Karaoke

ash

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Hi I have been given a website link to karaoke tracks which can be played through a keyboard which sound realistic. My issue is that because I can't use both hands people tell me to play chords with your left hand. The chords are already being played on the karaoke track so why should I play what is already being played? Anyway that doesn't make me a keyboard player does it by playing to a track?
 
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tjw

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Playing chords which are already played on the track will not add to the music you produce very much. In current scenarios, many very good keyboard players play to a track in live performances, however, their additions to the music are worthwhile and interesting embellishments more than chord beds. Some of us did special mixes of tracks which did not contain piano or organ, and played the keyboard part "live".

You are correct that it doesn't make one a keyboard player to play to a track. However, a keyboard player made by study and practice can add considerable value and entertainment to a track.

In my mind, "can't play with two hands" is not a valid reason to play chords which are already being played. It would add a "jam" feel to the music which is, at best, superfluous, and, at worst, detrimental to the composition.

My advice is to not worry about playing chords so much, except when you play without a track. Concentrate on adding "fills" and "leads" which are complimentary to the track. One real nice feature is to play harmony to fills already on the track, or in round or fugue with track figures occasionally.

Concern yourself primarily with your musical content which includes your track, and don't worry about "two hands" or "one hand" Iand remember, that some of the most valuable ornaments in music are rests)....

take time, and consider carefully what you will play to your tracks. Practice it well, so that the sync and the "groove" of the track mesh with your playing. Adopting the "groove" of other players is good subject for practice.
 
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ash

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My fingers of my left hand don't move very quickly and i haven't full mobility in my hand so find it difficult to play solos. I could play slow solos but all solos i've heard are played fast, so with that in mind i don't play. I like Queen and i'd like to play Queen songs but again their solos are played fast so i just stay with playing chords and let the file play the difficult parts. I'd like to play blues too but again what i've heard is played too quickly.
 

ash

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I have a yamaha E543 keyboard, how do i play mp3 through the keyboard?
 
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I have a yamaha E543 keyboard, how do i play mp3 through the keyboard?
 

tjw

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My fingers of my left hand don't move very quickly and i haven't full mobility in my hand so find it difficult to play solos.

I'm sorry to hear of your challenge. However, very remarkable things can be done with sequencing. I want to encourage you to branch out beyond your hand limitations - hookup your E543 through the USB port to a personal computer or tablet. Download some sequencing software and take a run at playing against your track in the sequencer. You can slow down the tempo to allow yourself easy entry of your solos, then play them back at the speed of the track.
 

tjw

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If you are using a Windows PC, I can probably help you. If you're using Android or Apple, I'm going to defer to the folks on here who are familiar with those. I have no background at all with either of them. There are some people on here who are expert-level at this stuff.....

The only sequencing software I've ever used is Cakewalk. Since 1987 or so. I started with it on MS-DOS, I actually kept running the MS-DOS version for several years after I bought a Windows PC.

I'm hoping someone comes along who knows an easier entry into the sequencer world. Cakewalk is now available for free, but the learning curve on it is a bit steep, and it presupposes that one is conversant with a lot of jargon. It's not as intuitive as perhaps could be, and maybe it's best to get your "kickstart" from someone who knows some other freeware tools. Man alive....it was 3/4 of a year before I ever sequenced anything I would dare play for someone..... :)

I read a bit on your E543 keyboard, I didn't see it said that it had an internal sequencer. Perhaps it does, many keyboards of the modern-day do have them, they tend to be called "workstation" when they do, but this may be post-vogue (like me)..... seems like you won't need anything other than a USB cable .....
 

SeaGtGruff

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@tjw: The PSR-E453 has a basic song sequencer that can record and play back songs with up to six tracks-- five melody tracks plus an accompaniment track. It doesn't qualify as a workstation because the song sequencer doesn't allow step editing or "punch-in/punch-out" recording. But each melody track can have one or two MIDI channels (for the Main and Dual right-hand parts); and the accompaniment track technically has no MIDI channels since it uses XG SysEx and Sequencer-Specific Meta Event messages, but it controls style playback and styles can use up to eight MIDI channels. So if you use the keyboard's "Save SMF" function to convert a User Song recorded with the song sequencer into a Standard MIDI File, the resulting song file will have up to 16 MIDI channels. And if you play back any SMF song files the song sequencer will use up to 16 MIDI channels.

@ash: What type of computer or laptop do you have-- Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.? And what type of phone do you have? Knowing that will help us suggest any software or apps that you could try, as well as what types of cables you should be using.
 

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