Foldable Manuals

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
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JRP
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Foldable Manuals

Post by JRP »

I am looking at getting a foldable keyboard for practising when away. Does anyone have experience with these and is able to provide any suggestions? Most important is that it must have a decent touch to it and not feel like a basic electronic organ. I have also seen some flat keyboards which roll up. Are these practical or just a gimmick?
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mdyde
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Re: Foldable Manuals

Post by mdyde »

[Topic moved here.]
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
IanPounder
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Re: Foldable Manuals

Post by IanPounder »

The roll up keyboards I have seen have no key movement at all. It's like playing on a picture of a keyboard on a slightly spongy surface. They do work, but...
larason2
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Re: Foldable Manuals

Post by larason2 »

I think on the Organ forum there was one user who was happy with one of those keyboards that fold in half. I'm pretty sure the key action isn't great, but it probably doesn't matter.

Before we had electronic keyboards, organ players would sit on the bed at the hotel or at a table and rehearse their whole program in their head with their eyes closed, or with the music in front of them. It was common in the past if the family couldn't afford a piano or other instrument to buy or make a sheet of paper or cloth with the notes on it, and practice would be done on that. When I was first starting out piano, I was in Bermuda with no instrument to play on for some time. So I went to the seemingly only music shop and bought a cheap keyboard (though not actually that cheap!) with very basic keys and terrible action. It said it had "100 voices," and each one had a button on the instrument, but it was only about 15 voices, but multiple buttons actuated the same sound many times, with different labels. It seems crude, but that's how I learned a lot of keyboarding fundamentals! I used to play it for hours. The sound was terrible, but for what I was learning it was fine. I think I chose the voice that was closest to an organ!

That all being said, it's always best to practice on something that's close to what you'll be playing, especially if its something like organ where a lot depends on muscle memory. In the absence of that though, you really can practice on practically anything.
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RichardW
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Re: Foldable Manuals

Post by RichardW »

I have no experience of this one but it looked like fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZKfH09C7Pc

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Richard
JRP
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Re: Foldable Manuals

Post by JRP »

Thank you very much for your comments. I particularly enjoyed the youtube. I will proceed with the flat keys and see how they go.

Regards

John
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