Blog - LiveKeyboardist

03Sep 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Does Your Live Keyboard Rig Cover All The Bases?

What needs to be included in a live Keyboard Rig? It's a question that every single keyboard player will have to ask themselves at some point. The actual gear is somewhat flexible (though I do have some opinions of what I think is best), but it seems to me like there are some constants between all effective live set ups. If you’ve got all these areas covered, then you are in business! Components Of A Live Keyboard Rig A set up is made of 5 parts: Note generator (A keyboard, or MIDI instrument)Sound Generator (Either the keyboard or a DAW)Sound Processor (A controller for your DAW, or an effects chain)Sound Converter (Audio interface, or audio outputs)Speakers There are lots of options for each of these parts, but most gear will…

27Aug 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Easy Piano Worship Chord Voicing

1Tips For Being The Best Keyboardist, Blog, Uncategorized

Not only is this easy piano worship chord voicing super simple, but it also is the one that I use more than any other voicing when I am playing at a church. This one worship chord voicing could get you through 90% of worship songs being written right now. If you are thinking, "Most of the songs I play have more than one chord" to that I would reply, even still this chord voicing will most likely get you through it. (And it also sounds great too, so even if you aren't 100% sure what you are doing, no one else will know it). The Reveal There it is! If you are wondering why there are question marks in the bottom staff, then you are asking the right question Chameleon…

22Aug 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Synth Brass – Fast And Easy

1Sound Design, Blog

A synth brass patch is an iconic sound. It works great for simple hits and even better for call and response with vocal lines. If your ears have never been drawn to synth brass live in action, then it's worth checking out some of these 1980's hits that prominently feature this type of patch: Talyor Dane's "Tell It To My Heart"Mariah Carey's, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" Paul Abdul's, "Forever Your Girl". For this one, you are going to want to make sure you watch the video, but here are some thoughts that I think will add a lot to what you gain from watching. Before You Start It's always best to think about a sound you want to design in terms of the overall shape, which is most easily…

15Aug 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Best NI Piano VST? The Giant Or Alicia’s Keys?

1Sound Design, Blog, Sound Design

Out of all the Piano VST's out there, these are the two that I see talked about the most, especially in the context of modern worship. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to explore with more depth The Giant or Alicia's Keys debate. Here is the real question: If I could only have The Giant, or Alicia's keys, which one would I buy? Should We Compare Apples And Oranges? Alicia's Keys and The Giant are two different types of pianos, so can we really compare the two? Alicia's keys is a sample of the Yamaha C4, while The Giant is a sample of an unusually large upright piano designed by David Klavins called "Klavins Piano Model 370i" If you really want to nerd out, type his name…

30Jul 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Making A Super Saw Patch

1Sound Design, Blog, Sound Design

A super saw is a very common type of synth patch. You can hear the sounds of the supersaw in so many songs, but if you want to hear the supersaw in action you can check out "Party Rock", the intro hits, The breakdown in The Chainsmokers "Take Away", Or the lead line in "Summer Madness". Super Saws can be used as a starting point for creating basses, pads, brass, and strings. I'm sure I'm leaving something out here, but it's commonly used, and versatile, so how do we make it? Elements Of A Super Saw 7 Stacked Saw Waves The foundation of the supersaw patch are stacked and detuned saw waves. Using any synth, you can start by turning on multiple oscillators, and setting them to saw waves. In…

23Jul 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Musical Theatre Sound Effects In Ableton

1Creating A Keyboard Set Up, Blog, Live Playback, Presets and Sounds

Musical theatre is close to my heart, and figuring out how to make Musical theatre sound effects happen has always been a welcomed challenge for me. Musical Theatre shows are a great working ground for Ableton live. They come packed with lots of different patch changes, and at times, keyboard parts come backed with Sudo-unplayable parts that require the assistance of software to pull off- and of course lots of musical theatre sound effects. When I first started programming keyboard for musicals, I used mainstage, which seems to be industry standard for this genre. Unfortunately, It always cracked under the pressure of extensive programming. This was one of the causes of me moving to Ableton. If you're going through the same thing, make sure you grab a copy of my…

16Jul 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

4 Reasons Many Keyboardists Never Progress

1Tips For Being The Best Keyboardist, Blog

If you're feeling stuck in a rut, perhaps you've fallen into one of these common keyboardist traps. These aren't the only things that might be stopping your progress, but these 4 are the most common ones I've seen. Keep reading and get unstuck. You invest more in gear than in musicality I love an awesome piece of gear. And, just like many musicians, I love a good deal on VSTs, and sometimes drool over a new audio effect. HOWEVER These things are just tools. Next time you find yourself trying to “Improve your sound” with a new patch, instrument, or audio effect, count up the cost. Remember, tools were created for the musician, not musicians for the tools. Your sound will improve exponentially by taking that 60, 300, or 3000…

09Jul 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Recipe For A Great Keyboardist

1Tips For Being The Best Keyboardist, Blog, Live Playback

While there is some room for opinion here, this is a question I have been reflecting upon for a while, and I think these thoughts will be helpful in becoming the best keyboardist you can be. Great Keyboardists Are Prepared Who doesn’t love it when someone you are working with shows up confident, ready to go, and well-rehearsed. No one. Be the person who "wows" people not with sheer talent, but with proper preparation. In a more concrete fashion, arrive at rehearsals and/or shows... Knowing every song thoroughly (memorized is always best, but no one can fault you for reading a chart if you need to, especially if it's not distracting)With proper patches of equal volume.With a live set up that works for you, so you can quickly make needed…

12Jun 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

What Keyboard Players Can Learn From Live Sound Techs

1Tips For Being The Best Keyboardist, Blog, Sound Design

I spent the last week working on an end of year show for an elementary and middle school. In all honesty, I was geared up for another uneventful children's gig, but it turned out that I was about to have a few conversations with the live sound guy that was going to change how I thought about my role forever. Hey Malachi, from your perspective, what makes a keyboard patch easy to work with in a mix?-Brett He looked at me and said, "Well, that's a tough question, since nowadays people have cartoon sounds coming out of their keyboards and they make it work. "True", I said, "But what are some general rules? What makes your job the easiest". His eyes lit up, and he began to tell me some…

07May 2019 by Brett Pontecorvo

Most Common Types Of Patch Lists

1Creating A Keyboard Set Up, Blog, Live Playback, Midi

Because of Ableton's innate flexibility, there is more than one way to set up patch lists. Before we jump in, make sure you read through because I am including a starter patch list template in the body of this post that you can grab for free. After hours of research, I believe there are three effective types of patch lists. The Static Patch ListThe Automated Patch ListThe Dynamic Patch List Each of these methods has its own perks and pitfalls, so let's take a look at how each one works so you can pick the best one for you. The Static Patch List This type of patch list is similar to the likes of Sunday Keys for Ableton. The corner stone of this set up is using dummy clips to…

Category: Blog