather and asking us how long the front door would be open for. ‘It’s not normally open after six o’clock’, they would say.

We were reminded of the six o’clock rule by several of the inmates, sorry, elderly residents, while walking in and out collecting the next piece of disco gear.

The smell from number 9 cell, sorry, flat, was getting stronger, I was sure. Shouldn’t one of the caretakers pay it a visit and clean someone or something up?

Martyn made the mistake of asking for another table to put some discs on. Five of the old folk carried it in for us from the hall. It took the poor people a quarter of an hour but they wouldn’t let us help – so independent these oldies aren’t they?

I noticed that the party ravers were queuing outside of the room we were in and somebody let them come in early so that they could sit down for a rest.

Martyn had a complaint from one old lady, ‘Turn it down!, it’s too loud’, she called. Martyn wouldn’t have minded but he hadn’t started yet.

On switching on the gear a sudden thud was heard as the amplifier became live. This made all 25 guests jump six inches into the air as they weren’t expecting that.

It was Joan’s birthday and Mabel’s too. Both were around 90 but didn’t look it, I expect they did once, though.

A ‘test’ piece of music was put on before we actually started.

The DJ didn’t set all the lights up as he didn’t want to give any of the old folk a turn. One lady was sat staring at the main light show – a box which looked like a kaleidoscope with it’s varying flashing coloured lights and we found that she had been hypnotised, so had to give her one of her tablets to enable her to enjoy the rest of the show.

I was surprised to learn that they were all on alcohol and we too were offered a beer. I picked up a glass and commented to Martyn that it was all smeared inside. ‘Probably had someone’s teeth in it last night’, Martyn quipped, which I didn’t’ think was funny as there wasn’t another clean one on the table.

It was 7.30 and a final walk past smelly room number 9, we were back into the disco room where all the oldies were waiting for us to perform. The music was so quiet it didn’t even drive some of the sound to light effects but we dare not turn it up in case of more complaints. Martyn had me manually turning the lights off and on instead, to give a similar effect but I soon got bored with that.

One of the women burped after a few sips of her drink which made me jump. I couldn’t see her at first as she looked like a cushion on the sofa. Her cardigan had the same pattern and she was camouflaged. Martyn pointed her out to me and then she came into focus as she burped a couple more times, which was being drowned out only by another old lady coughing her guts up in the corner, strewth I thought she was going to die!

Panic over after a few sips of brandy and some smelling salts – for me that was, the old lady just blew her nose.

A woman came up and asked us for ‘Whoosh’, ‘er, what’s Whoosh’, Martyn asked. ‘I don’t know’, she replied and made a windmill motion with her arm as she said again, ‘Whoosh’. ‘Perhaps she wants The Who’, I suggested – ‘or the loo’, Martyn added, Whoosh, she asked with a frown appearing on her face.

Anyway, it ended up she wanted, Hands Up Give Me Your Heart, an old song by a group called, Ottowan. Though quite where, Whoosh, came into it we couldn’t figure out.

One of the guests asked for a quiet waltz, so the DJ obliged. During this smoochie dance with most of the Senior Citizens on the floor dancing with each other, one of the guests broke wind. It was what can only be described as a huge volley of sound which drowned out Engelburt Humberdinck totally. So much for The Last Waltz.

Everybody ignored this outburst of wind, either just to be polite or because they knew that Mrs. Damien had a problem and so were just used to it. Martyn and myself were in pain trying not to laugh, like a couple of naughty schoolboys, we were. Judging by the smell, the person from number 9 had just come in too.

During the break for tea somebody gave the Mrs. Burp on the sofa, (the one looking like a cushion) a huge piece of Dundee cake with icing and marzipan on top. Martyn and I looked at each other – isn’t that a little dangerous we thought. Burrrrrrrpppp!, yes it was.

Albert meanwhile had polished off a whole bottle of whiskey during the first half of the disco and insisted on dancing to the background music. He looked silly doing the Highland Fling to ‘Puppy love’ by S Club Juniors.

The Max Bygraves singalong was a highlight, they all knew the words. ‘If it’s too loud’, Martyn said, ‘please do – just turn down your hearing aids’. That went down like a lead balloon.

‘If I play a song you like, just wave and I’ll play it again’ – same reaction. ‘Stick to playing the music and shut up’, I suggested.

Happy Birthday was played for the two birthday girls. ‘Who’s singing this’ a man asked. ‘You’re meant to be’, Martyn replied. By the third playing of the song they’d gotten the hang of it and all joined in and all was jolly.

Play a square tango, Mr. Whiskey man called. Martyn found a tango and the man staggered around the dance floor. ‘Play the square dance’, country style, he called out, again. ‘Play a nice Waltz’, he shouted out even louder – ‘A square one?’, Martyn asked.

The party went with a swing and all danced. Well, most did. It was a struggle for some, obviously not as young as they once were?, not at all, they were all drunk!

I thought it would be a good idea to play, Vera Lynn, as she was a great oldie. But Martyn criticised my request because three people burst out crying. ‘A nightingale sang in Berkley square’ was a good choice, especially for, Mr. Whiskey as it mentioned the word, Square, again.

We had to end at 10pm, an early night for Martyn as he normally works pub or club hours. ‘You can all have a lay in, in the morning’, Martyn announced. That went down like the Titanic.

The ‘clubbers’ looked like death warmed up after all that activity – come to think of it, they looked that way when they walked in earlier in the evening.

On clearing up, Daisy had lost here glasses, Mr. Whiskey had lost his whiskey bottle and the lady who kept coughing had lost her teeth. All was found under the sofa though. Well, the teeth were in a plant pot but nobody got too worried, after all, it was bedtime.

While packing up the disco gear, Martyn and I were approached by a tall gentleman who was the regimental type. ‘I’m in my nineties you know!’, ‘Are you really, marvellous’, Martyn replied. ‘Let me give you some advice, young man’, the tall man went on, ‘When you talk over the microphone, SHOUT, tell them who’s boss, you’re in control, SHOUT at them to dance, sing a long, give them HELL over that microphone, they’re hard of hearing and can’t hear you if you don’t SHOUT!’. ‘Takes me back to my army days!’, he continued.

‘That was a great show boys, you and I will join ranks, make no mistake!’.

The badges on his blazer told the story of his past life. ‘Do you know’, he shouted, ‘I once prayed that Guy Fawlkes would come back and finish the bloody job, bloody government!’. We knew that it was time to move on.

It was the first time that Martyn had performed a disco at an old people’s home and they wanted to book him for more dates in the future. Whether he will go back or not I don’t know. I won’t be the roadie that’s for sure. It was an experience I won’t ever forget – the Home Business Roadshow, I called it.

An old gent asked if we wanted a hand lifting some of the equipment out. We said, no, but he really did want to help so lifted a double CD player. Martyn looked incredibly worried as the old timer was struggling with two thousand pounds worth of gear.

We took some other stuff out to the van only to return finding four other oldies helping the kind old timer out with his CD player. I’m not sure whether they were helping him lift ‘it’ or helping keep him upright while he lifted it.

About 10.55 all was packed up and ready to go. A short chat with the organiser (who was moaning about some of the residents), and a man with no shoes or socks on, ended our visit to, Undertakers Lodge. Bookings are now being taken. Not for the disco but for Martyn and me to live in the Lodge, we’re booking in early – there’s a waiting list you know, and the entertainment’s wonderful.



HAROLD

Mike Shaw asked:


A key signature will appear at the beginning of a piece of sheet music. This will tell you if sharps and flats will be played in the piece or if no sharps and flats will be played. If you don’t see any sharps or flats at the beginning of the piece then this is normally referred to as open key or C major. Sharps and flats can be written in various bars throughout the piece and these are known as accidentals and will last for the bars duration only.

Sharps and flats at the beginning of a piece can also indicate which key the piece is written in although there are other elements of the piece that also determine this because major and minor keys can share the same key signature, for example C major and A minor share the same key signature, that is, no sharps or flats, also G major and E minor share the same key signature of one sharp, (F Sharp). These similarities are known as relatives. So C majors relative minor is A minor. They are relatives because they share the same key signature.

Since most people start to learn in major keys, we will use examples in major keys only. At the beginning of a piece of music, to the right of the treble clef and the bass clef is where you will see sharps and flats.

One sharp means all occurrences of F are sharp and the key is G major

Two sharps = F sharp and C sharp and the key is D major

Three sharps = F sharp, C sharp and G sharp and the key is A major

Four sharps = F sharp, C sharp, G sharp and D sharp and the key is E major

Five sharps = F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp and A sharp and the key is B major

Six sharps = F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp and E sharp and the key is F sharp major

Seven sharps = F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp, E sharp and B sharp and the key is C sharp major

One flat means all occurrences of B are flat and the key is F major

Two flats = B flat and E flat and the key is B flat major

Three flats = B flat, E flat and A flat and the key is E flat major

Four flats = B flat, E flat, A flat and D flat and the key is A flat major

Five flats = B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat and G flat and the key is D flat major

Six flats = B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat and C flat and the key is G flat major

Seven flats = B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, C flat and F flat and the key is C flat major

No flats or sharps indicates the key of C major

A good way to learn all these keys is to use a method, which I call the rule of seven. By adding the amount of sharps a key has to the amount of flats a key has, you should always end up with seven. That means if you memorise either the sharps keys or the flat keys you can work out the other by creating a relationship. We create the relationship using the letters, for example, B major and B flat major. B major has five sharps B flat major has two flats 5+2=7. Lets try E major and E flat, once you know that E flat has three flats you can work out how many sharps are in E major. So if E flat has three flats then E major must have four sharps 3+4=7

The exception to this rule is C flat major and C sharp major, make sure to relate both these keys with C major.



GORDON

Maria asked:


Alicia Keys, a multi-talented singer, was raised by her mother after her separation. In 1985, Keys and a group of other girls played the parts of Rudy’s sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show called “Slumber Party”. She began playing the piano when she was seven, learning classical music (http://www.ticketnest.com/Classical.php ) by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin. Born on January 25, 1980, Alicia Keys is an American soul singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, philanthropist, and author who sold over twenty million albums worldwide and won numerous awards, including nine Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards.

Songs in A Minor (2001)

Keys performed Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free” at the America: A Tribute to Heroes televised benefit concert following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Selling more than 50,000 of those on its first day and over 235,000 copies in its first week, Songs in A Minor, released on June 5, 2001, went on to sell more than eleven million units worldwide, and established Keys’ popularity both outside and inside the U.S., where she became the best-selling new artist of 2001. The album’s first single, “Fallin’”, gained radio airplay on many different radio formats and spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Another single from Songs in A Minor, “A Woman’s worth”, made the top ten in the U.S. as well. Keys and the album won five Grammy Awards in 2002, including “Best New Artist” and “Song of the Year” for “Fallin’”. Later, on October 22, 2002, Keys released Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, a re-issue of Songs in A Minor, which includes eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of some of the songs off her debut album.

The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)

Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, released on December 2, 2003. The album was hailed by critics and debuted at number one in the U.S., selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, the sixth highest album sales by a female and second by R&B female. To date, it has sold eight million copies worldwide. The singles “You Don’t Know My Name” and “If I Ain’t Got You” both reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and another single, “Diary”, entered the top ten. The classical/hip hop-flavored “Karma” was less successful, peaking at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 but more successful on Top 40 Mainstream peaking at number three. Surpassing Mary J. Blige’s “Your Child”, “If I Ain’t Got You” became the first single by a female artist to remain on the sixty-three-year-old Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for more than one year. Keys went on to become the best-selling female R&B artist of 2004.

As I Am (2007)

Keys expressed her views to MTV about her upcoming album: “It’s coming together incredibly. I am in love with this album. It’s very fresh and new”. Since late 2006, Keys worked on her third studio album, as I am which is expected to be out for the public appreciation on November 13, 2007. Keys also displayed her acting genius while co-starring in a film alongside Ben Affleck, Ray Liotta, Common, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, and Ryan Reynolds entitled Smokin’ Aces, released on January 26, 2007. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Ryan Reynolds said Keys has “natural” acting ability as he was surprised she had not starred in films before. Furthermore, in her second film, The Nanny Diaries released on August 24, 2007, Keys co-stars alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans as Lynette, Johansson’s character Annie’s best friend. The Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York was used to film the college graduation scene for the film.

For more information about Alicia Keys visit: http://www.ticketnest.com/concert-tickets/Alicia-Keys/index.php



HAROLD

Duane Shinn asked:


Transposition is changing the key of a piece of music, or changing the notes without changing their relationship. This is often done to make the piece of music easier to play or sing. It’s a common practice in bands that don’t perform their own material; the singer may wish to cover a song with vocals that are far out of his or her range. Transposition can correct that problem by shifting the key into a range that is comfortable for him or her.

Transposition is also used with instruments. Some instruments (called transposing instruments) are not tuned to the same note; for instance, a Bb clarinet is tuned to a B flat and an alto clarinet to an E flat. Transposition of the sheet music for these instruments ensures that they won’t sound discordant when playing with the rest of the orchestra or band.

Transposition may be a simple concept, but it’s often tricky to achieve. The easiest sort of transposition -and technically it is not transposition at all, since it remains in the same key - is done by octave - simply moving the piece of music up or down eight steps. This sort of transposition may work for a male singer wishing to sing a female’s part, but it does little for transposing instruments or other areas of vocal work. In these cases, it’s best to use transposition by either scale degree or harmonic interval.

Transposition by scale degree uses the scale degrees of a piece of music to determine the relationship between the notes. Each note in a piece is assigned a scale degree (tonic, dominant, subdominant, mediant, submediant, etc.) and the same scale degrees are used for the new key. This type of transposition once understood is relatively simple, as the relationship between the notes will always remain the same, regardless of the key.

Transposition by harmonic interval uses intervals as a guide for the transposition. By finding the interval between the dominant notes in the two keys, one can deduce the interval between the all the notes. If the difference between the notes is a major third, then transposition of all the notes will be done by a major third. This type of transposition is also potentially simple but calls for an added carefulness when dealing with accidentals that aren’t expressed in the key signature.

The very best way to transpose is to learn to think in more than one key. Most beginners start learning in the key of C, so after awhile they can think in that key — they know where the notes in that key are, and their fingers can get to them easily. Since every key a person can play in is mathematically the same as every other key, by learning to play in a 2nd key one can learn to think in that key, just as they did in the key of C.

Keys are like languages: if you don’t know Spanish, you certainly can’t think in Spanish, and when you learn to speak it, you will have to rack your brain for the right word for quite awhile before you begin to think in Spanish. Its the same in music — there are only 12 major keys in which you can play (in contract to languages, where there are hundreds) — so if you can eventually learn to think in all those 12 major keys, there is no key left that you couldn’t transpose in to.

Practically speaking, however, most people don’t need to know all 12 keys — just the keys in which most songs are written: C, F, G, D, A, Bb, and Eb. If you can learn the other six too, that’s fabulous, but you can certainly get by with just those 6 keys, or perhaps even less — and least C, F, and G — the “big 3″ when it comes to keys.



AARON

Duane Shinn asked:


How do transposition and modulation relate? Are they the same? Let’s take a look at both of them and see what makes them tick.

I am sure that you have had the experience sometime in your piano-playing life when someone asks you to play a song — but in a different key than in which it is written. It might be a singer wanting you to lower the song a step so he/she doesn’t screech. It might be a song leader wanting you to play a song in a more comfortable keys for a congregation or group. It might be a trumpet player looking over your shoulder and wanting to play along with you — but when he/she plays the same note you are playing, it sure doesn’t sound the same!

So….it’s your job, as pianist, to get that song moved to a different key. That’s transposition — playing or writing a song in a different key than in which it was originally written.

Modulation is similar but different — modulation means the process of getting from the old key to the new key. In other words, if I’m playing in the key of C, and then want to play in the key of Eb, I have to learn to modulate — move smoothly from one key to another without being too abrupt and jarring.

There are basically 3 ways to transpose:

1. by intervals

2. by scale degrees

3. by solfege — the moveable “do” system.

But since solfege applies mostly to singers, we will ignore that possibility and just take up the first two:

1. Intervals: If the new key is an interval of a minor 3rd above the old key, then all notes in the song will also be an interval of a minor 3rd higher. In other words, if you are transposing from the key of C to the key of Eb, which is a minor 3rd higher (or major 6th lower — whichever way you want to look at it), then all melody notes will also be a minor 3rd higher:

“G” in the key of C would become “Bb” in the key of Eb. “E” in the key of C would become “:G” in the new key of Eb. “A” would become “C”, “B” would become “D”, and so on. All chords would also move a minor 3rd higher. The “C chord” would become the “Eb chord”, the “F chord” would become the “Ab chord”, and so on.

2. Scale degrees: Each key you play in has it’s own scale degrees. In the key of C the scale degrees are: C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7, C=8. In the key of Eb, however, Eb=1, F=2, G=3, Ab=4, Bb=5, C=6, D=7, Eb=8. So if I want to transpose Silent Night, for example, from the key of C to the key of Eb, I need to notice what scale degrees I am using in the key of C, and then use those same scale degrees in the key of Eb. For example, Silent Night starts on the 5th degree of the scale, goes up to the 6th, back to the 5th, then down to the 3rd. In the key of C that is: G-A-G-E. But in the key of Eb it is Bb-C-Bb-G. Why? Because the scale degrees 5-6-5-3 are constant — we just need to apply them in each key. What about chords? Same idea. If the chord progression on Silent Night is the I chord followed by the V chord, followed by the I chord, followed by the IV chord, etc. — then in the key of C that means C-G-C-F-etc., but in the key of Eb it means Eb-Bb-Eb-Ab-etc.

Modulation means getting between keys, so let’s say you are playing in the key of C, but you want to get to the key of Eb smoothly, without jarring the nerves of the listeners. There are lots of ways to do it, but the main point is that you have to get to the V7 chord of the new key. So from the key of C to the key of Eb, that means getting to Bb7. How do we do that smoothly? We look for chords with common notes. Since the V of the V of the new key would be Fm7, we have C as a common note. So we hold the C in the C chord, and move the rest of the C chord to Fm7, then Bb7, then Eb, and presto — we are there!

Hope this has helped you understand both the process and the difference between transposing and modulating. Just remember this: Transposition means to play a song in a different key, while modulation is the process of getting from key to key.



GLEN

Ricky Sharples asked:


Slack key guitar is a fingerpicking style which has been kept well hidden by its most notable exponents. Finding books, records or tutorials on slack key guitar playing is a series of dead ends where recording studios and music publishers have stopped recording and publishing and guitar players who specialize in slack key playing prefer to play for family gatherings rather than look for ways of spreading the word about their art.

We often associate the guitar and the ukulele with Hawaii but they are fairly recent imports into the Hawaiian culture. Understanding the way the guitar was introduced into the country is a matter of whose version of the story you like best. One version says that American and Spanish cowboys were invited to work in Hawaii in the mid-1830’s to help with the newly imported cattle population. Another story is that Hawaiians were helping the Argentine navy with something or other in Monterey, California. Whatever the truth is, the Hawaiians took to the stringed instruments and adapted them to their own culture and ways of expressing their feelings.

Anyway, let us shed some light on the unusual name for this guitar style. The name “slack key” refers to the practice of changing the tuning of the guitar by turning the tuning keys so that the strings are loose, or “slack”. The end result of this adjustment is usually an “open tuning” which means the guitar is tuned so that the open strings sound a chord. But apparently sometimes slack key guitar players play in standard tuning, so apart from the tuning, what distinguishes slack key from other fingerstyle guitar playing? Well, there is the repertoire. Slack key guitar playing usually accompanies songs whose themes are rooted in the Hawaiian country - the mountains, the palm trees, the sea - south sea island stuff.

The G major chord turned out to be a popular open tuning for the Hawaiian guitarists. This is  D G D G B D, from lowest to highest, and they called it Taro Patch tuning. Another kind of tuning was called Wahine tuning and included a major seventh, for example D G D F# B D. Another slack key tuning is called “Gabby’s C” and is C G E G A E.

Another aspect that makes slack key special is the unique use of standard finger-picking techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and harmonics. These guitar techniques are used in highly personal ways with the guitar player sometimes using different tunings and techniques for the same song according to how he feels at the moment. Slack key playing has a wide variety of modes of expression. Some players will stick to playing a melody with very little variation, others love to improvise on their basic themes. Other guitar players love the chime effect achieved by the use of harmonics.

If you are interested in listening to some Hawaiian slack key guitar playing, some names to look out for are Sonny Chillingworth, Leonard Kwan, Moses Kahumoku, George Kuo and Ray Kane. These are among some of the most prominent composers and players of slack key guitar. If you look on YouTube for slack key guitar videos you will find a handful uploaded by a few dedicated guitar players who are working on spreading the word about this beautiful art form.



WILFORD

Victor Epand asked:


88 key synthesizers are made for professional music players. As the name suggests it contains 88 keys. There are several popular brands of 88 key synthesizers. Here’s providing a list of few below.

- Korg: Korg is a very reputed name in the world of musical instruments. Mr. Tsutomu Katoh founded the company in the year 1963. They first produced The Disc Rotary Auto Electric Machine (Doncamatic DA-20). After this, Korg went on creating different instruments. Today they are one of the leading synthesizer makers. Some of their very popular synthesizers are, POLY-800 Synthesizer (world’s first polyphonic synthesizer that costs below $1000), M1 Music Workstation etc.

The Korg TR88 88 key Weighted synth workstation is one of the very popular brands of 88 key synthesizers. It has got a 64MB ROM, packed up with various new sounds. This hi fi gizmo also contains USB MIDI capabilities and portable SD card data storage. It has also got a brilliant sound engine.

- Yamaha: Another big name in the instrument scenario, Mr. Torakusu Yamaha founded the company in 1887.previously the company was named as Nippon Gakki Company, Limited. The name was changed to The Yamaha Corporation in October 1987, on the eve of their 100th anniversary. Some popular products in 88 key synthesizer of Yamaha are Yamaha Motif XS8 88 Key Workstation, Yamaha MO8 Production Synthesizer etc.

Yamaha SO8 88 Key Programmable Synthesizer is a full size synthesizer. Its sound is very realistic. It has got a compilation of the best 700 voices of Yamaha. This model contains a complete XG and General MIDI Level 2 voice.

Yamaha Motif XS8 88 Key Workstation is another model of 88 key synthesizers. It has got brilliant sound quality, a huge recording facility, mixing controls, which are of studio level and scope of effect processing.

Roland: Roland is a Japanese manufacturer of instruments. Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi founded this company on 18th April 1972. The company was at first located in Osaka. Then in 2005 it was relocated in Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Roland has a varied range of synthesizers. Roland SH3A, Roland SH1000. All these are popular models of Roland.

The Roland Fantom X8 88 Key Sampling Workstation has nearly 1G.B of wave memory and 128-voice polyphone, which is very powerful.

- Alesis: This is another brand among the popular brands of 88 key synthesizers. This brand makes instruments especially for live and studio performances. Mainly professional and semi professional players use this brand. It is not suitable for beginners. The products of this brand are not that much expensive. They have made some brilliant gadgets too. Nano synth, Nano Bass, Nano Piano, AndromedaA6 etc are some of them.

The Alesis FUSION 8HD 88Key Weighted Keyboard has got four synthesizers. It also has RAM facility that can be expanded, effect processor and many other things. The pack looks fabulous.

So, these are the popular brands of 88 Key Synthesizers. There are many other brands that provide 88 key synthesizers. But these are considered to be the best in the business.



JEFFERY

Duane Shinn asked:


Key signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in.

But key signatures, despite the name, are not the same thing as key. Key signatures are simply notational devices; just as a note is the notational name for a pitch, key signatures are the notational names for keys. It is what it says it is: a signature, a simple piece of information that tips you off to the physical form (the key) to be played.

What does it mean to be “in the key of F”, or “in the key of Bb”?

It means that the composer based the composition on the scale of F (which has 1 flat in it), or the scale of Bb (which has 2 flats in it).

Key signatures appear right after the clef (before the time signature) and show a sharp or flat on the line or space corresponding to the note to be altered. Key signatures placed at the beginning of songs will carry through the entire song, unless other key signatures are noted after a double bar, canceling out the first.

For instance, it’s entirely possible to start a song in the key of F but end it in the key of E flat; it all depends on the key signatures and where they’re placed throughout the song (a key signature can change at any point). Accidentals can also show up throughout a song and only once or twice flatten or sharpen a note that was not previously indicated; this cancels out the key signatures, as well, but only temporarily, for as long as the accidental lasts.

Beginners just learning to read music often have a hard time with key signatures because the key itself is not expressly written, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember what goes where. Key signatures with five flats or sharps have been known to terrorize new musicians — how in the world, they think, are we supposed to remember all these note changes while we’re playing the song?

It’s obviously possible, though, and there are some rules that can help beginners identify and remember the key as it relates to the key signatures, rules that go beyond rote memorization. If there is more than one flat, the key is the note on the second to last flat. If there are any sharps at all, the key is a half step up from the last one noted. F major, a key frequently found in beginning sheet music, only has one flat (B), and C major has no sharps or flats at all. Key signatures, when viewed in light of these rules, are much easier for beginners to digest, ensuring that a proper knowledge of key signatures is on its way through the door.

One fact that most people don’t realize is that sharps and flats always occur in the same order:

The order of the flats is B, E, A, D, G, C, F.

The order of the sharps is just the opposite — F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

So if there is one flat in the key signature, it is always B. If there are two flats in the key signature, they are always B and E. Three flats are always B, E, and A. Four flats in a key signature spell the word BEAD. And so on.

It’s the same in sharps, too, except backward. If there is one sharp in a key signature, it is always F. Two sharps in a key signature are always F and C. Three are F, C, and G. And so on. So once you have memorized the order of the flats, all you have to do is apply the rule mentioned earlier: the next to the last flat is the name of the key. For example, if you have four flats in a key signature, they are Bb, Eb, Ab, Db. The last flat is D, so the next to the last flat is A. So the key is Ab.

With sharps, just mentally go up 1/2 step from the last sharp, and that is the key. For example, if a key has 4 sharps, they are F#, C#, G#, D#. One-half step above D# is E, so the key is E.

So there you have it. Memorize the order of the flats and sharps and those two simple rules, and you’ll be able to identify what major key any song is in quickly and easily.



MERLIN