Old Newbie Intro & Questions

[bob revay]

Not only am I a newbie to this forum but I have never participated in any forum so please correct and advise me....gently.

 

Some History:

 

I am sixty-eight years old. I took classical piano lessons as a teenager and got as far as Chopin ballades and Lizt Hungarian rhapsodies. At age 19 I gave it up completely and got on with my life.

 

Several years ago I inherited twenty plus years of Sheet music magazine-about eighteen hundred songs and had a longing to play some of them. I did some research and bought a Kurzweil SP88. I liked the sound of it but sent it back because I could not stand the action. I bought a Casio Privia PX-100 because I loved the action. I soon tired of the sound and bought a Kurzweil Micro Piano sound module and a Crate MXK15 Keyboard amplifier(the micro piano does not have an earphone jack). I also bought an Alesis Nano Piano but I do not like the Alesis acoustic piano sounds. Sounds are so subjective, arent they?

 

Through the earphones the Kurzweil sounds are great. I especially like the number 12 Warm Electric Grand. It never fatigues my ears or my brain so I can play for hours. The only thing I do not like is the highest octave is very soft and the octave starting on A above middle C is too loud. The SP88 was also like that.

 

Through the speaker, however the sound is thin so I bought a Behringer Ultratone K1800 FX. The sound through the earphones was also great, except the bass sounds were too much like an electric bass, but through the speakers it was abominable. I could not even get through one song and it could not play as loud as the Crate. I spent a week tweaking it without success. I sent it back as defective.

 

I have been building a repertoire of songs that I like by scanning them from Sheet Music Magazine, printing them on seventy pound paper, using white duct tape to connect pages so I do not have to turn them but can fold them in a three-hole ring binder.

 

I am thinking that other oldsters like me might want to hear some of them. My first gig is in June. I and some of my friends are going to Virginia Beach for a week and they are insisting I bring my keyboard and have already requested some songs.

 

I have been lurking on this forum for about a month and have used the search function several times especially for keyboard amplifiers. Thats how I found out how to tie down my sustain pedal. You guys are great and very generous with your advice and suggestions.

 

Some questions:

 

1. Is there a keyboard amp that sounds especially well with the Kurzweil micro piano in a small or medium room?

 

2. Does the Kurzweil ME-1 sound the same as the micro piano, especially the difference in the loudness and softness of the octaves?

 

3. Is there a book or publication that gives performance advice like set construction, starting, ending, etc. ( I have lots of questions here) and what songs to know like happy birthday and the national anthem so you dont embarrass yourself by not knowing them?

 

4. Is it ok to play publicly from sheet music? My memory is not what it used to be.

[ITGITC]

Bob, welcome to The Keyboard Corner. We're glad to have you here.

 

Let me address the sound issues by first saying that you are absolutely correct - It's all subjective. An electronic piano that sounds good to one person may not be favored by another. You are doing the right thing by trying different keyboards and modules. Personally, I'm a big fan of Kurzweil piano sounds. I'll agree with you that they are not perfect, but they seem to work for me.

 

Depending on your need for volume, you'll want to consider auditioning various amplifiers or separates (power amp + speakers).

 

What follows next is my personal opinion.

 

I have never played through a keyboard amplifier that does justice to my Kurzweil piano sounds. Many years ago I purchased a JBL EON PAK powered speaker for stage monitoring. I sent a stereo signal to the house. This was OK & I'm still using that speaker today.

 

Now I have a Kurzweil PC2X with stereo samples. I like to hear it in stereo when I'm monitoring.

 

I recommend that you consider purchasing a lightweight power amp with plenty of headroom, and a small pair of quality speakers. An alternative would be a pair of powered studio monitors or powered performance speakers.

 

As we get older, it's easier to carry a number of lighter boxes than one or two heavier boxes. For this reason, you may want to consider a lightweight amp + a passive speaker pair. A pair of powered speakers has the amplification built in. They're usually heavier than their passive counterparts.

 

With a goal of purchasing a system that will be lightweight and easy to carry, plus will produce an accurate piano sound, I purchased a QSC PLX1804 power amp. Clonk for QSC information It's 13 pounds total. It's got enough power to provide the dynamics that are required for realistic piano emulation in a performance environment (600 Watts @ 8 ohms per side). It will fit in a shallow rack as opposed to a deeper standard rack, and is only two rack spaces high.

 

Regarding speakers - this is very subjective. I've been recommending either the 12" or 15" two-way JBL MRX or SRX series. Clonk here for JBL MRX and SRX models

 

I happened to be in Guitar Center just yesterday and found these on the showroom floor. They didn't have them connected, so I picked them up to see how heavy they are. They're advertised at 33 pounds for the 12" model... and they are extremely light. The reason that they are is because JBL is using neodymium instead of iron for the speaker magnets. It's pretty amazing to pick them up and discover how light they are after trying to hoist the others.

 

Admittedly, this may be too much for your needs. If you are considering smaller powered speakers or studio monitors, write back and let us know. There are lots of folks here who will be happy to help you out to find just what you are looking for within your budget.

 

Again, welcome to The Keyboard Corner.

 

Tom

[K K]

Welcome aboard Bob,

 

Tom's advice for amps and speakers are very good.

 

About your comment on the MicroPiano high and low octaves unevenness, if you have some more budget, I'd recommend you test one of the newer Kurzweil instruments (PC1 or PC2 series) at a local music shop. Just like the ME1 you mentioned, they use better and clearer samples and offer many other useful sounds. There's also a rackmount unit (PC2R) if you prefer you current keyboard action. The main advantage of the PC series instruments compared to the ME1 is that you can fine tune the programs to your taste (like adjust the octaves volume and a lot more) and create custom programs to fit your needs.

 

Just a thought. By the way, if you prefer playing with music sheets in front of you, I don't see any problem with that.

 

In any case, I wish you the best of luck with your coming gigs.

[ProfD]

Originally posted by bob revay:

3. Is there a book or publication that gives performance advice like set construction, starting, ending, etc. ( I have lots of questions here) and what songs to know like happy birthday and the national anthem so you dont embarrass yourself by not knowing them?

 

4. Is it ok to play publicly from sheet music? My memory is not what it used to be.

Fake Books are a good source of "songs every musician should know and/or be familiar".

 

I think all of the sheet music you inherited might constitute one.

 

Nothing wrong with playing from sheet music as long as you don't sound like you're playing from sheet music.

 

If you have questions, ask away. Welcome to KC. Have fun on your gigs.

[bob revay]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice.