Using Electronic Keyboards

( to supplement my main page about Improvising Music )

[ iou – later this page will more information ]

colorizing a keyboard:  If you want to colorize a keyboard, the basic process is buying a ($50-$220 or less or more)* and then colorizing it by using tape or stickers ($8).    {many more DIY Tips}

Yamaha PSS-E373

Below I describe details for this keyboard because I sometimes use these for “loaners”, and when buying a keyboard it's a competitive option.  For a few other keyboards, later there will be some info (but not as much) later in the page.

You can...

get User Manuals:  You can get its main Owner's Manual and a Songbook that lists the built-in Songs & Chord Progressions.  And you'll find more on this page – the main Owner's Manual, plus specialized manuals for MIDI Reference, Drum Kit List, Smart Device Connection (for Android, iOS), Computer-related Operations.  On your own, you can read the Owner's Manual and learn the keyboard's many functions.  And sometimes I'll refer to it below, with a “direct link” (like Page 17 that takes you to Page 17 of the 92-page PDF file) if your browser behaves properly;  it does work properly with Chrome for Mac, and hopefully also in your browser.

choose a Voice:  An e373 has hundreds of options.  Search the VOICE list – with ranges for Piano (001), E Piano (008),... – and press VOICE, then enter a number;  e.g. try 114 (for Trumpet), and then others by pressing NO (–) to get 113, or YES (+) for 115, and so on;  or jump to another category (e.g.    /   A few of those I like are 090 (Cello), 104 (Tenor Sax), 116 (Trombone), and 134 (Flute).  You will find many that you like.

use the Functions:  If you continue pressing FUNCTION, you'll see "Transpos" (and also "FUNCTION 001") and then "Tuning" (plus "002") and "Split Pt" and "TouchRes" and "M.Volume" and "M.Octave" (to lower or raise the Voice-pitch) and many more, from 001 to 061.  You can “go backward” – e.g. if you're at 002 (Tuning) and want 001 (Transpos) – by pressing FUNCTION-and-also-NO.  You can adjust each Function by pressing NO or YES, or using the keypad (1234567890) to enter a number.  In the Owner's Manual, Pages 52-55 have Yamaha's “how to use” instructions (like mine, but more complete) and a list of all 61 Functions, with useful information about each one.

change the Key with Transposing:  This (it's Function 001) lets you "play in C" (the easiest key with colorizing) yet "hear in another key," which is useful when playing along with a pre-composed song or with a group of other musicians. 

change the Touch Response:  [[ iou – later I'll write about this, but now you can read Page 18 for adjusting it – Function 004 – so it's level 1,2,3 or is turned off (the level is Fixed, doesn't depend on touch) with 4. ]]

produce a Split Keyboard, to play duets:  If you and a partner want to play a duet on the same keyboard, you can split the keyboard into a left-side and right-side, with each playing a different instrument.   Here is a rough outline:  set the Split Point (Function 03) to "64" (why?)* and choose a left-side Voice (Function 12);  and you can do other things, like independently adjusting the volumes of Left-Side & Right-Side.

* I usually adjust the Split-Point (as described on Page 17 of the Owner's Manual) so each side is about 2 1/2 octaves,  so the left-side (29 notes) is C1 thru C2 and C3 to E3, with two full C-to-C octaves, plus a few notes;  and the right-side (32 notes) is F3 thru C4 (the "Middle C") and C5 to C6, so it can play the notes of an F-Chord (FAC) and G-Chord (GBD) starting below C4 (Middle C) plus two full octaves, C4-thru-C5-to-C6.  And of course you can choose a different Split-Point.

You also can do many other things, and later maybe I'll write about a few of them.  But one thing I'll describe now is how you can...

use built-in Chord Progressions:

Although the e373 has programmed-in “songs” that are Chord Progressions (CP's), this feature is optional because instead you can use the CP's of youtube videos, as I've been doing for several years.  But the built-in CP's can be convenient, and they're easy to use.  For example,

To play “The 50s Progression” press "SONG" and enter 141, then press START/STOP and (to make it “loop” over & over) A-B REPEAT.  Two kinds of CP's are available,

CP's with only Major Chords:  Two of the CP's use only the main major chords (I,IV,V aka 1,4,5);  these two CP's are #133 (it's I-IV-V-IV in a colorized Key of C) and 138 (I-V-IV-V).  For some reason – just a mistake, I think – it doesn't have the more common “second half” CP of (I-IV-V-I) that also is a “standalone” 4-chord progression, and it's missing (I-IV-I-V) that is a third useful “first half” CP.

CP's with a Minor Chord:  Most of the popular CP's have a minor chord.  Of these, two common “50s Progressions” are 141 (I-vi-IV-V, C-Am-F-G, it's the main version) and 140 (I-vi-ii-V, it's a variation).  A “popular cousin” is 136 (I-V-vi-IV, C-G-Am-F).  Two related CP's — with the same four chords as 141 & 136, but in different sequences — are the less-common 135 (I-IV-vi-V) and 142 (I-vi-V-IV).

What are the built-in CP's?  You can see all of them in the 373-Songbook by searching for "192" to find Page 192.  And I've made a table summarizing-and-categorizing the CP's;  it highlights those I think are most musically useful.  But the e373's built-in CP's exclude three that would be musically useful, as explained below.

If you want to play along with a Chord Progression, you can use a built-in CP of e373, but only for some CP's, and only in the Key of C.  Or you can use youtube videos;  many are available for a variety of CP's, in different keys.*  And the videos have musical variety – with differing rhythms, chords & basslines, instrumentation, etc – with most versions being more enjoyable (in my opinion) than the single version in e373.   /   * But having "different keys" often isn't necessary for an e373, because – like other electronic keyboards – it can transpose into other keys.

What's missing?  I describe five common Chord Progressions, but an e373 can play only one version of 50s Progression and one version of its popular cousin.  Therefore a video (or mp3 or in-person group, or another source) is required for (I-IV-V-I, e.g. C-F-G-C) and for 12 Bar Blues because – for some reason – these aren't included among the CP's in e373.  And also — again with omission that is surprising, because it's educationally limiting for a learner, and is musically limiting for a player — it doesn't have any common jazz progression(s) of the form ii-V-I, as in (ii-V-I-I, e.g. Dm-G-C-C).   /   a summary:  Of my “Five Popular Progressions” an e373 has only two (50s Progression, popular cousin) but is missing three (I-IV-V-I, 12 Bar Blues, jazz progressions).

Chord Progressions in Yamaha PSR-E373

Yamaha programs a large number of chord progressions into some of its keyboards, including the e373.  But I've found that using youtube videos is easier, is better and more fun, with a much wider variety of musical styles and chord progressions.

 The songs-with-labels (133, 135, 136, 138, 140, 141, 142) (3, pop, pop, 3, 50s, 50s, pop) are described in my 373-page.