Do’s And Don’ts For Playing Keyboard Effectively In A Band

Do use inversions

The first type of chord a beginner keyboardist learns is the triad. However, if you stick to only the root position chords for the whole song, and for every song – the music would sound quite stale after a while!

The difference between an amateur pianist and an experienced one is that the latter knows how to use chord inversions to their advantage.

Being adept at chord inversions allows you to explore different chord voicings. Paying attention to chord voicings helps to make chord transitions sound smoother. It will also make the music sound more interesting by adding variations and directions to the music.

Do use different keyboard sounds

What should you do if all the parts in a band are already taken up? In a band with already too many instruments, it might be challenging to play a piano part that won’t make the music sound crowded.

One thing you can do is to switch the keyboard sound to a synth or pad type of sound. A more atmospheric sound will work well to add a layer of depth to the music, without sounding too disruptive.

For different types of repertoire, you could also explore other sounds like an electric piano, or organ sound. Learning to use different sounds will lend different colors to the music and help you play more versatile styles.

Don’t try to play all the parts at once

One of the best things about the piano is that it can play everything from the melody, rhythms, and bass line, to harmony but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!

When the piano is a solo instrument, there is no harm in showing off all the things you can do with it but when you are in a band, keep in mind that you are one of the band members.

If you are playing everything at once, you will overpower the other instruments. In an inexperienced band where the instrumentalists don’t stick to their roles, it can result in a mess of sounds that don’t blend well together.

What a good band should do is allocate the parts to the different instruments, so that there will be no clashes or competition between the instrument sound. Rather, the band should work together to complement each other and achieve a unifying sound.

Don’t compete with the bass player

A full-sized piano or keyboard is a whopping 88 keys, ranging over 7 octaves. Some pianists think that this means they have to use every octave of the keyboard, but this is not true!

Remember that in a band you have different roles, including the range of notes you should play at. The bass player will take charge of the low register, so the keyboardist should not play too low. Having too many instruments at the low end will make the music sound muddy, so it should be avoided at all costs. Instead, stick to the mid and high range of the keyboard.

Know your instrument better

In a band, even though you are playing with a specific type of keyboard; digital piano, synthesizer, arranger, or workstation; you have to learn to adapt to the song part. If the song requires you to play soft with an ambiance type of sound, do it with a pad, string, or other instrument sounds that basically act as a layer.

That’s why understanding your instrument a bit better is important because you will quickly adapt whenever a certain type of sound is needed in a song. If you are still struggling in understanding each type of sound on a keyboard, probably better to switch to a simple but powerful one like Casio CT-X5000.