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How to Follow a Melody with Keyboards

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Part of the video series: Using Keyboards & Synthesizers as Backing Instruments

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Summary: Following a melody with keyboards and synthesizers can help emphasize the melody. Learn how to play along with melodies on a keyboard in this free music lesson video.

Views: 624 | Tags: instrument, piano, keyboard, play, playing, synth, synthesizer, studio, electronic, sequencer

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About the Expert

Ben Anderson Ben Anderson has been playing piano, keyboards, and synthesizers for almost all his life. He took lessons as a young child and took easily to music. Performi... read more

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Video Transcript

How to Follow a Melody with Keyboards

BEN ANDERSON: Hi. I'm Ben Anderson with Expert Village, and I'm here today to talk to you about following a melody line while playing keyboard in a rock band. Melody lines generally will be found within the vocal lines that are being sung, so oftentimes a keyboardist could play along with the melody line to help emphasize that and to give it more backing support especially if the singer--if the melody itself is maybe lower in the singer's range and therefore, might not stick out as much, so playing along with it will help emphasize it. For example, say I was singing a melody line that sounded something like (hums melody line) then I can follow along with that on the keyboard (plays melody line on keyboard) and I can help emphasize it there. So, if the two were together, they would be in unison together to help give it that backing support. There are other examples. There might be another time where let's say, the singer might be singing high and the singer might not be able to reach the notes as high enough so the keyboard is there to again, give it more and more support and help it stick out even so much more. Say, the singer was singing something like (hums melody line) I could do that with the keyboard (plays melody line on keyboard) and I can help follow along with the melody line that's already there. So, there are many, many different other ways, of course, that you could always play along with the melody that's currently being sung by a singer. And it doesn't even have to be with the vocals; oftentimes, it can also be with another instrument. If the lead guitar is playing the melody on the lead guitar, the keyboard could always follow along in unison with the guitar part just to help emphasize it more. If anything, it's there for support and for emphasizing it.

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