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I didn't know how to title this .
The main band I play with lost the keyboard player last year . We've been through a couple of keyboard players but..they are lacking in their skills . So the band leader hired another guitar player to fill up the parts that are left empty by our lack of keyboard player . Well that's not working at all ! So I decided to put my Roland SPD-S pad to work ...real work .
I've been using the pad only for the percussion samples in the Latin gigs I do . For this band I decided to program the keyboard loops we've been lacking . And it's not working out with this band either !
I started out taking the samples from YouTube or the Cd's . But then some of the songs are not in the original keys so I went out and got some keyboard equipment so I could play them myself . I was hoping NOT to have to go that rout . I had called a couple of keyboard friends to play the parts onto the recording software but I couldn't get a clean loop without any flubs or in time (tempo) . Very frustrating !
I'm not a keyboard player by any means.. but I don't have to be . I only have to get it right once and then just loop it in the software and then dump it onto the SPD-S . That is simple in theory ... in real life it's a whole other bag !
It's not the loops or the idea ...it's the other musicians in the band that now find themselves having to practice playing to a metronome so that they will be in time to the loops ! It started out with simple keyboard loops , nothing that got in their way as long as they followed my groove . But now that I've gotten to the horn phrases ... well they can't play along with those without rushing or dragging . In the beginning we had discussed this and they were all for it (loose the extra guitarist and split the extra money) . Tempos were set before hand and at first they were loving it . But now that THEY have to put work into it ....well they're not having it ! LOL !!
In the back of my mind I knew it wouldn't work with this band . For years they have gotten away with being sloppy and not playing the right changes and stuff like that , never had they been call out on it . And mind you ..these are people who do this for a living !
But I went ahead because I knew that I would learn a lot from having done this . My keyboard skills are coming along and maybe next year I can start renting myself out as a keyboard player as well . My people skills have improved ( I had to learn some of the guitar parts and spoon feed them to our guitar player..without making him mad ! ) . My memory skills...having to map out the loops and phrases on the pads , then try to remember which pad had what sample ! And then having to hit the pad at the right time in the song , in time , without messing up . I tell ya that "ALL SOUNDS OFF" button on the SPD-S came in handy a few times ...LOL !
I know some of you would never do this . That's cool...maybe your situation doesn't require this sort of thing . (lucky !) And maybe with these guys it's not going to work . But I know that it can work and maybe I'll put my own band together and carry on . Still tho..I just wanted to share what I've been up to . I seldom post anything . So now you all know a little more about me .
Comments ... criticisms...jokes..dirty pictures..always welcome .
Have a good one ya'll !!