Keyboard Percussion

[8beat]

I just learned about this today - keyboard drums. I know they are used for recording MIDI tracks but I never saw anyone play keyboard percussion in a live show. It looks possible to use keyboard percussion for gigs. There are lots of sounds to work with, the keyboards appear portable and may be inexpensive.



Soloing on keyboard drums.

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Basic keyboard drum video - Creative Labs combination computer keyboard and music keyboard.

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Keyboard drums jazz style.

[drummer]

I've laughed many times at the middle one.

[Drumbledore]

Seriously though, I do use keyboards for things like vibraphone & marimbas and a bunch of electronic gear to reproduce hand drums and other percussion, with my Roland Handsonic and Roland Octopad...which I'll be hopefully replace with a Roland SPD-SX sampling pad....simply due to the logistics. If I wasn't being called on to add melodic voicings and just did hand percussion, shakers etc, then I wouldn't be worried, but I'm doing a fair bit of multi-tasking with one group....the keyboards of course means that I also get called on doing strings, pianos, etc. I do also play the whole range of acoustic percussion by itself, by the way....what I do get to do just depends on who I'm working with. But it's so different going from multiple mallets to fingers on a keyboard...but hey, that's the fun and joy of it! Lol.