How to Create Music With a Yamaha Keyboard
Yamaha makes a wide selection of electronic keyboards that range in size from 32 keys to a full piano keyboard of 88 keys. Prices for Yamaha keyboards differ widely based upon the features and size of the keyboard. Learning to make simple music with a Yamaha keyboard isn't difficult, and if you know anything about playing piano, you can play songs immediately. Learning to create music with the full potential of a Yamaha keyboard can be a challenge, due to the range of electronic features Yamaha keyboards offer, but with a little practice and some experimenting, you can use a Yamaha keyboard to become a one-person music show.
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Things You'll Need
- Yamaha keyboard
- Yamaha instruction book
- Basic keyboard instruction book
Instructions
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Experiment with your Yamaha as soon as you take it out of the box and plug it in. If you're familiar with how to play a piano, you'll already know how to make piano chords and play melodies just by using the keyboard on the instrument. A Yamaha keyboard is just like a piano. If you don't know anything about playing piano, just experiment by playing notes on the keyboard together and separately. You will want to get a beginners piano book eventually, to learn the basics of piano playing, unless you plan to learn how to play by ear.
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2
Explore the face of your keyboard. You'll see buttons, a small window and a list of instrument names and musical rhythm types, typically with numbers beside them. You'll also see a number pad and a knob or slider bar to adjust the tempo, or speed, of the built-in rhythms. The number of instrument sounds and rhythms you see varies depending upon the model of Yamaha keyboard you have. If you have your instruction book available, have it open as you explore the face of your keyboard.
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3
Choose an instrument sound from the list of available sounds, punch in the number indicating the instrument sound you'd like to hear, then press a few keys on your Yamaha keyboard. You'll hear the notes played with the sound of the instrument you chose. Select a few different sounds and press keys to get accustomed to how the sound of your keyboard changes. Your list of instrument sounds might range from 20 to 200. Most Yamaha keyboards have bass, guitar, organ, flute, brass and the more common sounds.
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Enter a few numbers corresponding to some of the rhythm styles on your Yamaha. Some of the rhythm types you might find on your Yamaha include rock, slow rock, samba, country and waltz. You'll hear the rhythms played with a combination of instrument sounds, including drums and percussion. Use the tempo knob or slider bar to slow down or speed up the rhythms.
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Select an instrument sound and choose a rhythm. Set the rhythm at a tempo that you can keep up with until you are accustomed to playing along. Open your instruction booklet to one of the simple songs that are usually included with a new Yamaha keyboard and play the song as pictured in the manual, trying to play along in time with the rhythm you chose. You can purchase books at a music store that have songs especially for the Yamaha keyboard, with the keys you should play numbered so you don't even need to know how to read music.
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