Little did I think, decades ago as a piano scholar at the RAM, that I should ever be extolling electronic keyboards! I shunned pop music; I had avoided learning how to jive and twist; Elvis, Cliff and the Beatles had passed me by. The glorious world of classical music had me enthralled. I considered myself a well-rounded musician, eager to explore works from every era, be it Byrd or Birtwistle. I enjoyed the exhilaration of orchestral playing as a violinist, sang, and dabbled in composing, arranging and conducting.

A few years later, stressed by the noisy antics of my warring toddlers, I made a discovery. By switching the dial away from Radio 3, I found Country, Jazz, Soul, Reggae, Pop, Rock. I started to appreciate the universal appeal of music which is less complicated and finely fashioned; which engages with our psyche at a more basic level. The primeval certainty of an unchanging beat, the reassurance of predictable harmonies, and the vicarious emotions of love and loss, helped me through the rigours of child-rearing in a way that classical music could not have done.

Teaching was necessary to boost my curate husband’s meagre income, and many years of giving individual lessons in both private and state schools followed. By the 1990s I was also involved in running choirs; and mixed string projects, of which one of the most bizarre was a class of 30 adult beginners! It was then that my county music service asked me to group-teach electronic keyboards. I knew nothing about either the instrument, or the ins and outs of MIDI; but I had to learn fast!

What immediately struck me was that electronic keyboards are able to develop a pupil’s musicianship at a much earlier stage than most instruments. The melody is played by the right hand and chords by the left, and to avoid unnecessary movement, the nearest inversion of a chord is used. It will be seen that this leads naturally to explanations of chord structure, intervals, keys, tonality, degrees of the scale, and harmonic progression. (I can remember how, aged ten, I asked my piano teacher to help me with keyboard harmony. He was shocked that I should be thinking of something other than learning what was set. In those days it was seen as ‘messing about’.)

An aspect of the electronic keyboard which is much maligned is that it spews out backing music at the touch of a button. But think of the advantages! Improvisation is so much less scary, and a grasp of styles from Bluegrass to Ballroom to Bossa Nova is within reach. The melodies and the choice of harmonies begin to take on the characteristics of the genre. Some of the more able pupils may find that they can eventually reproduce the whole texture without the auto accompaniment. But their horizons have initially been enlarged by the on-board capabilities of the instrument. (Now I am wondering whether manufacturers might consider introducing more ‘classical’ backing styles. Baroque orchestration with the beat defined by a detached bass line would be particularly applicable.)

One of the pupils’ tasks is to choose suitable voices for the genre. This way they learn about the line-up of bands in different cultures. Most Western instruments and now many Eastern ones too, are represented. They are listed in groups, which develops an understanding of ‘families’ such as strings, or brass, or percussion. And that is not all. Synthetic voices produce sounds not be found anywhere else, and the top-of-the-range keyboards allow one to mix and alter at will, download patches, connect with the internet etc. The majority of keyboards have the facilities for some variations. ‘Dual voice’ enables two instruments to be heard at once, and the volume of each can be adjusted. Harmonies can be added to the melody line, related to the chords used by the left hand; a descant for country music is particularly effective. The ambience of the surroundings can be electronically rigged.

It will be seen by now that much dexterity is required if you are to use the capabilities of the instrument to the full and produce music which has tonal and textural variety. I would put it on a par with playing the organ. A foot pedal can assist with some of the changes, particularly the volume control. The right hand maintains legato melodies, including inner parts, and the left hand is kept very busy playing chords (staccato) and pressing control buttons. Fortunately most keyboards allow you to save certain settings for quick recall. Something which can only be operated at the time, though, is ‘fills.’ These are orchestral, in particular drum, variations which mark the ends of phrases or the transition to a new idea. It is vital for the keyboard player to be able to assess the form of a piece.

The electronic keyboard is no more of a ‘toy’ than the piano; both require methodical practice in order to reach proficiency. It is a pity that some teachers think the two indistinguishable; they are separate and distinct instruments. Pupils taught piano on a keyboard get the worst of both worlds: inferior piano tone, touch, and range, without the discovery of all its exciting and liberating possibilities. And let’s face it. Keyboard arrangements sound much closer to the popular music most of them love than ‘easy piano’ versions.

So far I have talked about the individual player. But one of the things which I found exciting about the electronic keyboard was the door it opened on ensemble opportunities. It is portable, relatively cheap, and has an almost limitless range of sounds. Why not put them together to produce a new art form? The aim would not be to produce a pale imitation of orchestral music, but to create imaginative textures unobtainable by acoustic instruments. The style could be truly crossover, with a fusion of genres from Sarabande to Salsa and the unashamed inclusion of ‘special effects’. I acknowledge that the same result could be achieved by sequencing on a synthesizer, but then so can the orchestral sound to a large extent. There is nothing to beat live performance. I wanted pupils to have the satisfaction and discipline of working together on joint musical projects, with the attendant social benefits.

I see it as a bit of a musical outreach too. Electronic keyboard players are less likely to come from well-heeled middle-class families than their instrumental counterparts. Sponsorship is needed to enable courses to happen. It is important that the element of fun, both in the activities and the repertoire, is strong. Just as orchestra is not the same as instrumental tuition, so it is with keyboard, despite the involvement of ensemble work in class learning.

In my experience of running courses I have promoted several different approaches, and there may well be others. In the orchestral model individuals or groups take different voices, amplified as necessary, in parts which are read from the page. Confident players could ‘split’ the keyboard and play two voices each. There may be anything from three to twelve parts, ranging in difficulty from beginner to advanced. Players learn to follow the conductor, who pinpoints their entries, the dynamics and even tempo changes. Auto accompaniments may be employed throughout, partially, or not at all.

The second approach majors on improvisation, using any initial material as a basis. Either the melodies spring out of the harmonic structure and genre of the backing style, or an entire jazz band is conjured up with suitable instrumentation; tutti for the ‘head’ and just piano and drums to accompany the four-bar solo slots. It is amazing how well even beginners can do at improvising within this safe cocoon, freed from the restraints of reading the notes.

It is also worth building time into the day for group composition. Let the pupils invent and develop their own ideas in small, mixed ability groups, with teachers on hand if they want advice.

The ABRSM has come up with a new idea in their ‘Music Medals’ for electronic keyboard. These are exams for children who learn as part of a group, so their colleagues provide the other, non-assessed parts. The best way to describe it is as chamber music. There is one person per line and a maximum of four parts, of similar difficulty. Balance becomes all-important, addressed in part through the careful choice of instrumentation. In the lower medals the teacher plays the auto accompaniment and a contrasting melody, but then the task is taken on by a pupil. The commissioned pieces are either originals or arrangements of popular songs. The fact that copyright clearance has taken so long rather proves that the ensemble books will be a great success! They will be published later this year.

Nancy Litten LRAM ATCL belongs to the ISM’s Kent Centre, and is a member of the Society’s Specialist Sections for Musicians in Education and Professional Private Teachers. She set up keyboard courses in Kent in 1999, contributed to the electronic keyboard section of A Common Approach (FMS/Faber 2002), and has directed two national keyboard summer schools. The website www.keyboardcourses.com seeks to encourage teachers to provide ensemble opportunities for their pupils, and sells repertoire. Nancy advises the ABRSM on electronic keyboards, as well as being one of their examiners. She is also a freelance piano accompanist.

Links:
Music Journal Index
Subscribe to Music Journal
Join the ISM
Home