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i use a Yamaha workstation synth with decent organ and piano sounds in it now but it is a bit heavy. I am looking at a dual keys setup of a Behringer Deepmind 12 for arpeggiator and classic analog stuff and a Roland performance keyboard with organ, strings and piano
Yamaha, Roland, Nord and others do performance keyboards that will cover most bands needs in one.
If you must, surely most keyboard players have another, er, string to their bow? I don't know many piano players who can't play any other instrument. Being able to strum a guitar would be useful but if you find someone who can turn their hand to a flugel horn who knows it might open up a few doors.
BTW you have all heard the one that goes how many bass players does it take to change a light bulb..?
There is an image conjured up of somebody putting cheesy hammond over every song but proper modern keys players don't do that, some are the parts aren't even notes, they are subtle sound effects and atmosphere.
Some of the things we do have limited guitars in the originals, like dua lipa and Kylie stuff. Others have limited keys like Queen and pretenders. Others have both pretty prominent like maroon 5 and sissor sisters.
It's all about balance in song choices, and knowing when to play loud and/or full when to play quiet and/or sparse and when to just sing or clap....for both keys and guitar players.
I do have a deep mind (desktop) and an argon 8 at home as well, but neither has made the live rig. The Deep mind might replace the virus at some point live.
It's probably overkill for one project but my 80s thing needs all those synth options.
I've played with plenty of pro keys players who are a joy and an asset to a band, but amateur keys players tend to just ruin everything by pounding away with all ten fingers all the bloody time.
It's the age old question of letting school instruments into a rock 'n' roll band.
I've played in bands where the guitar, bass and drums are thundering away while the three brass guys are counting 30 bars of rests while staring at bits of paper on the floor.
"We just want 'baaa-do-bap!' after the first line of the chorus, can't you bloody feel it without counting it?!"
It requires both guitarist and keyboard player to learn to keep out of each others way, the mid heavy guitar tone of yore can help. Let the bass player handle the low end and then make the arrangement work. Do you not play guitar if it's a keyboard song? You probably strum away anyway, Joe public just like to hear thier favourite song and the arrangement is less important to them than it is to you.
Also Keys can be used to add better backing vocals. Any non time based backing vox oohs and Ahhs are easily sampled and triggered ..... if your drummer can play to a preset BPM ... doesn't have to be on a click but needs to keep on the right BPM then there's literally nothing you can't do with a good keys player and a workstation.
The problems come if you get a piano player who learns the correct part but adds the left hand if there isnt one. Or synth players used to being on their own that might play 5 or 6 notes in a pad (the main chord plus a couple of low octaves) to fill it out where its not needed with a full band.... Or if you make material that has no keys as most player will try and find something to do.
We do 3 that didnt have keys on originally (or some version of at least)- and thats it.
Of those 3, Crazy little thing gets a piano - but only because without it and with only 1 guitar the song looses energy when the solo and little flicks come in. Whats up gets a slow, QUIET string/pad underneath everything else just to provide a sonic base to build on - which again stops it from feeling it lacks fullness compared to the rest of the material. Faith doesnt get any keys - because (apart from the intro that we dont do) there isnt any - and theres nothing suitable that wouldnt ruin the song.... It DOES need extra percussion - so thats tambourine and BV duties for me that song.
I play in another project - and we play happy hour - again no keys bar a tubular bell run in the middle. I get to sing that one.
I played in bands with classically trained pianists and all but one were useless in a band.