How to Improvise During a Multi-Rig Synthesizer Performance

Video Transcript

"BEN ANDERSON: Hi. I'm Ben Anderson with Expert Village, and I'm here today to talk to you about the volume control with the keyboard. While playing keyboard, it's important to think of the situation that you are currently in. If you're playing solo keyboard, then worrying about volume isn't so much of an issue as if you are playing keyboard in a rock band, and determining where you stand in the song in the band, what's your role in that band? If you're there for support, you might not want to turn your volume up really loud. It depends what your part is doing. If you're there filling in with the pad sounds, something like this, and other instruments are doing more or on top of that, you might want to keep your volume low 'cause, again, you're just there to help fatten out the sound, you're not here to stick it out, and it's a really hard thing to do. I've had a hard time dealing with it growing up because I like to feel like I'm doing something important, and if people can't really hear me or hear what I'm doing, it's hard for me to accept that because I want people to know what I'm up there doing 'cause I put a lot of hard work into it. But that's the difference between being a lead player like a lead guitarist or being a supporting member like a drummer or a bassist or synthesizer player, so it's important to know what your role is in the band to determine what level you're going to set your volume at. There are other times where you might be playing a pad sound for most of the song as there for support and then at one point of the song, you might have a lead role or you might have a solo in the song, so in that case you'd want to turn your volume up so that you'll stand out. But it all depends on what your current role is in the band. There are a few different ways that you can help set your volume. On most keyboards, you'll find there's a volume knob on and there is a cut-off switch as well that you can use that will help change your dynamic level. There are also different things that you could buy, different accessories that you could buy for your keyboards. There is a foot switch; it's a volume-control foot switch that you can buy where you can actually control the volume just with your foot, so if you are busy playing and you need to turn up or turn down quickly and you can't move your hands away, you can control the volume with your foot. So, there are many different ways aside from just playing with the knob to change your volume."