37 - Functional Keyboard Skills

Overview

The aim of this unit is to enable learners to develop some of the skills required in order to use a music keyboard effectively. 

When using software such as Logic Pro it is important to have some basic keyboard skills so that you can play parts into the computer. In this unit you will explore the basics of how to play the keyboard and record yourself playing into Logic. You will then be able to apply your skills throughout the rest of the course in other Units such as Sequencing Systems, Music Production techniques and Arranging. 

BTEC Unit Specification

LEARNING AIMS:

1. Be able to use basic techniques when playing the keyboard

2. Know the functions of the keyboard

3. Be able to use the keyboard to input shaped MIDI data

Task 1

Keyboard Skills - Task 1 - Exercises

Be able to use basic techniques when playing the keyboard.

You will complete a series of keyboard exercises to help improve your keyboard skills. This will include hand positioning, scales and chords. Once you have practiced the exercises you will record them into Logic. You must ensure Quantize is disabled, and notes are played in, not drawn. Please see attached assessment sheet for the full list of exercises

Evidence - MIDI recordings of keyboard exercises on Logic – bounced down to audio file and posted onto blog. Screen shots of Midi Regions to show differing velocities/note positioning etc. Logic Project files available for viewing by tutor

CRITERIA COVERED BY THIS TASK
Perform technical exercises competently, with few errors [SM]	P1
Perform technical exercises competently and accurately	M1
Perform technical exercises accurately and fluently	D1

Fingering (haha yes, it is very funny)

The notes on a keyboard

After B is C again, C to C = an octave

Exercise one

Use your RIGHT hand and starting with your thumb on C, play C to G in a scale. Finger 2 on D, finger 3 on E, finger 4 on F, finger 5 on G.

Then the same fingers on the same notes back down to C.

Exercise two

Use your LEFT hand to play C to G and back again.

Finger 5 on C, finger 4 on D, finger 3 on E, finger 2 on F, finger 1 on G.

Exercise three

Now try playing C to G, and back down to C with BOTH HANDS

Exercise four

You’re not going to learn how to ‘tuck’ your thumb whilst doing a scale of a full octave. Start with your RIGHT HAND - finger 1 on C. You are going to get to E with finger 3 before tucking your thumb underneath to play the F.

C – finger 1

D – finger 2

E – finger 3 (and tuck the thumb)

F – finger 1

G – finger 2

A – finger 3

B – finger 4

C – finger 5

If you’ve got to grips with doing it up the scale, try going back down the scale.

Exercise five

You are now going to try a full octave scale with your LEFT HAND. You do it differently with the left hand, you play finger 1-5 and then folder over finger 3.

C – finger 5

D – finger 4

E – finger 3

F – finger 2

G – finger 1 (folder over finger 3)

A – finger 3

B – finger 2

C – finger 1

If you’ve got to grips with doing it up the scale, try going back down the scale.

Exercise six

This is quite tricky, but try playing a full octave scale with both hands.

Exercise seven – contrary motion

Starting with both thumbs (fingers 1) on C, move your RIGHT HAND up, whilst moving your LEFT HAND down at the same time.

Finger 1 – BOTH HANDS = C

Finger 2 – LEFT HAND = B, RIGHT HAND = D

Finger 3 – LEFT HAND = A, RIGHT HAND = E

Finger 4 – LEFT HAND = G, RIGHT HAND = F

Finger 5 – LEFT HAND = F, RIGHT HAND = G

If you have completed all the exercises, you need to practice them again. When you feel confident you need to record them into Logic.

Once you have played them simply with no mistakes, you can aim to achieve a distinction by adding in more interesting rhythms, feel free to play each note more than once.

Chords

You can work out any major or minor chord by using the following simple rules.

Major Chords

1st note = your choice

2nd note = 4 semitones up from 1st note

3rd note = 3 semitones up from 2nd note

Try playing some major chords you haven’t played before

Minor Chords

1st note = your choice

2nd note = 3 semitones up from 1st note

3rd note = 4 semitones up from 2nd note

Arpeggios are when you play the notes of a chord in a sequence rather than all at the same time. For instance an arpeggio of C major would go C-E-G-E-C-E-G-E-C

TASK - Pick a chord (or a chord sequence) and play it as an arpeggio, one note at a time. Once you have practiced it try it at a faster speed and when you are ready, record it into Logic in your Keyboard Skills project.  

Keyboard Skills – Drums

We are going to use the keyboard to help us create our own drum loops.

1. Create a new Logic project, title it

‘Keyboard Skills – drums 1’

2. Using a Software Instrument track select a Drum Kit, lets start with an acoustic drum kit.

3. Make sure your metronome is on for recording (it always is when you start a new project). Set it to a tempo you feel comfortable with, I would suggest 80 if you haven’t done this before. Also make sure your locators are set to loop for 2 bars

4. Practice playing a simple hi-hat part over the metronome. Hi-Hats are usually placed in keys F#1, G#1 with open hi-hats on A#1. C1 is the lowest key on the keyboard (as long as you haven’t changed the octave)

5. Once you have worked out what you are going to play (simpler the better at this stage) record your hi-hat part. Rerecord until you are happy with it and it is in time with the metronome.

6. Once you are happy with your hi-hat part, practice and record in a bass drum (kick drum), using C1. Typically bass drums play on the 1st and 3rd beat of the bar.

7. Once you are happy with your bass drum part practice and record in a snare drum using D1, D#1 or E1. Snare drums typically play on the 2nd and 4th beat of the bar.

8. Each layer (hi-hat, bass drum & snare) will have been created on the same software instrument track, but they are stacked up on top of each other. To make them all one part, select them all and click them with the glue tool.

9. Once you have done this, you can have a go at playing more than one part at a time. Feel free to start a new project (e.g. Keyboard Skills – drums 2). Set a new tempo, pick a new drum kit, get creative.

10) You could also try combining different drum kits. So you could open an acoustic drum kit on your first software instrument track to do the hi-hats, and a totally different kit on a new software instrument track to do the bass drum and snare. This makes the combination of drum sounds much more flexible.

11) Experiment with the other sounds in the drum kit, cymbals, percussion, tom-toms etc. Remember how useful it can be to use new tracks for different parts of the drums, it gives you more control over them.

Bouncing and posting your Keyboard exercises.

Once you have completed your scales, chords and drum beat you need to bounce down the audio, take screenshots and upload them to your blog – here’s a guide how to do this.

1) select the area of the track that you want to bounce down – include all of your exercises. The green area at the top of the is the locator/loop area, this will select the area to bounce down. Drag and drop in this area to create the zone that you want to bounce down.

2) Bounce down your track – top right corner of Logic there is a Bounce button.

Deselect PCM and select MP3 and choose Bit Rate Stereo 320 kbps. Give it a title and save it to your ‘Mixdowns’ folder on the scratch drive.

3) You now need to upload it to Clyp.it – you can drag and drop your file – or click to upload…Find your file and upload it

4) Once your file is uploaded select Advance and copy the ‘Embed Widget’ code

5) Go to your blog, create new blog post called Unit 37 – Keyboard Skills – Task 1

Paste your code (Embed widget code) into HTML. If you click back on Compost you should see your audio file. Click publish (which saves your post)

6) Now you need take screen shots of your exercises. Click on ‘Piano Roll’ and screen shot your notes (you may need to take several screen shots). To take a screen shot press CMD shift and 4 together – you can then select the area of the screen you want to take a screen shot of. It will save to your desktop.

7) On your blog post click ‘Insert Image’  (to the right on Link) to upload your screen shots.

8) Click publish again and you should then be finished…

Task 2

Keyboard Skills - Task 2 - Functions Of MIDI Keyboard

You will also produce a write up introducing the basic functions of using a keyboard, as well as the specific functions used in your Logic track. Introduce the topic so that you could inform a newcomer to the keyboard and explain how you can use it. When talking about the functions used in your track, explain how you used them and why, using appropriate musical terminology. You should also compare and contrast using a MIDI keyboard and sounds on Logic to real life instruments. E.g. Doing a drum beat on Logic vs A Real Kit.

Other areas you should include:

• Playing chords, melodies, drums etc

• Note velocity

• Using software instruments and the range of sounds.

• Pitch Bend, modulation, and other MIDI CCs

• Drum pads

• MIDI keyboard vs Keyboard with own sounds

• Note lengths (sustain/staccato)

Evidence - blog post detailing the features of MIDI keyboards.

CRITERIA COVERED BY THIS TASK
Describe the different functions of a keyboard	P2
Explain the different functions of a keyboard	M2
Comment critically on the different functions of a keyboard	D2

Task 3

Keyboard Skills - Task 3 - Track using Keyboard

You will now create a track on Logic that utilises your keyboard skills, and shows that you can use the keyboard for a range of functions. The track must NOT use quantise and you should not draw any of the notes in. Each part should be played in using the MIDI keyboard, you can however use copy and paste.

You should use as many of the following in your track

• Chords

• Scales

• Melodies

• Drum parts / Percussion

• Pitch bend

• Modulation

• A range of note velocities

• Other MIDI CCs

Evidence - Audio export of tracks posted on blog. Screenshots of project to show differing velocities/note position etc. Logic Project files available for viewing by tutor.

CRITERIA COVERED BY THIS TASK
Use a keyboard to input and shape MIDI data competently, with few errors.	P2
Use a keyboard to input and shape MIDI data competently and accurately.	M2
Use a keyboard to input and shape MIDI data accurately and fluently.	D2