Using the note 'B' when recording a STYLE PART
Although the first part of my topic is explaining how to record into a STYLE PART (I had to explain that, didn't I?) the real essence of this topic is further down. The clue is in the Title above.
Note: The problems I had when recording STYLE PARTS by this method have now been overcome, thanks to an observation by Drake Marker from the PSR Tutorial Forum. A full explanation of his way of recording STYLE PARTS is at the end of this Topic.
This is something I discovered several years ago about creating PARTS in a STYLE. I would never create a Style 'from scratch' (I am not a drummer, or a guitarist so wouldn't have a clue what to program in for them) but have always been happy to use a 'default' Style and make some changes to it. Usually this would involve changing the 'pattern' of the Bass PART, or putting a pattern of my own into one of the other PARTS. Bear in mind that the RHYTHM is the only PART that can be 'added to' .. or a drum sound taken out. With all the other PARTS you first have to DELETE the PART (if there is one) before you can put something in of your own.
The first thing one has to realise is that all your 'patterns' (which can be 'chords') have to be played in the key of C. So if your song has the chords C, Am, F, G7, if you were programming in eg. a 'repeating piano' you would program in the chords C, C, C, C. This is difficult to get your head around! When you subsequently use that style and play those chords C, Am, F, G7 then that is exactly what you hear played. In other words, STYLE CREATOR is what it says. It's for creating (or adjusting) a STYLE. It is not somewhere where you can program in all the actual chords you play in a song in sequence and have them all play back at you while you play the melody as a 'karaoke'.
In this topic I want to tell you something about the actual notes you play when you program something into a PART. To take you through the process I have to choose a STYLE, so I have chosen ModBigBandBld MAIN VARIATION B from SWING & JAZZ; and the 'pattern' I want to program in is an 'arpeggio', which I want to play with a Vibraphone. Has to be in C .. so I'll program in some of the notes of the C chord, starting on the C.
You can have a listen to how I shall be playing these notes above when I program them into my PART. In the DEMO below I have played the ModBigBandBld on it's own first; followed by the 'arpeggio' in C. I have played both over 8 bars as this where the pattern repeats itself ie. a MEASURE is two bars and the STYLE is 4 MEASURES = 8 bars.
I have got my REGISTRATION set up as below, with ModBigBandBld as my STYLE.
Next, press the DIGITAL RECORDING button in MENU.
Choose STYLE CREATOR.
This is the screen you get. Notice that it is showing the STYLE we have chosen at the top .. ModBigBandBld.
And near the top, on the left, it is showing that it is MAIN B we are dealing with here, so it is only MAIN B that will be affected by what we do. The other VARIATIONS will remain as they are.
Also, by default it is showing RHYTHM 2 as the slot to RECORD into.
Having listened to all the PARTS in this STYLE individually, I want to put my recording into CHORD 2.
I have already discovered that there is nothing recorded in this PART .. but if there were, I would have to DELETE this PART.
To do that you would have to press and hold the DELETE whilst pressing the CHORD 2 slot.
As I said, I didn't have to do that this time.
To set it up to RECORD in the CHORD 2 slot press and hold the RECORD CHANNEL on the right whilst pressing the CHORD 2 slot.
It's all set up to RECORD now. But ...
You will see the recording VOICE is a Grand Piano. Don't want that.
You can choose your own VOICE to record with.
Press a VOICE CATEGORY on the main part of your keyboard.
I have pressed PERC./ DRUM KIT and chosen VIBRAPHONE.
Press the EXIT to go back one screen ...
... and now we see the VIBRAPHONE as the VOICE set up in CHD 2.
Off we go. All set? Get the METRONOME going so we know where we are with the 'beat' .. although the RHYTHM is ON, and that may be enough to keep to the beat. Put the SYNC START on so it's flashing .. then when we press a note with the right hand the recording will start (you're used to things starting when you press a chord with the left hand .. but this is different. It's the right hand that starts the recording going).
To remind you what notes we are playing, here they are again:
While you are playing those notes, count in time with the metronome / drum beat 1, 2, 3, 4 .. 2, 2, 3, 4 .. 3, 2, 3, 4 .. 4, 2, 3, 4 .. the PATTERN LENGTH .. then stop playing. The pattern will repeat itself. Unlike when recording a MULTI PAD you don't press anything to stop it at this stage. What you have recorded will 'loop round' and keep playing until you stop it. Just listen to what you have played and see if you are happy with it. Then press the START/STOP button at any point to stop it playing. If you are not happy with it, you can DELETE the slot (as explained above) and do it again. If you are happy with it, press the EXIT ...
... which takes you to this screen.
Where you can SAVE it.
Give your new STYLE a NAME in the usual way. I shall just add a 2 to the original name of the Style, so I get ModBigBandBld2. This is SAVED into USER.
Now I am going to find my new ModBigBandBld2 STYLE and see what I get when I play a few chords.
No melody .. just a few CHORDS so you can hear what my Arpeggio I put into CHORD 2 sounds like.
The chords I am playing are ...
/ C - - - / C - - - / Cmaj7 - - - / Cmaj7 - - - /
/ C7 - - - / C7 - - - / F - - - / F - - - /
/ C - - - / C - - - / Cmaj7 - - - / Cmaj7 - - - /
/ C7 - - - / C7 - - - / F - - - / F - - - /
/ C - - - / C - - - / C
Did you hear those lovely Cmaj7 and C7 Arpeggios (C7 leading into F)? Neither did I! The only Arpeggios I heard were the C and F ones. Bearing in mind what we have just done .. create an Arpeggio in CHORD 2 in the STYLE .. we should be getting an Arpeggio from that CHORD 2 PART to reflect the chord we are playing with our left hand.
In my next post I'll explain what is going on here, and what notes I should have played for my Arpeggio for it to work with those 7ths and maj7ths. The clue is in the Title .. The note 'B' when recording a STYLE PART.
To be continued ...