Introduction It’s one of the most common cultural songs used in the English-speaking world today, and probably has been for well over one hundred years. Happy Birthday is thought to have evolved from a song used as a morning greeting in an infant school setting during the 18th century. Over […]
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Clavia’s gorgeous and feature-rich Nord Stage keyboard first debuted in 2005, meaning we’re fast approaching 20 years as the Stage 4 has just launched. Kitted out in striking red and boasting stunning piano, EP, organ and other sounds ripe for performance, they’ve become a staple part of well-off musician performers […]
Introduction Your DAW is at the centre of your music-making lifestyle, but you don’t want to be tied to simply operating it using a mouse, trackpad or computer keyboard. Of course it’s doable, but it’s not always fully intuitive or as immediate as you’d like. You may be a proficient […]
With the recent news that Novation has expanded its FL Studio-based FLkey controller keyboards to include 49 and 61 key models, we now take a look at the four-strong devices and compare their features. Each of the controller keyboards has been designed with Image Line Software, the makers of FL […]
Being totally honest, I prefer pianos to remain as the manufacturer intended. However, many people look to enhancing or altering the look of a musical instrument by decorating it in some way. This is certainly possible, but it’s important to plan and research what methods are best for the particular […]
Casio is a well-known brand offering a wide range of digital pianos and music keyboards. Here we look at the main ranges of instruments which come with 88 keys. An electronic instrument with 88 physical keys most closely mimics the majority of acoustic pianos, and removes the need to transpose […]
You can hardly fail to have noticed the speed with which artificial intelligence (AI) tools have arrived on the scene and are now talked about, used and exploited in many areas of society and subject areas. Whether you think AI is a good or bad thing, and to what degree […]
Anyone with an interest in mathematics as well as music may take look at the two time signatures — 3/4 and 6/8 — and initially think they are equivalent. After all, 3/4 is the simplified fraction of 6/8, right? Well, yes, partly, but in music these are not simple fractions. […]
Learning to play a musical instrument continues to be a popular pastime for both children and adults, complete beginners and returning learners. Here we look at the advantages and disadvantages of learning to play the piano using online services, along with listing some popular services. Why Learn the Piano Online? […]
In the world of digital pianos, Kurzweils don’t seem to get nearly as much recognition among the general population of musicians as, say, Yamaha, Roland or Casio, and yet the company has been producing high-quality instruments for many years. In this article we look at the current offerings from Kurzweil, […]
Students of the piano, particularly those who have had some more formal training or lessons at some point, will likely be familiar with the concept of musical scales. They may well have been drilled to practice these at every opportunity, to the point of boredom and fatigue. So why exactly […]
In 2006 Yamaha launched its first DGX (digital grand) in the ‘600’ series. Previously, as early as 2002, Yamaha introduced the DGX line with the DGX-200, followed by other models including models in the DGX-300 and DGX-500 line. They also brought out YPG models which had similar specifications to an […]
Edit: Updated July 2023 to incorporate new models. Yamaha introduced the first two models in its more compact and portable P Series of digital pianos in 1994, and now nearly thirty years on there have been twenty-three models in the entire line, with seven currently on sale and sixteen discontinued. […]
Yamaha has introduced its new line of CK stage keyboards, currently comprising of the CK61 and CK88 models. Claiming to combine the sounds and organ/synths of the Yamaha CP and YC stage pianos in one unit, it has a “totally new sonic palette” and an “intuitive interface”. Highlights include a […]
Structure A one octave A# harmonic minor scale is made up from the eight notes A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G## (A) and A#. This can be extended across the keyboard as required for two, three or four octave scales. Here are the notes of one octave depicted on […]
Structure A one octave D harmonic minor scale is made up from the eight notes D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C# and D. This can be extended across the keyboard as required for two, three or four octave scales. Here are the notes of one octave depicted on a […]
NAMM 2023 ran from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th April. We’re still updating all the major piano, keyboard and synth-related news on this site and will post highlights and links on this page: Manufacturers Scroll to read all or select: BlackBT BlackBT announces its new SusEx wireless pedal, suggesting it’s […]
For the best part of two decades, in the 1980s and 1990s, Yamaha created some iconic mini music keyboards under the PortaSound name. Many of these were simple instruments aimed at children and/or beginners, but as the years rolled on, a number of additional features were added. Even today, some […]
Structure A one octave E harmonic minor scale is made up from the eight notes E, F#, G, A, B, C, D# and E. This can be extended across the keyboard as required for two, three or four octave scales. Here are the notes of one octave depicted on a […]
Structure A one octave F harmonic minor scale is made up from the eight notes F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, E natural and F. This can be extended across the keyboard as required for two, three or four octave scales. Here are the notes of one octave depicted on […]
Chords are an integral part of many musical styles, providing harmony to a melody and adding fullness to accompaniments. In their simplest form, chords are simply two or more notes of a scale played at the same time, creating a rich sound over which a tune can be played or […]
