I love my keyboard. It has perfect feel and very high quality sounds. But being made in the late 90's, it wasn't built with modern software technology in mind. No worries - I can still get all the functionality I need without spending thousands of dollars on a new keyboard. In my latest video, I demonstrate how to investigate which controls on your current keyboard can communicate with … [Read more...]
Acquiring the inspiration you need
My neighbor across the street plays guitar. A couple years ago, he was telling me about his church’s process for selecting new electric guitar gear and how the question of digital vs. analog came up in their discussion. The guitarists were adamant that they had to have amps, and the amps had to have tubes in them. I've long suspected guitarists of being somewhat eccentric about their tone. I … [Read more...]
To an Unknown God
About a decade ago, I came across an album by an acid jazz group. I thought the music was pretty good, but one thing stuck with me (and not the name of the group, regrettably). A line in one of their songs said, “We live in an age of information, but no one knows what’s going on.” How true, and how sad. Our society sends us countless messages everyday, from advertisements, to the news, to … [Read more...]
Keyboard bass tutorial
From time to time, your band might find itself without a bass player. In those situations, keyboard bass can be a viable alternative. I've used this solution for a number of years. In this video, I pass along some of the things I've learned along the way. Enjoy! httpvh://youtu.be/OFe2bcXo61g … [Read more...]
Setting the tempo in Mainstage
We keyboardists and guitarists love to use time-based effects like delays. To get that dotted-eighth note echo to sound good with the rest of the band, though, you should sync your delay settings with the tempo of the song. Mainstage has three ways to set that tempo, and they're all useful. In this video, I'll walk you through the steps necessary to set up and use a button to tap the tempo, … [Read more...]
