PSR EW410 falls short, need buying advice

[zogo]

I want to play songs (well duh) and use midi files that I use with Synthesia for fill and backing, like the doors, riders on the storm, improv too. I am like 400 years old and need to make it as easy as possible to play a song or play along with a song. I want to use the "easy chord" feature, the 410 really does not do that very well. The chord notes are the same for each octave, all it does is change the layered bass note. I think it was designed to use exclusively with the style feature not as a stand alone feature. If the first chord is not completely released the next chord is unusable. Playing like that is not smooth and chord play sounds mechanical. I know most beginners should be learning chords, disabled.

I will never use the styles or groove feature (I am not playing the polka and they are not editable enough to match the song?) A one-man-band, to play songs with some backup and fill (midi file), without PC. Maybe an added multi-pad, to trigger other tracks or sounds during the song and a mic auto tune feature would be nice, maybe.

Also 76 keys are not enough for Riders On The Storm but doable. I tried reaching out before this purchase to places like Sweetwater and forums without much luck, but these are so complicated it's difficult to know exactly how they really function.

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.

If I am right in putting your requirements together then to put no finer point on it, you are pretty well screwed.

The easy chord feature are at the heart of an Arranger and some Digital Pianos (the ones with arranger features) and these fall over meeting some of your other criteria.

Using a multi pad to trigger events or playback, here again there is problems, many keyboards that have inbuilt sequencers where you can record a section have limited time/note/duration limits to what can be recorded and assigned to a pad.

76 keys is doable so presumably 61 is not, so the keyboards in the market is restricted.

I will never use the styles or groove feature (I am not playing the polka and they are not editable enough to match the song?

No. They are editable or even, you can record your own, or import a MIDI file and that can then be converted into your song specific style, it depends upon the keyboard, the rub being unless you want to spend mega bucks you are stuck with 61 key versions.

Perhaps if you can expand on your requirements and on your abilities then other members with more keyboard knowledge than I am (I am mainly interested in arrangers) and they can help guide you more.

 

[zogo]

Welcome.

If I am right in putting your requirements together then to put no finer point on it, you are pretty well screwed.

The easy chord feature are at the heart of an Arranger and some Digital Pianos (the ones with arranger features) and these fall over meeting some of your other criteria.

Using a multi pad to trigger events or playback, here again there is problems, many keyboards that have inbuilt sequencers where you can record a section have limited time/note/duration limits to what can be recorded and assigned to a pad.

76 keys is doable so presumably 61 is not, so the keyboards in the market is restricted.

I will never use the styles or groove feature (I am not playing the polka and they are not editable enough to match the song?

No. They are editable or even, you can record your own, or import a MIDI file and that can then be converted into your song specific style, it depends upon the keyboard, the rub being unless you want to spend mega bucks you are stuck with 61 key versions.

Perhaps if you can expand on your requirements and on your abilities then other members with more keyboard knowledge than I am (I am mainly interested in arrangers) and they can help guide you more.

Welcome.

If I am right in putting your requirements together then to put no finer point on it, you are pretty well screwed.

The easy chord feature are at the heart of an Arranger and some Digital Pianos (the ones with arranger features) and these fall over meeting some of your other criteria.

Using a multi pad to trigger events or playback, here again there is problems, many keyboards that have inbuilt sequencers where you can record a section have limited time/note/duration limits to what can be recorded and assigned to a pad.

76 keys is doable so presumably 61 is not, so the keyboards in the market is restricted.

I will never use the styles or groove feature (I am not playing the polka and they are not editable enough to match the song?

No. They are editable or even, you can record your own, or import a MIDI file and that can then be converted into your song specific style, it depends upon the keyboard, the rub being unless you want to spend mega bucks you are stuck with 61 key versions.

Perhaps if you can expand on your requirements and on your abilities then other members with more keyboard knowledge than I am (I am mainly interested in arrangers) and they can help guide you more.

Knowledge: basic music theory, read notation, build chords by intervals or steps, computer whiz, music notation creation. To the point, I need on hand knowledge of particular keyboards that will not have the pitfalls of the 410 using midi songs with easy chords.

 

[papasmurph]

You might be best served by an 88-key digital piano that can play MIDI files, or just a "bare" digital piano, and then play MIDI files via MIDI instead.

Even though I'm a complete beginner I've found easy chords more or less a crutch: why learn that too, when I can learn real chords right away? I don't find it useless though, as it's a quick way to back up improvs together with a basic style, and then I always hold full chords, so I learn them properly.

Normally though I use piano (or organ) sound across the keyboard, and sometimes bass/solo splits, as improving my ear is part of the challenge and fun.

 

[ClassicalMan]

I had fatal MIDI problems with the EW410 -- hooking up to computer and trying to use Cakewalk, the sounds suddenly didn't match their names. I'd select guitar and get a flute or whatever. So whatever instrument you go to from here, carefully research its MIDI viability first. You might do better with a Casio -- IMHO they're more serious about MIDI than some firms, or were when they made my oldish Privias.