Digital Folk Piano

Subject: Digital Folk Piano
From: GUEST,GarethK
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 01:31 PM

Nervously entering this forum with a subject too arcane for most, but here goes.

I was at Stroud Festival last weekend and I met The Man in Red who suggested I try this route to solve my piano problem. I play piano for English folk music, in pubs or in bands. Having given up trying to find a decent acoustic piano in most UK pubs I got into digital pianos and now have a quite decent one (Yamaha).

Trouble is, when I play this style of music I only use half the instrument, near the bottom and very simple; the rest gets dusty. I know this is common to a lot of folk instruments, but the extra efforts involved in piano transportation make a different case. There is also the problem of getting a piano, with a little amp and leads etc, into a crowded pub session. I have made lots of new "friends" when doing this and developed brand new interpersonal skills....

So, I want a custom built instrument that gives me a short keyboard but with fully weighted full size keys, a single piano sound (probably Kurtzweil) and a little amp etc, all in one easily moveable box that has a stand as part of it. I have tried the obvious routes, talking to piano manufacturers and other related organisations, but they aren't interested. My requirement is probably unique so there's not much additional business to follow.

So, with apologies for any inconvenience caused, and having failed to find any previous threads on this subject, I launch my request.

Thanks.

Subject: RE: Digital Folk Piano
From: catspaw49
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 01:40 PM

I can't help gareth, but the words "Digital Folk Piano" in any combination sounds completely oxymoronic!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Digital Folk Piano
From: dougboywonder
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 01:43 PM

I had a next door neighbor who renovated organs once, he had an amazing midi controller made from the actual keyboard and mechanism of a knackered old piano. I seem to remember that he used a kit (about £20) from Maplins to do all the scanning and midi bits. He had another one using the keyboard from an old lowry organ too, come to think of it.

If you go for off-the-shelf stuff, the best piano sound is gonna come from a module anyway. A 1/2u Alesis nano-piano only costs £80 for what is a fantastic sound. That way you can use any controller - a 4 octave one comes in at about £50, a five octave one a bit more. The good thing about this is its really really light and transportable. You'd just need to build a box/stand for it yourself.

I uses an eight octave controller (a lot of keys, iknow, but its for jazz stuff) keyboard and Yamaha piano module. It all fits in a soft case and I can carry it on the train without too much trouble.

Subject: RE: Digital Folk Piano
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 01:45 PM

In the US there are a lot of people using keyboards for "praise and worship" functions in church music. I am not sure how you could hook into that body of knowledge but I suspect you might get a lot of information that way.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Digital Folk Piano
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 06:22 PM

Gareth is being modest - he is the Token Man occ guest in "Token Women", and part of Bismark. Excellent ceilidh bands both and certainly in my list of danceable first choices.
and a keen session musician.