Being a digital piano keyboard player can be a very rewarding experience. In fact any musician who has the skills to use the digital medium effectively has a good chance of survival in this profession.
The music profession is one of the most competitive professions out there and you really need a combination of several factors working for you to be able to survive there. The first step obviously is to get a regular stream of work, and the music instrument that you play might just be the deciding factor, at least initially.
Digital is the Way to Go
Usually as a person, you instinctively get attracted to certain musical instruments. It’s just like love at first sight! And if that attraction is towards an instrument such as the electronic keyboard, then you should consider yourself lucky! So just make sure that you put in the efforts to learn the instrument; it could very well turn out to be wise decision on your part.
Personally, I have nothing against any other musical instrument but there are some great advantages of playing the keyboards considering that it gives you a head-start in the world of music production, compared to other musicians.
You are Already a Songwriter
This is another reason that most musicians will hate you if you’re a keyboard player. Because they know that using a professional arranger keyboard, you can easily replace an entire band; which means no work for them
It is very easy to become a one man band if are a Keyboard player and if you can sing as well. At a lot of clubs, resorts, ships, and functions, the band is usually one person who sings and plays a professional arranger Keyboard.
Can a Guitar or a violin player do it? Seems difficult as a solo musician but definitely as a group!
Piano and keyboards can also be used to play practically any style of music. And with its easy integration with computer, the possibilities are endless.
More Advantages
And that’s not all! As a piano player, over a period of time, you will become good at all aspects of music, be it melody, harmony or technology. You will develop a very good sense of how various instruments play together in a musical arrangement.
Here are some more advantages.
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Advantages of Playing the Electronic Piano Keyboard |
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Typical Musical Growth
As you embark on your journey to become a better musician, you will find yourself going through various stages / phases.
Each stage has its challenges in terms of figuring out what instruments to use and more importantly how to keep on improving your skills. It becomes easier if you have a mentor or a teacher who will guide you during the initial stages.
As a keyboard player, you will find yourself passing through these three stages:
Learning Stage
At this level, you will be more concerned about learning to play the instrument. The instrument you are most likely to buy will be one of the Casio CTK series or the lower models in the Yamaha PSR series or may be an entry level piano with a nice keyboard action. These are known as Home keyboards.
Home keyboards have lot of features to keep you busy with your learning process for quite some time and are reasonably priced.
Performing Stage
This is where you get all the adulation and praise for years of hard work. After all playing for an audience is what every musician dreams of! The home keyboard which you had bought earlier will not be enough. Remember you reach after several years of learning and practice.
You will need a top of the line performance piano or a professional arranger keyboard to shine onstage. Yamaha Tyros, Korg PA keyboards are the best professional arranger keyboards available in the market.
If you are part of a band with a drummer, bassist and guitarist then you can opt for a synthesizer as well. Synthesizers do not have built in accompaniments but they have very good sounds. You can tweak most of the sounds and create new ones. It will also be a great asset in your studio. Pianists have the option of going in for an 88-key electric piano that has authentic keys and all the features of a synthesizer.
Composing and Arranging Stage
It’s not that this phase comes after you become a Performer. For most musicians, this comes at more or less the same time you start performing professionally. In fact, many don’t even perform but spend most of their time in the studio doing programming work. This is where you need things like music workstations, synthesizers, and samplers.
In this phase, you need lots of varied loops, sounds and effects. A single instrument called Workstation, which is a portable studio, may serve all your purpose but once you reach this stage your ears are constantly in the lookout for new sounds. And that is the reason you end up with additional gears called samplers and synthesizers in your studio.
Of course, if you are getting paid for your work you should not mind spending on your gear.
Bottomline
Though playing keyboards is fun, it can get expensive as well. A lot of times you will be tempted to upgrade your keyboard as technology changes so fast. Unless you reach the stage where you are getting paid for your work, you should concentrate more on developing your skills with whatever gear you have.
Of course, at times you will have to upgrade but do not get addicted to buying new gear just because you like it. Consider going in for used gear if you have to buy.
For beginners, my only advice to you would be to put in that initial effort and get yourself to a stage where you can play songs on your own. This way at least you make sure that you are not going to give up on your keyboard. In fact, if you are able to reach that stage, your keyboard will become one of your best companions and will be a source of immense pleasure throughout your life.
The bigger advantage is that it also gets you started in the world of digital music production, and if you get better at that then there are several opportunities in which you can use your skills, and hopefully find full time employment using your skills.
So wish you a Happy Keyboard playing!
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KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
The most important thing in playing the piano is the aspect of concentration. No matter how clever a person is at playing the piano if his concentration is distracted he can not play the piano well. I play a digital piano, I think it’s easier to play a digital piano than an acoustic piano. playing the piano is a fun hobby, this can be our reason to relieve stress as well.-clavis.nl
I have a digital piano, and my uncle often plays it. I like listening to my uncle playing digital piano. I’ve also tried playing it. I had a piano course for only a few months.