Playing keyboard in a band can be very fun and challenging, on this page I am going to talk about how to improve as a keyboard player as a band member. First of all playing keyboard in a band is very different to playing a solo performance, this is because in a solo performance you can play at your own pace and express yourself however you see fit on your instrument. However in a band performance you must play to keep everyone together when performing the music. I am doing my research on this topic to learn how to play keyboard in a band and the role of the instrument, this is because it is my first time every playing the keyboard in a band and it would be great have a guideline of what to do as a keyboard player in a band and how to improve as a musician.
Inversions
One way to improve your keyboard skills in a band is by using inversions for your chords to make the transitions sound smoother in the flow of the music. This is because triad chords can begin to feel stale and simple after a while of keyboard playing in the band, you will find that all professional keyboard players in bands use voice leadings instead of simple triad chords to make the chord transitions sound smoother. Inversions also make the music sound more interesting by adding more variation to the music.
Use different patches
Sometimes the song you are performing on the keyboard might not suit a piano patch, therefore you might want to use synth pad to give the music more space and add more atmospheric sound to the music. Keyboards often play atmospheric synth pads in music to create an immersive atmosphere in the music without disrupting other instruments. Speaking of disrupting instruments, you may also want to use another patch because the music may seem crowded and another piano sound might make the music sound messy and unorganised. This could be another valid reason for using a different keyboard patch. Using sounds such as organs or electric pianos will allow you to perform music in different styles and add different textures of sound to your performance.
Don’t Overplay
The piano is an instrument that has the ability to play rhythms, melody, harmony and the bass line of the song. In a solo piano performance there is no harm in trying to play all of these at the same time, however in a band performance trying to play all of these will overpower the other instruments in the band. It is important to leave space for everyone else to play the music in the band, this is because if everyone in the band strayed away from their given roles the music would end up as a cluster or random notes and unorganised music. To make sure no notes are clashing in a band each member should be given a different part to play in the music, the main goal of a band is to complement each others instruments in the sound to create a unifying sound in the music.
Stay in your octave
A piano has the ability to play over 7 octaves, during a band performance it can be tempting to play your instrument in all of these. However playing too low on the keyboard can interfere with the bass player, this is because the bass player always plays within the low end frequencies of the lower octaves. Having too many instruments playing in the low end frequencies can result in a muddy texture due to the huge amount of low end frequencies, therefore the keyboard player should avoid playing in the low octaves of the keyboard in a band performance. During a band performance it is usually best for the keyboard player play in the mid to high octaves of the keyboard to avoid muddy bass frequencies.
Source List
Gleason, S., 2016. Bass Photo. [image] Available at: <https://blog.oup.com/2016/07/ten-facts-bass-guitar/> [Accessed 24 October 2021].
Musika, 2017. Chord Inversions. [image] Available at: <https://www.liveabout.com/shop-for-an-electric-keyboard-2701355> [Accessed 24 October 2021].
Seng, T., n.d. Do’s And Don’ts For Playing Keyboard Effectively In A Band. [online] TMW | The Music Works. Available at: <https://tmw.com.sg/dos-and-donts-for-playing-keyboard-effectively-in-a-band/> [Accessed 24 October 2021].
The UK copyright service, n.d. Band Picture. [image] Available at: <https://copyrightservice.co.uk/protect/band_agreements> [Accessed 24 October 2021].
The Vault, 2020. Overplaying Piano. [image] Available at: <https://thevault.musicarts.com/tips-on-how-to-become-a-better-piano-player/> [Accessed 24 October 2021].