Jerry Kovarsky - Keyboard for Dummies

Keyboard For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Media and software compilation copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013948009

ISBN 978-1-118-70549-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-70731-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-70566-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-70563-6 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Foreword

W hen the folks at Wiley first approached me about adding a title on playing keyboards to their hugely popular For Dummies family of reference books, I was delighted. The concept, they said, was to be different than the excellent Piano For Dummies (first published in 1998). It was to go beyond how to play the piano and cover all the ways in which modern electronic keyboards make learning music fun, enrich the lives of players of all levels of ability and aspiration, and give professionals powerful creative tools not offered by the traditional piano or organ.

I was particularly inspired because this was very much the same challenge faced by Keyboard magazine (originally called Contemporary Keyboard ) at its inception in 1975. Then, electronic keyboards and synthesizers were a nascent and esoteric thing sci-fi starships piloted by a crew of rock-and-rollers, academics, avant-garde composers, and committed enthusiasts. Now, theyre enough of a known quantity that although technology never ceases to evolve they really do offer something for everyone. Which sort of instrument is best for you? How do you take full advantage of its features? How do the two somewhat-different experiences of pushing buttons and playing notes integrate to produce musical fulfillment? How can all this technology actually help you play better as opposed to being a crutch? That and much more is what this book is all about.

Just after that first phone call with Wiley, a little guy with wings and a harp make that a keytar appeared on one shoulder, and a red guy with horns and an unusually pointy tuning fork appeared on the other. Write this book, said the red guy. Think of the prestige, the fame, the red carpet! Puh-leeze, retorted the winged guy, the only carpet is the one youll get called on for blowing the deadline because youre already so busy running a magazine. You and I both know that Jerry Kovarsky is the one to write this. Call him. Now . Fortunately for all of us, the winged guy then shot a bolt of lightning from his keytar, and the only other thing I heard from the red guy was his tuning fork ringing (a tritone, of course) as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Indeed, I can think of no better guide for your first journey into keyboards than Jerry Kovarsky. Hes as talented a traditional keyboardist as he is a technologist, so he understands that technology is there to serve the music. He was there at the dawn of MIDI, the digital language at the core of every electronic musical instrument since the early 80s. Though he has held high-level product management gigs for Casio and Korg two companies that have long been at the forefront of creating fun and affordable musical instruments even their competitors always considered him an asset thanks to his tireless passion for educating people about music technology in general. Last but not least, his technical know-how, integrity, and get-it-done attitude have earned him the trust and friendship of many of the keyboard worlds brightest stars, including prog-rock godfather Keith Emerson and the late, great George Duke.

I hope that Keyboard For Dummies launches you into a lifetime exploration of creating cool sounds, playing your favorite tunes, and even composing some of your own. If you're hungry for more after working through this book, head to www.keyboardmag.com to check out our online content and subscribe to the print edition of Keyboard magazine. There, you'll find music lessons from today's top players, how-to articles from experts including Jerry, and interviews with stars who put keyboards at the center of their music making. Now, dig into this book and start putting these instruments at the center of yours!

Stephen Fortner
Editor in Chief, Keyboard magazine

Introduction

I t used to be simple; you could say, I play the piano or I play organ. That was pretty much it. Through the last few decades, thanks to technological advances, the world of keyboards has exploded. Now so many options are available that when you press down on those familiar black and white keys, any sound may come out. A small portable keyboard can have the sound of a nine-foot concert grand piano, and that baby-grand-piano-looking instrument can produce the sounds of a full orchestra and a rock band to boot! Anything is possible in the world of electronic keyboards today, and you dont have to rob a bank to get a single keyboard that can do what took cape-wearing rock stars a circle of gear to do in the late 70s.

And therein lies the reason behind Keyboard For Dummies. No one has adequately tackled this subject, explaining what all the keyboard options are and how to choose and use them. When I was approached to write the book, the task was more than a little daunting. I know the subject matter well; my whole career has been in keyboards playing them, teaching with them, developing and marketing them, and enjoying them. But this field is such a wide area to cover, from simple little toys up through a wide variety of home and stage keyboards. So my goal is to make technology easy to understand, clearly explain the many types of keyboard available, and help you dive in and use and enjoy the features of these various instruments. I have only two requirements for covering an instrument in this book: