Great tips. As a keyboardist myself for over 50 years, I've got another tip. I always keep in my bag a tuner, a capo, picks and 9V batteries. I've saved quite a few guitarists some embarrassment over the years. LOL!!
@@silverlight2004db Nope. If the guitarist doesn't have a least a spare E string, he's on his own! And I never have anything for drummers, I only help out musicians......Sorry, I'll see myself out! 🤣
You're handsdown the best piano/keyboard youtuber out there. I immediately gotta watch when a new video comes out. I'm looking forward to seeing you live with Jamiroquai next year.
There are people that can play and play well. However, they may not be a performer. Then there are people that play well and are performers, but do NOT do it well. Here is where there is a difference between performers being amateurs and those that are professionals. Matt is the epitome of a professional, hands down. Keep up the great work Matt, both on stage and here online teaching us how to better ourselves. I appreciate your advice, and I am never too proud to admit if I need more practice and time to work on something to get it right. Thanks again.
It kind of surprised me, that you literally went through a lot of practices I've been doing for years: Using splits, regulate levels between zones, set list with essential "improvisation"/"spontaneous keyboard solo" sounds in the bottom row, reduce reverb level of preset, disable sustain pedal of some split zones. Such things were done before the internet, based on a lot of intuition, experience, reading magazines and talking with musician friends.
This is a real lesson on doing your homework before any gig this is so so important even as a drummer I do the same thing!! A big big lesson DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Nice one Matt a really good lesson indeed love this!!!🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯😃
Band synth player here! I'm in an environment with a lot of cover bands around, and one of my pet peeves is seeing a cover band where the keyboard player will ALWAYS play the piano sound. "Can't Stop" by RHCP? Piano! "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne? Well, piano of course! And I'm sure for some of these cases there might be a way to make piano fit in the song, but it's always done thoughtlessly. Having to find the right sound can be annoying, having to craft the sound even more, but when you hit the sweet spot it is so gratifying. Also, no one would be excited for a cover of Sweet Dreams if you played the main riff with an EP rather than with a detuned unison saw.
Terrific video! I have a few additional tips: 1. You cannot count on having effective stereo separation at most gigs, so try to avoid stereo effects and patches if possible. At a minimum, take your "summed mono" output and amplify it into a single speaker to test how things will sound to your audience. 2. Many patches that sound great when playing alone will sound horrible (muddy) in the overall band's mix (especially acoustic pianos). A high-pass filter is very helpful (in addition to Matt's suggestion about cutting back the reverb). It will sound terribly thin when you play it alone, but you won't be "stepping on" the bass when playing with the band. 3. I am not sure that I agree with Matt's suggestion to turn all patches up to maximum. The problem (for me) is that there is a huge difference in the relative volume of different patches, even on the same keyboard (or soft synth). I don't have a great answer to this problem. It is a constant battle of tweaking patch volumes. Perhaps compression and/or a limiter might help?
Good. points except I didn't say turn the patches up to maximum. You turn your keyboard up to maximum so the levels you arrive at are always the same. This is crucial for big Shows
Super funky groove off the top!! Great tips from the funk master and the gig master as well, embodying how to live and conduct your life as a pro musician. Thanks so much, Matt. Really LOVE your tune as well!
Matt....I'm extremely grateful for your shared experience here and giving your time to us. You've challenged me to " look under the hood" a bit more on my old Triton Extreme.....God knows what I'll find.
This was brilliant. I have just started playing keys live (covers band) and have that same desire to reproduce as much of the original songs as possible. It's comforting to know that my endless splits and sticking of samples on certain keys is what pros like yourself are doing. Your idea of putting parts of phrases on single keys is a great idea. The only problem is synths can do so much that I haven't got enough hands to do all the bits that I know they could add to tunes or remember where I've put them on the keyboard 😂
Getting a comprehensive Midi foot controller, has really transformed how I can perform my music. Sometimes yiu really can’t take the hands of the keys.
@@martinforstner3075 That's really encouraging to know as I do have a Nektar Pacer which I'm trying to work out how best to integrate into the setup as I have officially run out of fingers 😃 Triggering some of those sampled phrases via that while my hands are busy could be great. Thank you.
00:00 Introduction 01:05 Learn the identifiable parts 02:26 Get the sounds right 04:11 Using samples 08:28 Layering & Sound design tips 11:35 What to know about using presets 12:38 Setting consistent levels for the gig 14:22 Live Sets/Organization 15:13 Lead/Solo Sounds with Expression, Essential Sounds 18:56 Come prepared
Brilliant tips Matt thanks! I'm currently learning 3 x 45 min sets to start doing some gigs next year with just myself on keys and some backing vocals, and my mate on drums and lead vocals! I've arranged the sets so Set 1 will mostly be Rhodes, and was planning to actually use my Mark II 54 note Rhodes, with a Roland Juno G synth on top! Set 2 will be mostly acoustic piano and set three will be mostly organs, so mainly using the Roland synth and I had planned to just be quite lazy and cover the actual keyboard part and bass lines on the Rhodes or piano sound and also play some of the strings / brass / guitar parts etc, just using the main Rhodes / Piano / Organ sound, but maybe I need to spend a little more time on layering and splitting etc to cover the other parts more authentically! I hope I've not bitten off more than I can chew taking this gig on, lol!
Thanks Matt, as always this is incredibly interesting for us Jamiroquai/Matt Johnson fans, as well as suiting the pros and most basic amateur musicians in us
Thanks for this Matt! Would love a tutorial video on how to set even levels for all the patches in a live set. Do you use VU metering, just by ear? Do you use studio monitors, PA, or headphones?
2:11 point taken. that could also be the start of great gig in the sky "just chords" too haha. this whole video was very informative. thx a bunch. that synth go-to sound was a beast wow.
I probably listened to the songs for the first time on the way to the gig but I’ve got a great memory for phrases and perfect pitch. One time I was on B3 and the bandleader was on grand piano. He was arguing with the Grammy winning recording guitarist about a chord when he said “Tommy’s got it right and he has no idea what the chord is.” I don’t even think when I play. That messes everything up.
Fantastic advice, thanks Matt! Maybe you could do an accompanying video about how best to get yourself out of tricky situations when things go wrong, having back up options etc?
Really useful stuff. Bass player in an industrial metal band wanting to move away from pure backing tracks for the electronic elements to more live triggered stuff, this video showed up at just the right time! (Started following during the pandemic when I decided I wanted to play funk keys ... Things changed a bit from there!)
Good to see you Matt. And thanks for sharing, this is a great video... I love my Montage for 5+ years already. Love the sampling, layering and actually the built in sounds are quite good and realistic. I use mainly Montage and Arturia synths. Matt, hope to see you again on stage soon. Happy Thanksgiving from Armenia! 🎹🎶
Always love your deliciously musical playing and really practical knowledge and tips. Appreciate you so much. Love Venus Rising, one of my favorite cuts from your album. Need to figure out where my live at the pizza express digital album went to, lol.
Great advice from my favorit keyboardist. Specialy about not using to much reverb during a gig. Since you wear this fancy jacket you might add aviator glasses and fill in the space Quincy Jones left open.
Another fantastic instructional video, thanks for that, Matt! 👍👍👍 On the subject of never changing the master volume, which is of course correct in principle, one question: How do I make sure that the audience hears my solo if the man at the mixing desk doesn't know the program? Don't I almost have to turn up the volume myself? How often have I heard the sentence after gigs: "Your solos were hardly heard, in contrast to the guitar solos." 😫😉
Awesome vid, totally appreciated...I do similar stuff to what youre doing...although i use soft synths using either Mainstage3 or Ableton Live.....but the set up is very much the same. 2 thumbs up for your excellent playing also..
What great timing! I was very curious how you set up your splits and what palette of sounds you like to have on hand. Really great to know how the pros do it, so can't thank you enough for sharing. Brilliant stuff Matt. Have a great day!
man, this is gold information and I can dig it more now that I'm prune to be more into doing synth and sound design great! great video! thank you so much for your time
Great tips. I'm in two tribute bands (Chicago, 3DN). We play other tunes to get the crowd dancing. I try to play the parts just like the record and also do splits and layers. The other thing I do is I'm always playing. Lately I see keyboard players who stop playing, or they're playing guitar, signing, and they're not playing all the time. It really bugs me when an important part of the song comes up and they don't play it like the record.
A great clip... thanks for your experience. Remember to always save all your work to an external drive should (heaven forbid) the board glitch out. ...however, some great tips. Nice! 😊
Thanks for your tips. Luckily I do everything as you´ve said. But I really needed this affirmation, because I dont have any teacher and I´m young so always look up for more experienced keyboardist so I can learn something new and get better. The hardest thing for me is setting the levels. Its really hard in bands where we dont have recordings to adjust these, because some sounds could have lower level of volume but still they cut through more easily. Also I dont want to have the same levels through the song. When I play several sounds in one song I want some to be just background and for solo to really cut through. But its hard to set it perfectly so its not too loud or too quiet.
Preparation is key. And if you are lucky you get to see Matt doing this live, which sounds so good, to the point you start to wonder if there is a background track, but no the master does it all live 😎
Great tips Matt - using expression pedal (left foot) or any controllers adds another layer of live playing complexity on top of playing / improv & sustain pedal (right foot) - in other words it’s another practice area which I have not mastered very well - not hugely covered in tuition vids also
Great video (as usual with Matt!) Thank you. I would add to the list: Play at 70% of your possibilities, dont try your 100% on a live gig. And personnaly I still have difficulties to play a clavinet sound, would love to see a Special Clav' video from the master.
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Excellent, Matt, thank you, I'll have a look at it. EDIT: Actualy I've seen it 3 years ago. I've the brain of goldfish 🥴.. I need to see it again, obviously
This is a goldmine! Thank you for such a detailed walkthrough of your patches and process. Would you have any tips on memorising tunes and abandoning the ipad? Or is it as simple as playing the tunes a hundred times til it sticks? My greatest fear is forgetting what to play on stage… 😅
Great practical advice Matt, I'm Playing with multiple bands at the moment,bought a modx this year scenes and touch screen are a game changer now all I've got to do is learn to play 😅
Great video, and exactly how I approach the keys parts in my three (albeit less successful) tribute bands, although the level tip is something I need to take on board 😬. Most multitimbral workstations and the Nord Stage can do these sort of setups. This is the reason why we still need workstation style synthesisers, most gear reviewers/influencers miss this type of end user when they review them.
FIRST! Thanks for your tips! I do what you describe all the time. I am the only keyboard player and have to identify all the most important parts that "have to be there" and decide which I can leave out - since I can not do everything, Many times I have to tell other members of the band what to focus on as well. Sometimes to add things I can not do on a different instrument, sometimes they have problems hearing the key things they need to do to make a song work in the band. It´s usually the keyboardplayers that does all that beckgroundstuff. I guess that is why keyboardplayers are the MD of a band many times. And... it´s usually way more work than the other musicians have to do. BTW... we play Jamiroquai stuff as well 🙂
I am happy I am already doing 95 % of this even if I am not a professional. I didn't know about the reverb thing, that was an important advice. I never noticed that, and after watching the video I went on my old Motif and now I have to rework some of my preset because it is obviously true what the master says here. And last, since I have a bad memory I can't do nothing without my iPad. Specially for a "once gig". It happens to me that someone calls me to join a band I don't usually play with, or sometimes it happens that we do some special tributes. I can't do it without my notes. I don't write everything, but just the basic harmony to help me remember. With my usual band I can play without it, but I always bring it with me anyway. It is a sort of Linus blanket (if some of you know Peanuts lol).
Another great video, Matt - just one question from me. What one keyboard would you recommend for a funk keyboard player? I am in an originals funk band, and have the YC73, which I love. It is a little heavy, and doesn't offer the creative layering of a MODX, for example, which I find quite appealing. I of course know that a good player can make anything work and sound great. But just curious, if you could only have one keyboard for a gig or gigs (which is what I do, and plan to do), what would it be?
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Thanks Matt - I'll try and find a copy next time I visit Yamaha, as I love the sounds from Yamaha, they're what I'm most familiar with, and the YC is a great stage piano/organ, but the layering capabilities from MODX are hard to ignore.
Great tips. As a keyboardist myself for over 50 years, I've got another tip. I always keep in my bag a tuner, a capo, picks and 9V batteries. I've saved quite a few guitarists some embarrassment over the years. LOL!!
And a pricelist too I hope? 🤣🤣🤣
What about spare strings, drumsticks and a snare skin haha
Batteries for the singers microphone 😅
@@silverlight2004db Nope. If the guitarist doesn't have a least a spare E string, he's on his own! And I never have anything for drummers, I only help out musicians......Sorry, I'll see myself out! 🤣
Screw the guitar…oops to late…
Time to learn more from the master :)
You're handsdown the best piano/keyboard youtuber out there. I immediately gotta watch when a new video comes out. I'm looking forward to seeing you live with Jamiroquai next year.
Thanks!
it's been so long your Montage has turned black! 😄
There are people that can play and play well. However, they may not be a performer. Then there are people that play well and are performers, but do NOT do it well. Here is where there is a difference between performers being amateurs and those that are professionals.
Matt is the epitome of a professional, hands down.
Keep up the great work Matt, both on stage and here online teaching us how to better ourselves.
I appreciate your advice, and I am never too proud to admit if I need more practice and time to work on something to get it right. Thanks again.
Thanks!
It kind of surprised me, that you literally went through a lot of practices I've been doing for years:
Using splits, regulate levels between zones, set list with essential "improvisation"/"spontaneous keyboard solo" sounds in the bottom row, reduce reverb level of preset, disable sustain pedal of some split zones.
Such things were done before the internet, based on a lot of intuition, experience, reading magazines and talking with musician friends.
"Don't be a ____" is the most important advice of all.
This is a real lesson on doing your homework before any gig this is so so important even as a drummer I do the same thing!! A big big lesson DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Nice one Matt a really good lesson indeed love this!!!🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯😃
Thanks D!
Band synth player here! I'm in an environment with a lot of cover bands around, and one of my pet peeves is seeing a cover band where the keyboard player will ALWAYS play the piano sound.
"Can't Stop" by RHCP? Piano! "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne? Well, piano of course!
And I'm sure for some of these cases there might be a way to make piano fit in the song, but it's always done thoughtlessly.
Having to find the right sound can be annoying, having to craft the sound even more, but when you hit the sweet spot it is so gratifying.
Also, no one would be excited for a cover of Sweet Dreams if you played the main riff with an EP rather than with a detuned unison saw.
This has been my claim to fame!!! Always finding the right sounds and the right voicing!!!
Hands down one of the best channels on TH-cam
Terrific video! I have a few additional tips:
1. You cannot count on having effective stereo separation at most gigs, so try to avoid stereo effects and patches if possible. At a minimum, take your "summed mono" output and amplify it into a single speaker to test how things will sound to your audience.
2. Many patches that sound great when playing alone will sound horrible (muddy) in the overall band's mix (especially acoustic pianos). A high-pass filter is very helpful (in addition to Matt's suggestion about cutting back the reverb). It will sound terribly thin when you play it alone, but you won't be "stepping on" the bass when playing with the band.
3. I am not sure that I agree with Matt's suggestion to turn all patches up to maximum. The problem (for me) is that there is a huge difference in the relative volume of different patches, even on the same keyboard (or soft synth). I don't have a great answer to this problem. It is a constant battle of tweaking patch volumes. Perhaps compression and/or a limiter might help?
Good. points except I didn't say turn the patches up to maximum. You turn your keyboard up to maximum so the levels you arrive at are always the same. This is crucial for big Shows
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Now I understand. That makes more sense. I will give it a try.
loving that bird sound ambience!! feels like a polished emu-II loon :)
Love putting stuff like that in
Thanks Matt, always inspiring!
My pleasure!
This is Great Matt. More of this stuff please.
Matt you're a genius! Thanx for sharing.
My pleasure!
Super funky groove off the top!! Great tips from the funk master and the gig master as well, embodying how to live and conduct your life as a pro musician. Thanks so much, Matt. Really LOVE your tune as well!
Thanks a lot!
Great tip regarding presets and removing the reverb. I've been doing that for a while now and it was really affirming to hear you advocate that Mat. 👍
Yamaha synth player in a Tribute Band. These are words of wisdom. Thank you!
My pleasure!
Matt....I'm extremely grateful for your shared experience here and giving your time to us. You've challenged me to " look under the hood" a bit more on my old Triton Extreme.....God knows what I'll find.
That thing is such a pain to program. Omg, couple hours just to get few combis working.
What a masterclass BRAVOO!
Excellent tips Matt, thank you very much for sharing with us.
My pleasure!
This was brilliant. I have just started playing keys live (covers band) and have that same desire to reproduce as much of the original songs as possible. It's comforting to know that my endless splits and sticking of samples on certain keys is what pros like yourself are doing. Your idea of putting parts of phrases on single keys is a great idea. The only problem is synths can do so much that I haven't got enough hands to do all the bits that I know they could add to tunes or remember where I've put them on the keyboard 😂
Getting a comprehensive Midi foot controller, has really transformed how I can perform my music. Sometimes yiu really can’t take the hands of the keys.
@@martinforstner3075 That's really encouraging to know as I do have a Nektar Pacer which I'm trying to work out how best to integrate into the setup as I have officially run out of fingers 😃 Triggering some of those sampled phrases via that while my hands are busy could be great. Thank you.
I love the 'whatever you need to get the job done' approach. Split keys, layers, samples, midi filters etc. I use Halion on a laptop like this.
Love learning about your process. Great advice. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Great Tips Matt! I do enjoy your podcasts! Thank You! 🙏🏾👍🏾
Thanks so much!!! We keep learning from you a lot ❤️🎊
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Learn the identifiable parts
02:26 Get the sounds right
04:11 Using samples
08:28 Layering & Sound design tips
11:35 What to know about using presets
12:38 Setting consistent levels for the gig
14:22 Live Sets/Organization
15:13 Lead/Solo Sounds with Expression, Essential Sounds
18:56 Come prepared
Like so many great musicians very humble Thank you
Thanks for listening
Brilliant tips Matt thanks! I'm currently learning 3 x 45 min sets to start doing some gigs next year with just myself on keys and some backing vocals, and my mate on drums and lead vocals! I've arranged the sets so Set 1 will mostly be Rhodes, and was planning to actually use my Mark II 54 note Rhodes, with a Roland Juno G synth on top! Set 2 will be mostly acoustic piano and set three will be mostly organs, so mainly using the Roland synth and I had planned to just be quite lazy and cover the actual keyboard part and bass lines on the Rhodes or piano sound and also play some of the strings / brass / guitar parts etc, just using the main Rhodes / Piano / Organ sound, but maybe I need to spend a little more time on layering and splitting etc to cover the other parts more authentically! I hope I've not bitten off more than I can chew taking this gig on, lol!
Good luck!
Excellent video! Great information as always! Loved the summary at the end :))))) THANK YOU A LOT for sharing your experience!
My pleasure!
This is absolute gold. Thank you, Matt, for sharing your hard-earned wisdom!
My pleasure!
Thanks Matt, as always this is incredibly interesting for us Jamiroquai/Matt Johnson fans, as well as suiting the pros and most basic amateur musicians in us
It's absurd how good you are lmao. Always fun to watch!
Thanks!
Great, great, great! Everything organized. Thank You, man!
You're welcome!
Solid gold Matt. I think about this stuff all the time and to hear some of my own thoughts reinforced by you is very reassuring. Appreciate it man!
Thanks for this excellent first hand advice - great to see this level of detail coming directly from touring experience!
Glad it was helpful!
Great advice MATT!! thanks as always for sharing your good energy with us 🙂
My pleasure!!
That ambient little addition has got The Orb written all over it
Love how you groove and improvise 🙂
Thanks!
Love this Matt. Thanks !
Thank you for this amazing class!!!! I always wanted to know how a great musician like you organize the sounds.
Glad you enjoy it!
Thanks for sharing your expertese on the matter
My pleasure!
Very useful tips, thanks very much Matt. You are amazing musican and good teacher.
I appreciate that!
Thanks for this Matt! Would love a tutorial video on how to set even levels for all the patches in a live set. Do you use VU metering, just by ear? Do you use studio monitors, PA, or headphones?
Just by ear, sometimes you have to adjust once in a rehearsal room
2:11 point taken. that could also be the start of great gig in the sky "just chords" too haha. this whole video was very informative. thx a bunch. that synth go-to sound was a beast wow.
Thank you Matt! I love the shortcuts to the most used sound (rhodes, piano...), I will replicate your tricks on my setup!
Fantastic!
I probably listened to the songs for the first time on the way to the gig but I’ve got a great memory for phrases and perfect pitch. One time I was on B3 and the bandleader was on grand piano. He was arguing with the Grammy winning recording guitarist about a chord when he said “Tommy’s got it right and he has no idea what the chord is.” I don’t even think when I play. That messes everything up.
Great video, lots of inspiration and the need to deal intensively with the program, thank you very much! ❤
You're so welcome!
Thank you Matt 🎹🎸
More videos please 🙏😉
More to come!
I agree with everything you said. If only I could play like you 😊
Always good advices. Good tip: reverb on expression pedal and dont touch your level knob. I will enhance the use of samples in the patch! Thanx.
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic advice, thanks Matt! Maybe you could do an accompanying video about how best to get yourself out of tricky situations when things go wrong, having back up options etc?
Great suggestion!
Really useful stuff. Bass player in an industrial metal band wanting to move away from pure backing tracks for the electronic elements to more live triggered stuff, this video showed up at just the right time!
(Started following during the pandemic when I decided I wanted to play funk keys ... Things changed a bit from there!)
Not sure I'll be needing the clav on speed dial for this gig though!
haha true
matt is simply the best superb bravo
amazing value in this video, thank you mate!
My pleasure!
Left hand, amazing 👏👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Good God Matt that opening song was so good! You and Jay should do something with that!
Thanks for sharing these Tips 🙂
Good to see you Matt. And thanks for sharing, this is a great video... I love my Montage for 5+ years already. Love the sampling, layering and actually the built in sounds are quite good and realistic. I use mainly Montage and Arturia synths. Matt, hope to see you again on stage soon.
Happy Thanksgiving from Armenia! 🎹🎶
Glad you enjoyed it!
Always love your deliciously musical playing and really practical knowledge and tips. Appreciate you so much. Love Venus Rising, one of my favorite cuts from your album. Need to figure out where my live at the pizza express digital album went to, lol.
Thank you kindly!
Great advice from my favorit keyboardist. Specialy about not using to much reverb during a gig.
Since you wear this fancy jacket you might add aviator glasses and fill in the space Quincy Jones left open.
Haha he was more stylish!
Another fantastic instructional video, thanks for that, Matt! 👍👍👍 On the subject of never changing the master volume, which is of course correct in principle, one question: How do I make sure that the audience hears my solo if the man at the mixing desk doesn't know the program? Don't I almost have to turn up the volume myself? How often have I heard the sentence after gigs: "Your solos were hardly heard, in contrast to the guitar solos." 😫😉
Yes I understand your point. You can only really trust that at the top level of things where you have the best engineers
Great tips about strings and in general about splits and relationships between performances on Yamaha Montage/Modx.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks again for sharing 🙏 ❤
No problem 😊
Super Advice. As a music student and keyboard nerd, I'm taking notes. Advice & Jacket are both spot-on!
Glad it was helpful!
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Always Dude. A legend like you, taking time to share your knowledge... Iconic 👍🎹 Rock on!
Thank for these great tips!❤
Any time!
Awesome vid, totally appreciated...I do similar stuff to what youre doing...although i use soft synths using either Mainstage3 or Ableton Live.....but the set up is very much the same. 2 thumbs up for your excellent playing also..
Thanks!
This is priceless! Thank you ❤
No problem 😊
What great timing! I was very curious how you set up your splits and what palette of sounds you like to have on hand. Really great to know how the pros do it, so can't thank you enough for sharing. Brilliant stuff Matt. Have a great day!
Glad it was helpful!
man, this is gold information
and I can dig it more now that I'm prune to be more into doing synth and sound design
great! great video! thank you so much for your time
Great to hear!
Great tips! I loved the final tip, “Don’t be a ******.” I think “wanker” is the most appropriate and applies equally to girls & boys! 😆
Great tips. I'm in two tribute bands (Chicago, 3DN). We play other tunes to get the crowd dancing. I try to play the parts just like the record and also do splits and layers. The other thing I do is I'm always playing. Lately I see keyboard players who stop playing, or they're playing guitar, signing, and they're not playing all the time. It really bugs me when an important part of the song comes up and they don't play it like the record.
Great video, I do a lot of this, but you really bring out the best of keyboardist, my respects. Thanks
I appreciate that!
A great clip... thanks for your experience. Remember to always save all your work to an external drive should (heaven forbid) the board glitch out. ...however, some great tips. Nice! 😊
Thanks for your tips. Luckily I do everything as you´ve said. But I really needed this affirmation, because I dont have any teacher and I´m young so always look up for more experienced keyboardist so I can learn something new and get better.
The hardest thing for me is setting the levels. Its really hard in bands where we dont have recordings to adjust these, because some sounds could have lower level of volume but still they cut through more easily. Also I dont want to have the same levels through the song. When I play several sounds in one song I want some to be just background and for solo to really cut through. But its hard to set it perfectly so its not too loud or too quiet.
Preparation is key. And if you are lucky you get to see Matt doing this live, which sounds so good, to the point you start to wonder if there is a background track, but no the master does it all live 😎
Thanks Raf!!
Awesome to see a new video.
Great video and great advice!
Thanks so much!
Great tips Matt - using expression pedal (left foot) or any controllers adds another layer of live playing complexity on top of playing / improv
& sustain pedal (right foot) - in other words it’s another practice area which I have not mastered very well - not hugely covered in tuition vids also
Yes it can add a lot of dynamics to the sound
Great video (as usual with Matt!) Thank you. I would add to the list: Play at 70% of your possibilities, dont try your 100% on a live gig.
And personnaly I still have difficulties to play a clavinet sound, would love to see a Special Clav' video from the master.
I did make one which you can find here
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Excellent, Matt, thank you, I'll have a look at it. EDIT: Actualy I've seen it 3 years ago. I've the brain of goldfish 🥴.. I need to see it again, obviously
Top shelf education, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loving this stuff - and your playing. Have you looked at the the new Mk8 Rhodes
No because I endorse Vintage Vibe which I love. No disrespect to the mk8
This is a goldmine! Thank you for such a detailed walkthrough of your patches and process. Would you have any tips on memorising tunes and abandoning the ipad? Or is it as simple as playing the tunes a hundred times til it sticks? My greatest fear is forgetting what to play on stage… 😅
The quicker you stop relying on the chart the easier it is to commit to memory, that's what I've found
Amazing, thank you!
What a video it is!!! Enjoyed each frame, each second of it. By the way, what's your touch/velocity curve, Matt? Normal, Soft or Hard?
Normal
Love it. Thanks!! Neat keyboard. Mad skillz!
Glad you like it!
Yet another great video!⚡️
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great practical advice Matt, I'm Playing with multiple bands at the moment,bought a modx this year scenes and touch screen are a game changer now all I've got to do is learn to play 😅
Have fun!
the sound at 10:15 - i was convinced it was gonna be FM 😀 that totally has that FM vibe! but as always in music - many ways to get to the result :)
Great video, and exactly how I approach the keys parts in my three (albeit less successful) tribute bands, although the level tip is something I need to take on board 😬. Most multitimbral workstations and the Nord Stage can do these sort of setups. This is the reason why we still need workstation style synthesisers, most gear reviewers/influencers miss this type of end user when they review them.
Thanks Matt !!! ❤
I gig with a MODX+ or a MONTAGE so your hints apply 100%!
That's awesome!
Top man as always
FIRST! Thanks for your tips! I do what you describe all the time. I am the only keyboard player and have to identify all the most important parts that "have to be there" and decide which I can leave out - since I can not do everything, Many times I have to tell other members of the band what to focus on as well. Sometimes to add things I can not do on a different instrument, sometimes they have problems hearing the key things they need to do to make a song work in the band. It´s usually the keyboardplayers that does all that beckgroundstuff. I guess that is why keyboardplayers are the MD of a band many times. And... it´s usually way more work than the other musicians have to do. BTW... we play Jamiroquai stuff as well 🙂
Nice one
This is some great insight, Matt. Thanks for sharing! What is that beautiful song of yours @5:29?
It's called Venus Rising
amo esta parte desde 12:41 vale ORO las recomendaciones!!
I am happy I am already doing 95 % of this even if I am not a professional. I didn't know about the reverb thing, that was an important advice. I never noticed that, and after watching the video I went on my old Motif and now I have to rework some of my preset because it is obviously true what the master says here. And last, since I have a bad memory I can't do nothing without my iPad. Specially for a "once gig". It happens to me that someone calls me to join a band I don't usually play with, or sometimes it happens that we do some special tributes. I can't do it without my notes. I don't write everything, but just the basic harmony to help me remember. With my usual band I can play without it, but I always bring it with me anyway. It is a sort of Linus blanket (if some of you know Peanuts lol).
It’s fine to use it!
Wow. Fantastic, thank you!
Glad you liked it!
You are a genius.
Another great video, Matt - just one question from me. What one keyboard would you recommend for a funk keyboard player? I am in an originals funk band, and have the YC73, which I love. It is a little heavy, and doesn't offer the creative layering of a MODX, for example, which I find quite appealing. I of course know that a good player can make anything work and sound great. But just curious, if you could only have one keyboard for a gig or gigs (which is what I do, and plan to do), what would it be?
I think the MODX is great value, if I did a lot of small gigs that would be a big contender I think. Lots of great sounds
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Thanks Matt - I'll try and find a copy next time I visit Yamaha, as I love the sounds from Yamaha, they're what I'm most familiar with, and the YC is a great stage piano/organ, but the layering capabilities from MODX are hard to ignore.
Thanks Synth master uno ❤ from Dj John Sweden.
Thanks for listening