How to Play on Beat With Keyboards

When you're helping out with keyboards in a band, it's important to get the "flow" or rhythm of the music right. You'll have to be in sync with your fellow musicians. The cadence and rhythm of a band varies by song genre and general direction of the musicians involved. Here are some ways to make sure you're on beat and not just fooling around.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Know where the drummer is going. You can work out a lot of rhythm issues by talking to the drummer. Figure out the length of each bar, where any time changes are, and what specific drum beats should be accentuated with the keys.

2. Tap out a rhythm before playing. Do a quick rhythm check in between takes to make sure you can hear what the song's rhythm is. It can be harder to track the rhythm of a slow song, so try to anticipate when each bar gets "turned over" in the composition.

3. Play short riffs. Try to find short, manageable bits of keyboard play that go along with the rhythm of the song. In fact, it works best to tailor a keyboard riff to a specific time frame created by the drummer, and not the other way around.

4. Stay minimal with flourishes. When you try to affect something really fancy, you may end up straying into off-beat territory. Again, simplicity is key in making sure you're on point and on beat.

5. Practice. Don't go onstage until any kinks are ironed out. It's unwise to think you can skip the practice stage by just talking to other musicians about the song. When it comes to a collaborative groove, there's no substitute for actually playing through the entire thing.