Forgive my sily question but I've been thinking about it for quite some time; my question is ; if I bought a keyboard with only 32 kes like this one http://www.prodikeys.com/products/prodikeys/
How would I go about feeling free choosing a combination of different keys,chords which might be far from each other. Isn't it kind of fiddeling trying to combine two different keys far from each other to acheive the melody you like and what about using the arrows of your computer everytime you want to get the higher pitch on the keyboard! Do you agree with me that this would slow down the pace of creation?

Thanks,
Ahmed.

Yes..! Get a bigger keyboard, at least 61 keys.

Andy M.

Ahmed wrote:

Forgive my sily question but I've been thinking about it for quite some time; my question is ; if I bought a keyboard with only 32 kes like this one http://www.prodikeys.com/products/prodikeys/ How would I go about feeling free choosing a combination of different keys,chords which might be far from each other. Isn't it kind of fiddeling trying to combine two different keys far from each other to acheive the melody you like and what about using the arrows of your computer everytime you want to get the higher pitch on the keyboard! Do you agree with me that this would slow down the pace of creation? Thanks, Ahmed.

These things wear and tear.. its nice to be able to replace them separately when they do break. Also, I do believe you get more for the money buying a separate keyboard

http://www.evolution.co.uk has some nice low cost 61 or 49 keys keyboards.

Mach

If you're on a tight budget, go for the evolution. But if you have some cash, don't!

Get a real keyboard (Roland, Kurzweil, Fatar, Yamaha...etc). It doesn't matter if you're a keyboard player or not. A good 61 note (or more) keyboard is usually more versatile and much more expressive (velocity, aftertouch, CC's) than cheap, PC music keyboards.

I use a 76 note Kurzweil and it's more than just a keyboard. With Logic (for instance) I can use some of the notes to control transport functions so I don't have to be near the computer. This is a feature of Logic, not the keyboard, but having 76 notes means I can use it and still have a decent range to play with.

Better keyboards have more options for MIDI Controllers, usually sliders and foot pedal inputs. The Kurzweil K2500 has 8 chunky 6mm sliders, 2 ribbon controllers, 2 CC pedals, 4 footswitch pedals, and a couple of panel switches. While this is overboard for most computer music users, and is mostly intended for live use, it's still very handy to have all these real-time controllers at your fingertips.

Finally, as for wear and tear... Unless you're really giving it some dangerous abuse, a decent board will last for years.

Cheers, Andy M.

Oh I dunno... there's something to be said for small keyboards. I still occasionally use my DX100 to play as a controller - it has definite benefits such as not having to worry about aftertouch, velocity etc (when you're doing trance sequences rather than expressive pieces): I can walk around the studio while I'm playing it - it's small, lightweight and I can hold it in one hand! I also don't have to dislocate half of my fingers when trying to play complicated chords. I can pretend to be a geeetar player when I clip on a strap to it (I know... it's sad...why oh why would anyone ever want to pretend to be a guitar player?!).

kritikon wrote:

(I know... it's sad...why oh why would anyone ever want to pretend to be a guitar player?!).