How many of you write with the piano/keyboard/midi controller?

[keyboardcoach521]

Hi to all talented songwriters,

 

I myself use both piano and guitar, but found knowing my way around the keyboard more beneficial for producing inside a DAW using midi later on. If you've been using piano to write songs, what are your challenges or frustration using the piano during the songwriting process. I personally know tons of musicians (especially guitar players) who would love to learn the piano but think piano is kinda hard for them? If this was you feel free to share your goal on achieving your piano skills 

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[MikeRobinson]

Honestly, I think it's a matter of practice.  A keyboard is a very different beast from a string or wind instrument, but I like it because "every note is just right there."  Just point your fingers at it and push down. That always made intuitive sense to me. 

 

Furthermore, since a DAW is a musical word-processor, you don't even have to be terribly good at playing, to produce some extremely good results.  (Yani candidly admitted during a show that, when he first got started, he couldn't play his own songs on the piano.  He recorded first the left hand, then the right.)

 

As for me, I also make heavy use of music-scoring software – specifically, MuseScore, which is free, open-source, and extremely powerful.  I write scored parts that I can't begin to play, but the computer can.  Which means that I can imagine them, write them, then hear them being played perfectly.  (Even by MuseScore itself, which embeds the Audacity synthesizer.)

 

Personally, I really like the way that the computer enables you to easily "grow beyond your music lessons."    To me, that's what a digital computer is for.

[keyboardcoach521]

Hey Mike, you're absolutely right! I own a production and mixing company a lot of songs i produce i didn't have to play much in it hehe~ But i do think it is essential to get piano theory down, or at least have enough fundamental knowledge which will make your DAW experience even better isn't it  Btw what instruments do you play?

[john]

A keyboard makes everything pretty accessible. It might feel harder to learn but really, after learning a few basics piano is a very accessible instrument. Mike is right, it is practice, but any instrument takes practice.

 

Even as a second instrument (recommended musicians play at least 2) piano is brilliant.... but as a way of interacting with a computer or mobile based recording system.... it is damn useful.

[Joseph Kearns]

I use keyboard/Midi, Guitar and bass. A lot of time I will enter in my bass line in midi to sycn piano and other parts. This helps form the chord structures/progressions. Once I got that I will record  live bass. 

[MikeRobinson]

How do I say it ... "modules, sequencers, the whole 9 ..." ... it's all gone!

 

That is to say – "it no longer consists of physical devices."  The only thing that you actually need anymore is:

1. One or more good, expressive input devices that are "like putty underneath your hands."
2. A recently-modern digital computer.
3. DAW software for that computer, which is capable of emulating "all of the foregoing."

 

[keyboardcoach521]

Mike Robinson,

 

Well, there're still bands out there that write with their own physical instruments and record all instruments live :) So it still happens. Do you prefer writing with piano or guitar? I'm asking because those two seem to be the most popular instruments.