THE KEYS TO THE STARS

THE KEYS TO THE STARS

CREEM Guide to Keyboards

by Allen Hester

Even though the rock guitarist gets more glory than the other guys who back him up, it's a fact that the piano stands at the center of formal education —everybody in music school is required to have a basic keyboard knowledge as the foundation of his/her theoretical training. It's easier to look at (or feel, even if you can't see) the piano keyboard and "see" relationships between notes, chord structures, and so forth, than it is to understand by looking at a guitar's fretboard. (Obviously, saxes, clarinets, violins and such are melody instruments that produce only one note at a time—trying to learn about the sound of various chords inventions would be very difficult on the oboe!) For this reason (among many) the steadfast grand piano has endured the birth of music in the electronic medium; which began back in the 30's when it was discovered that electronic devices could be used to generate musical tones. Because of the enormous bulk and cost of a pipe organ, electronic organs were the first keyboard instruments to emerge which employed purely electronic means of sound production , but shortly after that came electric pianos, designed not to replace the "outdated" acoustic piano, but rather to accomodate the itinerant musician who had to depend on whatever old upright he could rent, borrow or steal in Sioux City on a Friday afternoon. After all, we live in a disposable age. Listed below are some current production model electric and electronic pianos in use today.

YAMAHA (Int. Corp. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90620) Yamaha builds two very impressive electronic pianos. The first, the CP-30, is a lightweight (119 lbs.), full stereo instrument which also features a velocity sensitive 76-note keyboard with standard size piano keys; two output channels which both contain the sound of all 76 keys (for true stereo effect rather than a split keyboard) as well as a mono output of both channels—a total of three outputs in all. Four basic voicings for each of the two channels yield 256 combinations of voicings. A wide range pitch control for both channels enables the player to tune the entire keyboard for either channel. A variable delay time is provided for either channel, and a separate tremolo speed and intensity for each channel which, when used on one channel while the other is "dry", produces a smooth phasing effect in stereo. The top of the CP-30 is wide and flat enough for stacking other keyboards, which tells me that the Yamaha people understand the live performance features that a professional keyboard player needs but often cannot find. A great piano!! The Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand is a masterpiece of electro-mechanical engineering. CP-70 is a 73-key mechanical action (strings and hammers) piano with a piezoelectric pickup system which eliminates the need for miking. (Low Zoutputs as well as High Z.) Yamaha developed a shorter bass string in order to reduce the depth of the CP-70 to reasonable portable size (only 40" deep) while retaining true acoustic sound. CP-70 also has a firmer tuning pin system for road durability, and the fact that it comes apart for packing makes it portable in the most humble Chevy van. If you're struggling along trying to rent good piatnos or suffering the indignities of the "house" piano, your troubles are over. Check out the Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand (and bring your checkbook!!).

When not thinking up ideas for his CREEM column, you can find Allen Hester at Strings 'N Things in Memphis.

WURLITZER (DeKalb, IL 60115) The plucky little Wurlitzer just won't give up. Fragile in comparison to newer all electric keyboards, the 64-note Wurlitzer electric remains the simplest, most straight ahead piano on the market. Self-contained amp and speakers, built-in vibrato control, an auxiliary output and headphone jack are the Wurlitzer's distinguishing features. When used in the studio they are a little noisy if you run them direct, but a good engineer can solve that. On the road, they have a distinctive sound quality and are super-easy to move, but a player who hits his/her keys hard will soon get tired of replacing broken reeds. Perfect for practicing and light lounge work, but if you're touring, be careful. In all fairness, Wurlitzer has been around a lot longer than the other electric pianos and once was the only quality electric piano available.

UNIVOX (Unicord, 75 Frost Street, Westbury, NY 11590) The CP115B by Unicord is a five-octave, all electronic compact piano which has these new features: steel chassis and reinforced keys, a timbre slide control for various color effects, a full two-octave bass extension, and a front access pitch control. Tab presets include bass, piano, honky-tonk piano and harpsichord. Separate volume control for the bass section of the keyboard is provided as well as separate bass output.

ROLAND (Beckman Musical Inst., 2401 Saybrook, Los Angeles, CA 90040) The Roland EP-30 combo piano is a 61-key (F scale) electronic piano which boasts touch sensitivity and stable tuning, among other features which include four preset voicings, 19-Ley bass section, variable depth and speed vibrato, a pitch control, sustain footswitch and a headphone jack. In addition to the EP-30, Roland's MP700 offers the musician just about everything he wants. A solid-state built to take abuse. The 700 requires very little maintenance or tuning. It has a bass section and a pitch bend, plus an amazing variation of sound, tone colors and effects. The action is similar to that of a standard piano, with a great deal more.

RHODES (Rhodes Keyboard Instruments, 1300 E. Valencia, Fullerton,

CA 92631) The heavyweight champion of jazz, jazz-rock, funk-jazz-rock, et al. Durable chassis, bell-like tonal quality, heavy action—these are the distinctive qualities of the Rhodes. Newer models have somewhat lighter action and several important modifications have been made on the Rhodes 73 and 88-key suitcase models: Bass and treble slider controls have been added, an LED on the stereo vibrato section that pulses in time to the rate of vibrato; a beefed-up amp (50 watts RMS per channel), and two additional jacks (preamp out, power amp input), which make external amplication easy. Big improvements on an already tremendously popular and useful electric piano.

RMI (Rocky Mountain Instruments, Inc. Macungie, PA 18062) The RMI 368X is a solid state 68-note portable piano which uses 68 separate tone generators to prevent problems caused by broken reeds or tone bars. The RMI has six present voicings: piano, piano PP, harpsi, harpsi PP, lute, and organ mode; also an accent switch which adds a percussive effect to the lute or organ mode with chrome legs permanently affixed and pedals provided. The entire package weighs only 85 lbs. The only thing that doesn't make much sense is a permanently affixed 10' shielded cable for output. It's gonna short out, sooner or later, but overall the RMI is a dependable alternative to the Rhodes.

NOVALINE (Novaline, Inc., P.O. Box 574, Norwood, MA 02062) This newcomer to the electric piano scene offers four basic models—a 64 or 88-note self-contained model (a la Rhodes suitcase) and a 64 or 88-key unamplified model. The biggest angle feature on the Novaline other than the dynamic keyboard is the single master oscillator and frequency synthesizer apparatus which tempers the keyboard to prevent detuning. Also, a single pitch control on the front panel lets the player tune up to an organ or other instruments whose pitch is fixed.

HOHNER (M. Hohner, Inc., Box 130, Andrews Rd., Hicksville, NY 11802) Hohner's biggest Contribution by far to keyboards has been the clavinet, which has a patented sound and feel all its own and is probably the most widely used single electric keyboard in use today other than the Rhodes pianos. Very fast string and hammer action (using guitar-guage strings) give the clavinet that funky, froggy sound that everybody from Stevie Wonder to Little Feat uses on record and in concert. The clavinet features 60 standard size piano keys, a dynamic keyboard, six preset tone selectors and a muting drawbar for super fast action release necessary to play quick syncopated rhythms in the funk tradition with clarity. A completely unique keyboard in a class by itself.

ELKA (C. Bruno and Son, Inc., 177 W. Hintz Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090) The Elka 500 portable electronic piano is another small, lightweight unit with preset voicings which function as solo voices as well as ensemble. Presets include: piano, jingle piano, steel guitar, and harpsichord. The Elka 500 has a 61-note keyboard, mounts on chrome-plated tubular steel legs and is housed in a sturdy ½" plywood case with vinyl covering.

AEOLIAN (Aeolian Piano Co., Inc. 2722 Pershing Ave., Memphis, TN 38112) In an attempt to corner some of the flourishing portable piano market, the Aeolian Co. has departed from the traditional piano manufacturing approach and teamed up with Helpinstill Pickups to build a hybrid acoustic/elec -tric spinet model, the Melodipro. The electric portion of this outfit is simply a factory-installed Helpinstill transducer with one output jack, a volume control and five voicing presets on a rotary selector switch. The housing for this unique 64-note spinet is a sturdy 5/8" laminated wood cabinet with heavy casters and handles and an exterior coat of rugged fiberglass based paint which resists nicks and scratches. An interesting "in-between" for keyboard players, the Melodipro costs about the same as the leading all-electric pianos.

ST. LOUIS MUSIC (St. Louis Music, 1400 Ferguson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63133) offers the SLM Duo Spectrum. The Duo features the sharp percussive sound associated with the B-3 Hammond, plus the sound of synthesized violins and cellos. The primary voices of the SLM are flutes, piano and harpsichord. The unit can be used in mono or split into stereo on stage. Also, the Duo has an optional walking bass, upper to lower keyboard voice placement , three percussion draw bars with separate sustain and seven stereo controls with their own volume controls. Two foot pedals underneath accomodate the player to create panning sound effects without removing his hands from the keyboard. St Louis Music is the exclusive distributor for the Spectrum.