Registration
- Make creative and musically expressive choices by:
- choosing and adapting registration with stylistic awareness and imagination, making full use of the instrument’s features and settings
- understanding how the keyboard can be used as a controller when using computer programs to create music
- exploring the potential of computers to enhance musical possibilities, such as controlling the sound of the keyboard through a computer
- using the pedal effectively, both as a sustaining mechanism and as a means of controlling registration in other programmable ways
Ask learners to choose suitable registration, listening to recordings where appropriate. Encourage them to explore alternatives, e.g. matching rhythms, voices and a full range of effects, showing sensitivity to the character of the piece, and to stylistic and cultural conventions.
Recordings could be of electronic keyboard players, or original versions of pieces/songs.
Show learners how to programme registration memories for an increasing range of own choices, e.g. auto-accompaniment, voice. Encourage them to remix and alter the orchestration of the auto-accompaniment, reprogramming voice effects as appropriate.
Introduce the principles of step then real-time sequencing, giving learners the opportunity to explore the techniques and equipment involved. Ask them to develop sequenced material for inclusion in a live musical performance.
Sequenced material, prepared in advance by the performer and delivered from a laptop computer via a MIDI connection, can make a powerful contribution to a live musical performance.
Show learners how to use the on-board song recording facility and off-board computer programs.
Ask learners to programme their own custom styles for use in the repertoire being learnt, referring to the keyboard’s operating manual. This should include sequencing, quantising and mixing parts, adding intros, endings, accompaniment variations and fills to link sections.
Show learners how to record/store short musical phrases, using multi-pads and similar devices where available. Ask them to use these sequenced patterns in their pieces.
Demonstrate the effectiveness of using the pedal as a switch for changing registrations. Ask learners to explore this technique and refer them to the keyboard’s operating manual for technical assistance.
This involves reprogramming the pedal set-up. There are normally instructions in the keyboard’s operating manual.
Show learners how to use the pedal as a sustaining mechanism and also teach them legato pedalling. Where possible, arrange for learners to play their pieces on an acoustic piano, comparing and contrasting the pedalling strategies appropriate to each instrument.
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