All About Playing the Synthesizer

Music making has always been an integral part of human life. In each era, new types of tools were invented, old ones were improved. History knows many varieties of keyboard instruments: keyboard-wind, keyboard-plucked, keyboard-hammer. Names such as organ, harpsichord, piano, grand piano are known to everyone. The most popular of these is the synthesizer.

In the late Middle Ages, violins, trumpets and other monophonic instruments became scarce for musicians. The invention of keyboards that allowed multiple voices to be played at once opened up new possibilities for composers. Keyboard musical instruments have gone through the development path of 6 centuries. The most recent advance in music was the invention of the keyboard synthesizer.

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument. It is based on circuits that generate sound vibrations. The Thereminvox, invented in 1919, is considered the first electronic musical instrument. However, he did not have a keyboard, since the pitch was controlled by a person's approach to special antennas that catch electromagnetic waves.

The first synthesizer with keys appeared thanks to Lawrence Hammond in 1934 and was named after its creator - Hammond. It was an electronic organ. The difference between the organ is the ability to play different timbres at the same time, therefore modern synthesizers, contrary to popular belief, are not relatives of the grand piano and upright piano, where there is only one timbre.

Then monophonic analog synthesizers appeared: Mini Moog, Oberheim, Prophet.With the advancement of digital electronics, it became possible to make music computers such as the Yamaha DX-7 and Clavia Nord. Nowadays, all synthesizers produced are specialized computers.

A lot of great music has been written for the synthesizer. Dances, songs, marches - everything can be played on this instrument. Piano pieces also adapt well to synthesizer play.

The basis of any synthesizer is a sound generator. It is he who creates the timbre. The main advantage of the synthesizer, in comparison with other instruments, is the ability to select different voices. The number of voices depends on the manufacturer, but there are about 400 of them in home instruments. The standard set of sounds contains voices for violins, trumpets, saxophone, piano and other orchestral instruments.

The created sound goes to the effects block, where it changes somewhat: reverb, flanger, distortion and many other effects are applied. Any modern instrument is a powerful computer, the capabilities of which are much wider than those of analog instruments of the last century. Most of the new models include learning, auto accompaniment and recording functions.

A home learning instrument usually has a synthesizer-type keyboard that feels like an organ. The number of keys - from 25 to 88, like a grand piano. There are keyboards that imitate the hammers of a "live" piano. An important point that needs to be clarified when choosing a device is the sensitivity of the keyboard to the velocity of pressing: if there is no sensitivity, then the force of pressing does not affect the volume of the note. The sensitivity of the keyboard adds dynamics to the performances. If all sounds sound the same, it is impossible to tell where the melody is in the song and where the accompaniment is.

Performance synthesizers do not have built-in speakers. They also do not have a music stand or a music stand. Stage keyboards have a large number of "twists", sound settings, which at first are not needed by the student. In addition, a stage instrument will require additional costs for external speakers, and good speakers can cost as an inexpensive home synthesizer. Also, these types of tools can be very difficult to learn. They may have controls such as pitch and modulation wheels.

There are instruments with auto accompaniment. This feature allows the musician to single-handedly perform works for musical ensembles only on a synthesizer. By playing the melody with the right hand and the chords of the song with the left hand, the performer sounds like a whole orchestra with trumpets, guitars and drums. Some instruments also have a microphone input that allows voices to sound along with accompaniment from the same speakers. Most of the models allow you to record a song with a voice in good quality. In the last century, such a result required an entire recording studio. Nowadays there are such opportunities in almost every home.

It is worth choosing a synthesizer after examining the main characteristics: polyphony, keyboard type, number of timbres, availability of auto accompaniment, connectivity to a computer. It is worth consulting in a music store or with a teacher you know so as not to buy a "toy" - a tool that is not suitable for serious studies. Often, such models are produced in Chinese factories, which is why they are inexpensive. You should not be deceived - a good tool costs a lot of money.

To successfully learn to play the synthesizer, you must carefully study the instructions and fully understand its functions.Beginners should take not the most "sophisticated" models, as you can get confused in the abundance of buttons and knobs. If you are going to play piano pieces, you need to take care of the possibility of connecting a pedal - it makes the sound more stretchy. On some synthesizers, the pedal may be responsible for turning on an effect or layering one tone on top of another.

Playing a synthesizer is not the easiest thing to do. Perseverance and good coordination are required from the player. To begin with, you need to take care of a place for training. A stand is rarely included with a synthesizer. You may need to buy it separately, but this purchase will greatly facilitate learning. The keyboard should be installed so that you can put your arms bent at the elbows on it. The optimal height of the keyboard from the floor for a child is 40 centimeters, for an adult - 65 centimeters. Convenience when playing is very important, otherwise interest in classes can disappear very quickly.

The bench (chair for a musician) should not be rigid, since you will have to study very, very much. For an unformed child's body, this is a big load, therefore, you need to take frequent short breaks. For example, 15 minutes of exercise should be compensated for by 5-minute rest or light physical activity: jogging in place, squats. This approach allows you to teach even "fidgets" - very active children.

The method of playing is similar to the piano... The palm forms a "dome". The feeling should be as if there is a small ball or orange in your hand. The hand should not hang from the keyboard, as this position will interfere with fast play. It is worth monitoring your posture and body position when playing, as incorrect seating for a long time can lead to serious health consequences.

The elbows should not hang. They should be located like when swimming in a pool: there should be 10-15 centimeters between the joint and the body. Elbows pressed to the body restrict movement, which will not allow comfortable playing with two hands.

The keys are pressed by the "pads" of the fingers. Unlike piano lessons, finger strength is not required. Fast and smooth play will help to achieve a slight tension of the phalanges themselves.

The pinnacle of skill is playing with two hands.... It requires perfect coordination, because in real music, the left and right hands play different melodies. Such a variety of notes creates that unearthly beauty of song performance. Mastering the skill of playing two hands can take a long time, but the results are worth it.

First, you should learn the melody played with the right hand, then the accompaniment with the left. After learning, you can gradually join hands and achieve synchronicity. The latter can be honed with a simple exercise: one hand beats one rhythm, the other the other. This exercise should be started at a slow pace and then accelerated with each pass. Within a week after starting this exercise, positive results will appear. You can complicate the exercise by adding rhythm to the leg, first for one. This "exercise" will help you get closer to playing with two hands in just a month of daily lessons.

Many beginners avoid using the metronome. The metronome helps to develop the severity of the melody rhythm, makes the music more "organized". Excessive use of the metronome, however, can lead to "mechanical", unemotional playing.Artistic tasks are not set for beginners, but sincere performance will add color to the music, even performed by a beginner. In any case, at first, the metronome is the best tool for acquiring technical skills in playing melodies and fostering a sense of rhythm. An alternative way to improve the latter is to clap the rhythm of the melody with your hands.

During exercise, the brush should not be strained. Having "outplayed" a hand, you can get seriously injured and never develop a fluent performance technique. That is why teachers pay so much attention to the technique of performance.

You cannot learn a language without knowing how to read. Also in music: in order to learn how to play, you need to master musical notation... In music schools, this knowledge is given in the lessons of solfeggio and harmony. Specially trained musicians - theorists are engaged in the study of the relationship between sounds and notes. The topic is quite extensive, but it is possible to get the necessary knowledge on your own with the help of books and video tutorials.

The keyboard of a home synthesizer has from 2 to 7 octaves. Each of them contains 12 keys: 7 white and 5 black. It will be easier to memorize notes by keys if you come up with some kind of association. White keys are called do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si. The black keys are responsible for raising or lowering the note of the white key. The first black key will sound "between" C and D. In musical theory, such a rise is called a semitone.

If we imagine that a number is written on each white key, then a number 0.5 more than on the previous one should be written on the black key. Depending on where in the piece the black key sounds, it will be called differently: sharp or flat. For example, the second black key is D sharp and E flat.

Notes are recorded on rulers, which are called the stave. From the staff, you can determine which note should be played, in which octave it is located and at what time it should sound. The note sticks (calms) indicate how long the note should last. The lengths (eighth, quarter, half, etc.) depend on the rhythmic size of the song, which is recorded as a fraction: 2/4, 3/4 and by analogy. The time signature shows how many durations fit in one measure. So, in a 2/4 size, only one half, two quarters or four eighths will fit.

The key of a piece sets the number of sharps / flats that can be found in music. C major and A minor have no marks, E minor and G major have one sharp. Signs are written after the "squiggles" at the beginning of the piece - the treble and bass clefs. To find out how many characters are in the key, a special table - a quarter-fifth circle - will help. Key bias, major or minor, determines the mood of the song. Major is cheerful and joyful, minor is sad and whiny.

In addition to the tonality signs, there may be random signs. Their appearance is based on the rules of solfeggio and harmony. At the initial stage of training, a complete understanding of the laws of musical theory is not required, but they are necessary for a more serious immersion in the subject. There are a huge number of textbooks on the Internet that are written in a language that is understandable even for a child.

Learning to read sheet music is extremely difficult. It is necessary to learn the arrangement of the notes on the keys. To do this, you can number the keys and write which note this or that number corresponds to. Professional musicians advise you to memorize all the dispositions of sharps and flats by heart. In addition, you need to learn to understand how the notes are written on the staff.For this, the system of memorizing by numbers is also suitable: above each note in the text, you need to sign the number corresponding to its key. A fluent sight-reading requires a complete understanding of what treble clef and bass clef are. Knowledge of what is major and minor can also help in this difficult matter.

A huge number of self-instruction manuals have been written for students. The books provide the basics of musical theory, solfeggio and harmony. The authors also share tips on fingering (which finger is better to play this or that note). The books deal with simple melodies that you can learn to play from scratch. In addition, methods are provided on how to quickly play sheet music. The tutorials are divided into separate lessons and tasks, by completing which you can quickly learn to play the synthesizer yourself.

In the process of teaching a child to music his parents play an important role... The speed of achieving results depends directly on them, since only mom or dad can explain to him what benefit music lessons have on his intellectual development. Moreover, only a parent can organize a student for independent studies without a teacher, because it is precisely this kind of assignment that is the main condition for quickly mastering playing the instrument.

Creation of conditions for learning is also a necessity. In the apartment, you need to choose a place where it will be convenient for the student to study. There should not be a lot of furniture around the synthesizer that you can bump against and which can hinder movement. It makes sense to take care of the instrument: wipe it off dust, you can buy a protective case. Only in a comfortable environment will classes at home be useful.

You can learn how to play from simple Soviet songs, music from films and cartoons... As a rule, these are simple melodies that are not difficult to master. However, there are also complex popular songs that are difficult for beginners. In any case, during the training, the necessary knowledge will appear, and even complex melodies in the future will be easy to learn.

If the student already knows how to play the piano, then learning to play the synthesizer is much faster. Unlike those who learn from scratch, learning is divided into two stages: adapting to a new instrument and improving technique. While the differences between a piano and a synthesizer may seem insignificant to people who are far from the question, in fact, this is not at all the case. These instruments differ in sound production, and therefore require different playing techniques. In addition, the synthesizer is more commonly used by modern musical groups, since its tones are more versatile than a single piano tone. This versatility requires more serious knowledge and practice from keyboard musicians.

Music lessons are good for adults too. When a husband or wife plays a delightful melody at home, it adds to the comfort of family life. With the help of the great power of music, you can melt the heart of any person, therefore, playing the synthesizer is also recommended for single boys and girls. You can get involved in musical culture at any age, if time permits. It is difficult for a working person to find a free minute, but learning to play a musical instrument is worth tightening up the schedule.

You can master any melody yourself at home using special programs for your computer. Many synthesizer models have USB connectivity. There are tools that highlight the desired key when you need to press it. Finding notes of almost any composition is not difficult. Even for mobile devices, there are programs with scores of plays and songs. In addition, there are a huge number of training videos with analysis of popular songs on the Internet.For a beginner who did not have time to learn musical notation, but already wants to play songs, this will be the best solution.

Playing the synthesizer is a very exciting experience. However, learning requires a lot of free time and desire. It is important to decide from the very beginning what level of skill you want to achieve. If you set yourself a goal, then learning will be much easier.

For how to learn how to play the synthesizer, see the next video.