When is a C not a C? It’s not a riddle or a trick question. It’s a musical principle. The answer is: a C is not a C when you’re playing a transposing musical instrument. And it’s not the instrument that transposes, unfortunately — some arranger or the player himself must do that. To understand what this means, you first have to understand the definition of concert pitch. Pitch, of course, refers to the frequency of sound. Concert pitch is the universally agreed upon definition of the pitch of middle C (and subsequently, every other note in an octave). From the dawn of written music to the present day, no matter where on earth you are, middle C always sounds the same. In other words, every musician in the world understands and interprets middle C in the same way. This is the simple definition of concert pitch. Many instruments, therefore, are manufactured to concert pitch. This means that when multiple musicians read “C” (or any other note on a scale) on a musical score, they produce identical sounds. Instruments that are manufactured in concert pitch include the piano, some brass instruments such as the trombone and baritone, some woodwinds such as the flute, oboe, and bassoon. Many other instruments are not made to produce concert pitch sounds. These are referred to as transposing instruments. Many woodwind instruments and some brass fall into this category. When a transposing instrument player reads and plays “C” in a musical score, it sounds different from a “C” played by a non-transposing instrument. Therefore, music that is written for a band consisting of both transposing and non-transposing instruments must be adapted for individual types of instruments. A typical marching band, for example, may have the same score of music transposed into two, three or more different keys. The clarinet is an excellent example of this. It is a transposing instrument, typically manufactured in B flat. If a B flat clarinet and a piano played a “C” at the same time, the sounds produced would not be the same. In order for a B flat clarinet to play a note that matches a piano playing a “C,” it would have to play one whole step higher. In other words, it would have to play a “D.” What if the two instruments had to play a song together? Music for the piano would be written at concert pitch. The same music would have to be transposed one key higher so that the clarinet would produce the same sound. Though the two songs appear to be in different keys, the sounds that each instrument would produce will match in pitch. Bb instruments include the Bb clarinet, the Bb bass clarinet, the Bb tenor sax, the Bb trumpet. Music for these instruments are written in a key which is a whole step higher than concert pitch. Eb instruments include the Eb clarinet, the Eb alto clarinet, the Eb alto sax, the Eb baritone sax, and the Eb alto horn. Music for this group of instruments needs to be written a minor 3rd lower than concert pitch. F instruments include the french horn and the English horn. Music for these instruments must be written in a key that is a perfect 4th lower than concert pitch. It sounds complicated. You may even ask: why not just manufacture the clarinet (or other transposing instruments) in concert pitch? Though it seems this would solve some problems, there are good reasons that certain instruments produce other pitches. The B flat clarinet is preferred because it produces a cleaner, more pleasant sound than a C soprano (concert pitch) clarinet. In fact, the same is true of many transposing instruments. So while using transposing instruments make more work for the composer, in the end it’s all about the product. Serious musicians are known for their keen sense of hearing. Since only the best quality sound will do for them, composers will keep writing scores with both types of instruments in mind.

When looking for a new keyboard, consider the manufacturers of piano keyboards. Look at your budget and then go from there. Does that budget allow you to check out some of the premiere makers out there? Does your budget require you to go with a lesser-known manufacturer? Some of the names in piano keyboards are Korg, Kurzweil, Roland, Yamaha, Kawai and Moog. There’s a host of others as well, some with a wide model line available. Check each manufacturer’s products from low-end to high-end and compare across companies for features offered. Sometimes a lower-priced model may suit you just as well as a higher-priced one that has many extra gadgets you may never use. The main thing is to make sure any model you choose has a clear, full sound resembling as close as possible a traditional piano’s sound. You don’t want a tinny sound that is more annoying than pleasing. If you base your decision solely on price, investigate consumer reports and product reviews that may alert you to product flaws. You may find some high-priced models receive more bad press than lower-priced makes. Regardless, don’t let a piano keyboard purchase blow your budget. You can always upgrade down the road. One important consideration when purchasing a piano keyboard is the warranty. If you’re buying a new brand, make sure the warranty is suitable with no unacceptable “except for” clauses. If you’re buying used, try to buy from a dealer who offers even a six-month warranty on a used product. They’re out there; you just have to look for them. Consider the type of keys your fingers will run across when you look at piano keyboards. Do you want traditional weighted keys that have the feel of an acoustic piano? Do you want “touch sensitive” keys that spring into action with little downward pressure? Both are available, and checking them out will ensure that it suits your touch. I would certainly recommend that you get both of these features so your keyboard “feels” like a normal acoustic piano. Consider whether you want a full 88-key piano or one with fewer keys. It depends on what you plan to play, how much you want to spend, and the space you have in a room. You don’t want to feel cramped with a keyboard whose length barely fits into a small room. On the other hand, if you plan on getting better in a hurry, then get an 88 key keyboard from the outset so you won’t have to worry about outgrowing it. Another thing to consider in a piano keyboard is the number of controls a model has for sound modification. Many keyboards come equipped with settings to make the piano sound like different musical instruments. Some also have voice settings, so certain keys sound like a choir singing. Again, if you want just your typical piano sound, you may not require all these sound controls. To keep your costs down, it’s best to buy a model with only the features you will use. An important consideration, especially if you live in an apartment or condominium, is sound control. You want a keyboard that allows you to set the volume as low as possible while maintaining quality and clarity of sound. You also want a keyboard that allows for headphone plug-in, so you can play as loud as you need without disturbing anyone. With today’s “going green” concerns, you may want to investigate the energy use of keyboards. Keyboards that are green friendly are sure to be the latest models and can save you dollars on energy bills. With that extra money, you can upgrade to a higher-priced keyboard later. Additional things to consider are any special benefits or bonuses for buying. Some music studios sell keyboards and may offer lesson or music book discounts for purchasing from them. Some music stores offer music lessons on premises and may offer free introductory piano lessons with a keyboard purchase. The final thing to consider when purchasing a keyboard is its capacity for attachments. Aside from the headphones, you may want outlets for an amplifier or a Musical Instrument Digital Interface outlet. This allows you to hook a keyboard into a computer. Of course, the computer also has to have a MIDI input. If your computer doesn’t, you have to buy a USB MIDI adapter. With the proper software program in place, you can play notes on a keyboard and have them show up as written music on your monitor. The computer plays the notes back, and the program stores the played notes on the computer. If this looks like an attractive option, seek a keyboard with this outlet. Take the time to investigate all the piano keyboard options available to you on the market. There are makes and models to suit your exact requirements. All you need is an investigative attitude to search out the one that’s right for you.

Synthesizers are electronic, keyboard-based instruments that produce artificial, or synthesized, sounds. Many frequently mistake synthesizers for simply portable, electronic pianos, but the differences are extremely vast. While synthesizers can definitely produce a piano sound, their main purpose, usually, is to create sounds not specifically found on any other instrument. And the process of creating these sounds is sometimes very difficult; while some synthesizers come with pre-created sounds, or patches, many come with a clean slate. The synthesizers produce sounds by a series of dials and knobs dedicated to a variety of aspects: oscillation, modulation, sustain, delay and attack, just to name a few. Some synthesizers even create sounds based on a patch bay. Remember old telephone operators that patched calls through based on cords and inputs? Some synthesizers use the same principle (and are generally used by those with an extremely advanced knowledge of their workings). And what’s more, many older synthesizers don’t offer the option of saving the sounds created; instead, the user has to keep detailed records of dial and knob placement, being careful to catch every nuance. To recreate a sound on these synthesizers is to keep very meticulous notes. I remember meeting Bob Moog back in the 70’s at a trade show in Anaheim across the street from Disneyland. More than any other person, Moog had created the first useable and affordable synthesizer. Soon the big companies in the field such as Yahama and Roland, which had much deeper pockets than Moog, produced many improvements on the synth and made them available to the average working musician. I think I bought my first synth in about 1980 — a Roland that I used for probably 10 years before moving on to something more current. Synthesizers made their break into popular music during the 1970s and 80s when numerous progressive rock bands began using them to create cosmic, unfamiliar sounds. The use of synthesizers quickly developed into an entirely new genre of music, electronic music, headed by such veterans as Kraftwerk (who, by the way, are still massively popular). They eventually found their way into almost every branch of 1980s popular music — which is probably why they fell so far out of favor. Synthesizers in the mainstream music industry quickly became associated with 1980s bubblegum pop, the very thing that new rock and punk bands were railing against. And even while an electronic music scene thrived (and even revolutionized), synthesizers became known as the outdated kiss of death for popular, mass-audience intended music. The late 90s, however, saw a resurgence in the use of synthesizers among underground rock and punk bands (ironically enough) and have quickly become re-embraced by the popular music industry. For information on using Synthesizers, click here: http://www.playpianocatalog.com/electronic-keyboards-amp-synthesizers.html

Even non-musicians are familiar with keyboard instruments. Few people reach adulthood without having had at least one opportunity to bang on a keyboard of some type. However, many people (including musicians) aren’t aware of the history behind keyboard instruments. Their evolution is both fascinating and surprising. Many people mistakenly believe that the harpsichord was the earliest keyboard instrument. Harpsichords were undoubtedly a precursor to the piano. However, the pipe organ actually predates the harpsichord by some 1100 years. In fact, the pipe organ was the only keyboard instrument until the invention of the clavichord and the harpsichord. The earliest pipe organs were massive structures. Upon their emergence, few companies actually made pipe organs. Even fewer people were trained to install and repair them. Their size and complexity made them difficult to work with, although the sound they produced was magnificent. Pipe organs often contained multiple keyboards to operate the many pipes and produce the rich sounds that the instrument is associated with. Naturally, this was not the type of instrument that the average person played at home. Most pipe organs were located in churches and concert halls. Eventually, more compact versions were invented. Pipe organs evolved into regular organs, which most people of today are familiar with. They were more easily afforded by smaller parishes and even private owners. They were also much more compact and easier to repair. The clavichord entered the scene in the early 15th century. It first emerged as a “practice instrument.” Since not all musicians could afford or had easy access to an organ, the clavichord became a convenient alternative. It provided organists a means for practicing at home without having to go to a church or other location to find an organ. Clavichords were smaller than today’s piano and may be compared to today’s smaller keyboard synthesizers, minus the need for electricity. It was likely very shortly after that the harpsichord was invented. The harpsichord more closely resembled today’s piano. This may be part of the reason that people believe the harpsichord was the first keyboard instrument. Modern pianos are based on a very similar design to its predecessors. Harpsichords, however, were much smaller (though larger than the clavichord). The harpsichord had many variations that operated on the same basic musical principles. Some of these include the virginal, the spinet and the clavicytherium. Like music trends always do, the harpsichord fell out of fashion upon the advent of the piano. The piano, though usually a bit larger, produced a cleaner sound. Harpsichords became all but obsolete within just a few decades. Ironically, harpsichords have come back into fashion in recent years because of their unique and distinctive sound. They are often heard as part of the backup for many contemporary songs, though relatively few people actually own a genuine harpsichord. The piano is by far the most common keyboard instrument today. They are found in nearly every school and church in North America, as well as in millions of private homes. Most every music student has at least some piano training. They are one of the easiest instruments to learn to play and provide a good musical basis for learning other instruments. Of course, with an electronics-loving society came the natural evolution of the piano to a plug-in version. These are commonly referred to as synthesizers. Aside from the obvious difference from the piano in the requirement of electricity, synthesizers are capable of mimicking many different instruments. Even the most rudimentary of synthesizers usually have several different instrument modes. The more complex the machine, the more sounds it is able to reproduce. More expensive models are extremely complex and technical. Their technology is of such quality that it can be difficult to distinguish their sound from the actual instrument they are mimicking. New advances in technology, especially in computers, are being made every year. How this will affect the further evolution of keyboard instruments remains to be seen. It appears, though, that the good old fashioned piano is here to stay for awhile.

When is a C not a C? It’s not a riddle or a trick question. It’s a musical principle. The answer is: a C is not a C when you’re playing a transposing musical instrument. And it’s not the instrument that transposes, unfortunatly — some arranger or the player himself must do that. To understand what this means, you first have to understand the definition of concert pitch. Pitch, of course, refers to the frequency of sound. Concert pitch is the universally agreed upon definition of the pitch of middle C (and subsequently, every other note in an octave). From the dawn of written music to the present day, no matter where on earth you are, middle C always sounds the same. In other words, every musician in the world understands and interprets middle C in the same way. This is the simple definition of concert pitch. Many instruments, therefore, are manufactured to concert pitch. This means that when multiple musicians read “C” (or any other note on a scale) on a musical score, they produce identical sounds. Instruments that are manufactured in concert pitch include the piano, some brass instrumnets such as the trombone and baritone, some woodwinds such as the flute, oboe, and bassoon. Many other instruments are not made to produce concert pitch sounds. These are referred to as transposing instruments. Many woodwind instruments and some brass fall into this category. When a transposing instrument player reads and plays “C” in a musical score, it sounds different from a “C” played by a non-transposing instrument. Therefore, music that is written for a band consisting of both transposing and non-transposing instruments must be adapted for individual types of instruments. A typical marching band, for example, may have the same score of music transposed into two, three or more different keys. The clarinet is an excellent example of this. It is a transposing instrument, typically manufactured in B flat. If a B flat clarinet and a piano played a “C” at the same time, the sounds produced would not be the same. In order for a B flat clarinet to play a note that matches a piano playing a “C,” it would have to play one whole step higher. In other words, it would have to play a “D.” What if the two instruments had to play a song together? Music for the piano would be written at concert pitch. The same music would have to be transposed one key higher so that the clarinet would produce the same sound. Though the two songs appear to be in different keys, the sounds that each instrument would produce will match in pitch. Bb instruments include the Bb clarinet, the Bb bass clarinet, the Bb tenor sax, the Bb trumpet. Music for these instruments are written in a key which is a whole step higher than concert pitch. Eb instruments include the Eb clarinet, the Eb alto clarinet, the Eb alto sax, the Eb bariton sax, and the Eb alto horn. Music for this group of instruments needs to be written a minor 3rd lower than concert pitch. F instruments include the french horn and the English horn. Music for these instruments must be written in a key that is a perfect 4th lower than concert pitch. It sounds complicated. You may even ask: why not just manufacture the clarinet (or other transposing instruments) in concert pitch? Though it seems this would solve some problems, there are good reasons that certain instruments produce other pitches. The B flat clarinet is preferred because it produces a cleaner, more pleasant sound than a C soprano (concert pitch) clarinet. In fact, the same is true of many transposing instruments. So while using transposing instruments make more work for the composer, in the end it’s all about the product. Serious musicians are known for their keen sense of hearing. Since only the best quality sound will do for them, composers will keep writing scores with both types of instruments in mind.