Playing CHORDS with a LEFT VOICE allocated

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Playing CHORDS with a LEFT VOICE allocated

Postby Hugh-AR » 09 Sep 2020 00:35

When using a STYLE it doesn't really matter what inversion of a chord you play. The keyboard recognises the chord you are playing, and you hear the same backing, regardless. But this is not the case if you allocate a LEFT VOICE to the left of the split, as the keyboard will play the actual notes you are playing for that three-note chord, and that is what you hear. So if you play your STYLE chord way down to the left (eg. C as C E G; or D7 as C D F#) then the notes you hear are the ones at that pitch for the Voice you have chosen. As I said, the Style Accompaniment will be the same wherever you play your chord. These chords that you are listening to from the Voice are at around the same 'pitch' as the Style Accompaniment (or possibly even lower than the Style Accompaniment), so the harmony of the Voice you have chosen may be somewhat lost.

And another consideration. Looking at Chord Inversions in general, what your ear picks up is the highest note of the chord you play. I personally prefer to hear the 3rd note on top, or the 7th. Having the 'root' of the chord on top also sounds good. My least favourite sound is a chord with the 5th on top (Chinese Music).

Take the chord of C. C E G is called the 'root position'. But that has the G on top (the 5th),which is the harmony I least like. So I would play a C chord as G C E, so it has the 3rd on top. An F chord I would play as A C F, with the 'root' of the chord on top.

So bearing in mind that you do hear the chord you are playing in the left hand when you allocate a LEFT VOICE, the top notes of the chords you play can often form a little 'counter-melody' of their own. In the last chord sequence in the DEMO below, the top note of the chord inversions I am playing are G, F, E, Eb .. G, F#, G. the chords themselves are G (with G on top); G7 (with F on top); C (with E on top); Cm (with Eb on top) .. G (with G on top); D7 (with F# on top);G (with G on top). If you have ever sung in a Choir you will know what I am talking about.

When learning about Chords and Chord Inversions for the first time, it's standard practice to say, "Choose the Chord Inversion that involves the least amount of movement with the fingers". If you don't have a LEFT VOICE allocated then that is fine as the keyboard picks up whatever Inversion you play and you hear the same backing PARTS. But if you do, then I would say, "Play the Chord Inversion that gives the best sounding harmony to the piece you are playing. And don't bother too much about how far you have to move your fingers". It's a mistake to learn chord fingering as an 'absolute' and to play the same fingering every time you play a named chord. You need to play the inversion of the chord that fits the music best.

In this DEMO below I have a LEFT VOICE allocated, and first I have played the chord sequence as far down the keyboard as I can, with Chord Inversions in that lower area. Then in the next bit I have played the Chord Inversions as far to the right as I can, and followed the ideas I have mentioned above.

The LEFT VOICE I have chosen is AccompOoh. When you play this Voice 'low down' it certainly doesn't 'growl' at you, so it would be perfectly OK to play chords low down on the keyboard if you want to have the harmony blending in with the STYLE chords. Or you could make them 'stand out' by having them higher than the backing chords.

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When you have listened to the below, click the left-arrow at the top to get back to this page.
DEMO of Chord Inversions when playing a LEFT VOICE

I am not saying that playing the chords lower down is wrong. In fact, I quite like the 'soft' addition the Left Voice gives to the Style Backing. I am just saying to keep an open mind as to what inversion of a chord you play and where you play it, as how your backing sounds will be so very different depending on how you play your chords.

The Registration showing above is the one I set up to play Beautiful Dreamer, using the LEFT VOICE as discussed. Listen to the below to hear how it turned out. Note: I did have to move the SPLIT POINT from F#2 to G to play this, as I start out in the key of F and then move up to the key of G. I wanted to play my A7 with the G on top; and my final chord of G with G on the top. If I had left the Split Point at F#2 that G would have been on the right of the split and would have picked up the Voice from R1!

When you have listened to the below, click the left-arrow at the top to get back to this page.
Beautiful Dreamer played with a LEFT VOICE
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: Playing CHORDS with a LEFT VOICE allocated

Postby Hugh-AR » 26 Mar 2021 01:47

Here's an example of using OrganAccomp3 as the Left Hand Voice.

When you have listened to the below, click the left-arrow at the top to get back to this page.
"More", played with OrganAccomp3 as a Left Voice
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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Re: Playing CHORDS with a LEFT VOICE allocated

Postby Hugh-AR » 04 Jul 2021 22:53

Genos Tipsters (previously called Tyros Tipsters) have put up several videos featuring Peter Baartmans, a Yamaha Demonstrator from the Netherlands. He answers questions that are put to him, and in this video he answers a question about using a Left Hand Voice.

Yamaha Genos - Peter Baartmans Interviews - Episode #2



As a general comment, he says you don't need a Left Hand Voice when using a STYLE as your backing is being created by the Style.

Some of the Styles I use have a 'continuous' sound in PAD, so that sort of is a 'left hand voice', but often the sound is not really what I want to hear.
Eg. It may be 'strings' when what I want to hear is something softer, like horns, or a choir. So I turn PAD to OFF, and instead have a left hand voice of my choice. When listening to the Style components, it's amazing what a difference it makes to the sound of the backing if you turn the PAD to OFF.

The STYLE in the DEMO below is the 9-8 Waltz. Click the LINK below to hear:
(a) the Style with all the PARTS playing;
(b) the Style with the PAD (Strings) turned to OFF;
(c) then back to the original PAD with Strings; followed by
(d) the left hand voice of DarkFatSaw (with PAD turned OFF); then
(e) back to the PAD with Strings again .. and
(f) finishing with the PAD switched OFF and the DarkFatSaw sounding as the left hand voice.
What a difference this makes to the overall sound of the piece I am playing. Obviously I would make an adjustment to the VOLUME of the left hand voice so it is not too overpowering .. but it is the principle of doing this that I want to illustrate.

Click the below to listen, then click the back-arrow after to get back to this page.
DEMO of 9-8 Waltz STYLE with a Left Hand Voice (DarkPadSaw) replacing the Strings in PAD

In the video above he specifically mentions the piano, and how he likes a 'piano' left hand voice so he can hear piano notes being played with both his right and his left hand. One thing I didn't know .. when choosing piano as a left hand voice the Yamaha 'default' is to put the piano up an octave so it is on the same level as the right hand. If the notes were 'as is' then the notes played would be too low and sound 'muddied'.

So next time you see a keyboard player bouncing his/her left hand up and down as he/she plays, don't automatically think, "Doesn't he/she realise that when playing a keyboard all you need to do is to hold the chord down and the Style puts the rhythm in for you. And if you take your hand off completely the STYLE will keep on playing until you play another chord. So you don't have to bounce your hand up and down as if you're playing a piano." Maybe they have a left hand 'percussive' voice allocated and by doing that they are creating an extra rhythm of their own into the backing.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
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