Gallup time!
 

We all have synths and maybe some other keyboards. So how well can you play them? Can you play or do you rely completely on sequencer? If you play, what kind of songs you play? How long have you played? Taken any lessons?

Re: Gallup time!
 

Yes. Quite right.

Well I chose average in the poll. Quite nice poll you got there!

Sometimes I use only sequencer and sometimes I play. Depends on what I'm making.

Well usually Emerson, Lake & Palmer stuff. Sometimes Pink Floyd and improvisated progrubbish.

I've played keys about four years.

Besides don't saw fiberglass circuit board while having bare hands, I haven't taken any lessons except the lessons I took for accordion for seven/eight years.

I have an ms2000r synth no kb. My indigo is my first. i put below average because I'm teaching myself. I consult a friend who's been playing for about 20 years. He can probably blow you all away, but it's not me. I'm developing something where I program the drums. Play a bass line till it sounds fine then I program that. Then I play the melody over that live, not programmed. It is usually more compicated than the bass keying. It usually is an eastern type scale, as my friend tells me, with a jazzy timing. I've played for less than a year, but I use what I've learned in middle school. This is mainly reading and understanding music, knowing what a C is for example. With the Indigo I play with only one hand. I find that the further I get from programming the better it sounds. But there is only so far I can go with the small kb and one handed playing.

I have had piano lessons when I was a child :?
Today, I can transfer every Idea to my keyboard, I have in my head. Thats important

i've also did piano when i was child (something about 3 weeks or 3 months of piano :lol: i consider that like i never did piano!!! ) but now on my midi keyboard i just hit the keys and make a cheesy thing just to monitor the sounds of the virus

Just to spice up this gallup:
What songs you usually play?

i am sure i am the worst player on earth, "player", if i can call myself so.
well, i just had few music theory lessons when i was 13, 2 hours per week, that's nothing... that let me know basic things but I never learnt to play any instrument. I spent a lot of time beside my uncle (drummer) and my grand father (violinist) in their studio, then I bought a little Roland amateur keyboard and started reproducing songs by ear... until last year, only at 23, I started learning piano. I must say I'm an average fast learner, but I have some difficulties syncing my two hands :)
I am not doing classical, I play few things, like "Strangers in the night", "What a wondeful world", "Play fiddle play", "Foule sentimentale", "Solenzara"...
My objective is not to be a great pianist, but to have more practice with chords & harmonics so that my tracks don't sound out of tune & amateur like. I am not trying to make them sound pro neither, just audible :)
So, somtimes I play live & record into sequencer (especially for strings since i don't have to play fast), but generally I play what I have in mind, figure out the notes, put them on the sequencer & play back :)

This is very common. Basic chording is easy but when starting to struggle with complicated bass sequences then things can (will) get ugly. This is one reason why I don't try to play ELP's Tarkus. Hoho.

I like to play songs which don't have very complicated left hand but has a nice righ hand solo (ELP's Karn Evil 9 solo parts are nice). As an old accordion player my right hand works well, but I'm having trouble with my left. Not even a chance I could play 16th's with my left hand.

More spice: How about score reading?

I can read score, but can't do that in real time while I play. I usually check the score before I play it.

same thing for me, i can read score but not play them in real time!

to most important thing... is what Manuel s says... being able to play your ideas.

im sure evrybody has "invented" a great melody in their head but looses it when trying to record it in... :evil: and thats sad...