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Tutorials

KeyMusician Keyboard Tutorials

Laeramin LLC copyright © 2014

This section summarizes the lessons (in the form of tutorials) that are installed with the application.  The lessons in this form are excellent for people who are good at self-study.

For people who prefer to have things personally shown to you, the video lessons are better.

First off, to get you started quickly, we have the Quick-Start Tutorial – The absolute minimum you need to know in order to play the instrument.  You should still go through tutorial 1, or you will miss out on useful things you really would like to know.

  1. An Introduction to the KeyMusician Keyboard – Covers everything on playing the instrument.  Everyone (even if you’re already a musician) should read this tutorial.
  2. Learning to Play Music from MIDI Files – How to learn to play music by playing MIDI files on the Player/Recorder, matching the notes from the player (shown in red), with the notes you play (shown in blue, turning green when you match the note).
  3. Improvising Your Own Music with MIDI Files – How to improvise your own music along with other music (such as the several exercise files), which is one of the easiest, and most enjoyable ways of learning music.
  4. Improvising Your Own Music With Audio Files – How to improvise your own music, playing along with audio files.  The big thing to learn in this lesson, is how to determine the key-signature.  Once you figure out the key-signature, and set it, improvising becomes easy, and rewarding.
  5. Learning to Play Tunes from Sheet-Music – How to play tunes from written music, by matching the note-heads (the round part of the notes, which tells you the pitch) with what is in the written music.  Numerous exercises are provided.  If you’re familiar with the tune you’re playing, all you need to know is the pitch
  6. Learning to Play Sheet-Music on the KeyMusician Keyboard – Learn how to recognize the shape of the notes (and their corresponding rests) determine the length of the note (or rest).  Learn to play a piece of music (having 5 sharps) from the written music.
  7. Reading Chords In Sheet-Music – How to play chords in written music, in detail.  Covers the various ways different music publishers will use to show the same chord.  Shows you how to interpret and play complex chords.
  8. Recording And Layering – How to use the MIDI Recorder/Player to record the music you play.  You can add additional parts (playing and recording along with what is already there), which is called layering.
  9. Questions And Answers – Q & A from early in the history of the instrument.
  10. Recording Audio From The Java Sound Synth, Using The ‘Audacity’ App. (On Linux) – How to record an audio file from the music you play on the instrument (using the Java Sound Synthesizer), with better quality than using microphones.
  11. Recording Audio From Qsynth In Rosegarden, Using JACK (On Linux) – How to record an audio file from the music you play on the instrument (using Qsynth), with better quality than using microphones.
  12. Volume Control (Dynamics) – How to use the numeric keypad to instantly set the volume of what you play to specific volume levels shown in the music.  Do gradually louder, and gradually softer volume changes in an automated fashion, even doing notes marked “sfz” by pressing a single key.
  13. Counting Out Rhythms In Sheet-Music – How to play rhythms in written music, with precise accuracy, by counting-out the rhythm (in your mind) as you play it.  Comes from lessons learned over years of playing in school band.
  14. Repetition In Music – How to recognize and properly play, the various ways in which sections of written music are repeated, from simple repeat bar-lines, to things like “D. C. Al Fine”.

Exercises Music, Supplied as Files

File:01-LearnTheNotes.mid
1 KB 9/28/12 4:24:27 PM MDT
File:02-LearnTheNotes-AllOctaves.mid
2 KB 10/3/12 1:41:12 PM MDT
File:03-LearnTheNotes-AnyOctave.mid
1 KB 9/28/12 4:35:42 PM MDT
File:04-LearnTheNotes-BlackKeys.mid
1 KB 9/28/12 4:23:30 PM MDT
File:05-Interval-Training-Up.mid
2 KB 9/20/12 3:06:45 PM MDT
File:06-Interval-Training-Down.mid
2 KB 9/20/12 3:09:49 PM MDT
File:07-ParallelThirds.mid
1 KB 10/5/12 11:35:01 AM MDT
File:11-Dvorak-NewWorldSymphony.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 2:39:42 PM MDT
File:12-FolkSong-Shenandoah.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 2:42:44 PM MDT
File:13-FolkSong-LochLomand.mid
4 KB 9/6/12 2:44:49 PM MDT
File:14-Brahms-Symphony3-3rdMov.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 2:47:49 PM MDT
File:15-Grieg-PeerGynt-MorningMood-5#.mid
6 KB 9/6/12 2:49:04 PM MDT
File:16-Greensleeves.mid
4 KB 9/6/12 2:50:44 PM MDT
File:17-Brahms-Symphony1-4thMov-1b.mid
5 KB 9/6/12 2:51:45 PM MDT
File:18-Ravel-PavaneForADeadPrincess-1#.mid
2 KB 9/6/12 2:53:09 PM MDT
File:19-BugleCall-Taps-2b.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 2:54:33 PM MDT
File:20-SwedishYulSong-JomfruenHonGaarIDansen-1b.mid
5 KB 9/6/12 2:55:55 PM MDT
File:21-Brahms-Intermezzo-lullaby-3b.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 2:57:01 PM MDT
File:22-AmazingGrace-3b.mid
4 KB 9/6/12 2:59:35 PM MDT
File:23-Sibelius-SwanOfTuonela.mid
3 KB 9/6/12 3:02:31 PM MDT
File:24-Borodin-PolovtsianDances-3#.mid
8 KB 9/6/12 3:03:36 PM MDT
File:30-Aere-Intermezzo-No-4-1#.mid
37 KB 5/27/13 6:09:04 PM MDT
File:31-Aere-Romance in Descending Thirds-GM.mid
22 KB 5/27/13 6:10:56 PM MDT
File:40-Waltz.mid
2 KB 5/27/13 6:45:35 PM MDT
File:41-Pachelbel-Canon-2#.mid
23 KB 5/27/13 6:49:27 PM MDT
File:42-Impromptu-1-ForestBreezes.mid
6 KB 2/2/13 7:36:47 PM MST
File:43-Impromptu-2-SunlightOnTheWater.mid
16 KB 3/23/14 4:22:18 PM MDT
File:44-Guitar-Fantasia.mid
15 KB 5/27/13 7:19:30 PM MDT
File:45-Sweet-Mystery.mid
15 KB 2/3/13 6:53:15 PM MST
File:46-Piano-Improv.mid
18 KB 2/3/13 7:19:44 PM MST
File:47-Scarborough-Fair.mid
10 KB 2/3/13 7:36:50 PM MST

Newsletter Articles

There are also a lot of KMK Newsletter articles that are actually tutorials, that can be helpful in your learning.

Alphabetical Index Of Newsletter Articles That Are Also Tutorials, or Teach You About Music

Chords Along With Percussion 2014-12

Classical Guitar On The KeyMusician Keyboard 2017-04

Configuring A Custom Synthesizer Or Soundfont 2014-08

Counting-Out Rhythms In Sheet-Music 2016-08

Creating A Group Of Instruments 2014-07

Diatonic Scales Versus Chromatic Scales 2016-11

Group Improvisation With Different Instruments 2018-07

Improvisation Exercises – All Key-Signatures 2016-10

Improvising A Piece Entirely With Melody-Keys 2015-07

Instrument Ranges, And Going Beyond Them 2016-09

Introduction To Improvisation 2015-08

Key-Signatures – Why, How, and Wherefore 2014-11

Learning To Play Chords From A MIDI File 2016-06

Learning Percussion On The KeyMusician Keyboard 2020-06

Modal Scales – The Forgotten Scales 2016-12

Percussion On The KeyMusician Keyboard 2017-01

Percussion Using MIDI Devices 2017-02

Playing An Expressive Steel-Guitar 2015-04

Playing Chords-With-Melody Music On Piano 2019-04

Playing Guitar With Melody And Strummed-Chords 2015-12

Playing Trills With The Wah-Wah Keys 2020-08

Print-Out Your Music 2016-03

Recording Audio On Windows & Mac 2015-01

Sampled-Sounds and Synthesized Sounds 2018-04

Strummed-Chords, And Arpeggios 2018-05

The KeyMusician Blues 2015-02

Using A Gamers Keyboard 2017-08

Using A MIDI Keyboard 2015-10

Using Ableton Live 2015-03

Using Cantabile 2017-12

Using Cubase 2017-10

Using DimensionPro 2015-06

Using GarageBand 2018-02

Using Logic Pro X On Mac OS X 2019-01

Using MainStage On Mac OS X 2018-06

Using Rosegarden, On Linux 2018-01

Using Sonar X2 2017-11

Using The ZynAddSubFX Synthesizer 2016-07