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OMG I just used a black key on my keyboard!


The Who

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Not been playing keyboards that long but I was messing about writing a new song on my microKORG and I was trying to write the next bit when "shock horror' my fingers went to the black keys and it sounded just great. Never used the black keys before, I knew they were there for a purpose!

:eek:

;)

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You can't go wrong playing all the black ones. Sounds good, easy to remember what you played. Good for selling the board too. "White keys have never been played, they are as good as new". :D

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Originally posted by bobtheknob

Worked for Stevie Wonder.
;)

 

You know, for some reason I never actually thought of that, but now that I listen to it in my head, the clav line in "superstition" is all e-flat minored...:D

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The black key scale is very easy to use musically. Sometimes combines the black key scale with some white keys. Or plays one part on white and other simultaneous part on black. Not all 12 notes avalable of course. Lol. Ussually 9 though. Lol. But otherwise mostly uses black key scale for synth lead lines. Occassioally plays mainly white keys wit some black added as a variation.

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Originally posted by jazzed

You know, for some reason I never actually thought of that, but now that I listen to it in my head, the clav line in "superstition"
is
all e-flat minored...
:D

Much of his stuff is in Eb-minor, or F#major - if you're blind, it's easier to play on the black keys. The thing about the black keys is they give you a perfect automatic F# major or Eb minor pentatonic scale, which sounds pretty damn good straight out of the box. ;)

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When I was a kid, all my dad could afford were the black keys. Every few weeks we set up a lemon aide stand to earn a few extra white keys. Unfortunately he got caught for tax evasion and we were stuck with only a few C/F and B/E whities til I turned 19 and got a part time job in an ice cream store where I earned enough get a few E/A/D keys.

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All of this is just pure malarky. Don't listen to a word of it.

 

Real musicians don't play scales or modes, they just dabble and poke like in finger painting.

 

I'm not quite there yet. I'm still stuck in Balinese gamelan scale: E-F-G-B-C-E.

 

Saves a {censored}load on keyboards tho. Just watch Ebay for sales: Most keys work, no black keys is the key. :D

 

Maybe I've been snatching Stevie's boards for a song? Who woulda thunk? :D

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hmm. i'm having trouble determining how much of this thread is serious . . anyway, i've had this compositional idea of using white keys vs. black keys . . like, alternating between white and black in some manner. my thought is that, in addition to being fun and easy to play, the listener will be able to intuitively recognize a diatonic scale interfaced with a pentatonic scale offset by a half step, because, as stated in this thread, that's how people think of pitches when they play piano. maybe there's some way to play off this familiarity to create a tonality that's different . . more complex, but at the same time easy to follow. does that make any sense?

 

man, i have to stop thinking and start composing . . . :)

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Originally posted by The Who

my fingers went to the black keys and it sounded just great. Never used the black keys before, I knew they were there for a purpose!

:eek:
;)

 

You know what they say...once you go black you can't go back!:D

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