Why is a synth so "alien?"

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:46 pm

OK, this is a bit off topic, but this morning I was looking through a clipart collection a friend gave me and came upon the section of music instruments. All there was in the group (representing keys) was a rather cheesy-looking piano. I wasn't expecting a synth in the clipart but it got me thinking.

Whenever I receive a comment on my playing (whether in a band or solo), people almost always refer to my keyboard as a piano or organ. Is it too difficult to just say "keyboard?" I mean.....a 61-key synth doesn't look like a piano to me.

Many times when you visit a local music store, there are lots of basic consumer-oriented keyboards on sale but rarely a synth.

So......is the synth that mysterious or "alien?" It has been used in mainstream music for ages now, but often goes unnoticed, or is criticized as "too 80's" or "cheesy."

Comments?

Post by **Sharp** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:40 pm

Whenever I receive a comment on my playing (whether in a band or solo), people almost always refer to my keyboard as a piano or organ. Is it too difficult to just say "keyboard?" I mean.....a 61-key synth doesn't look like a piano to me.

Same here..... The general public are musical idiots

An Organ is something you will always find the older generation referring to, where young kids now growing up generally don't even know what an Organ is. It's keyboard to them.

Many times when you visit a local music store, there are lots of basic consumer-oriented keyboards on sale but rarely a synth.

In the shops here it's mostly arranger keyboards too. There's also a considerable divide with arranger keyboard players and synth/workstation user as far as technical ability goes. Synth users tend to be heavy into programming and using the keyboard for all it offers, where arranger users generally don't program anything, or go beyond basic edits.

Synths are seen as tools for professionals, where arranger keyboard are considered one man band or home keyboards.
You never see anyone playing an Arranger keyboard on MTV or any music channel.

So......is the synth that mysterious or "alien?"

To arranger keyboard players, they just don't get it. A synth is like an arranger without the arranger part

Regards.
Sharp.

Diego · Post by **Diego** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:14 pm

Oh Yes!

This is one of the two thnigs I hate most in general public!
When they refer to keybs they call just piano or organ!!
The other thing it really annoy me is that when someone ask you "what's your job?" "I'm a musician" "No, I mean your real job" [punch in the face]

regards

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:27 am

Diego wrote:The other thing it really annoy me is that when someone ask you "what's your job?" "I'm a musician" "No, I mean your real job" [punch in the face]

Voltan · Post by **Voltan** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:22 am

so true

Vadim · Post by **Vadim** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:43 am

good thing someone brought the topic up!!!

i was always thinking about this..

People (even those that play instruments) only know about guitars, and a few other instruments like violin or saxophone.
Plus that like to constantly repeat "live music is better"

Sharp wrote: The general public are musical idiots
.

especially in US and Britain. where people only know about guitars.

and there is another group of people, that is even worse:
the people that say and beilieve that "arranger-keyboard" is "better" than a workstaion, because on arranger you play live, and on Workstation you just play midi files ( check out synthzone bbs arranger keyboard forum)

Vadim · Post by **Vadim** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:51 am

Sharp wrote:Many times when you visit a local music store, there are lots of basic consumer-oriented keyboards on sale but rarely a synth.

In the shops here it's mostly arranger keyboards too. There's also a considerable divide with arranger keyboard players and synth/workstation user as far as technical ability goes. Synth users tend to be heavy into programming and using the keyboard for all it offers, where arranger users generally don't program anything, or go beyond basic edits.

Synths are seen as tools for professionals, where arranger keyboard are considered one man band or home keyboards.
You never see anyone playing an Arranger keyboard on MTV or any music channel.

[/quote]

YES!!

also, try to ask an "arranger" keyboard to play you something without auto-accompaniment, with both hands.
You'll be surprised!!

Also, the companies (Roland, Korg, Yamaha) ruined it the most!!!

Why didn't they try to name them properly like: "auto-accompaniment machine"
or something that makes sense????!!!!

I wanna kill myself and everybody!! when I look at a auto-accompaniment keyboard and it says "Arranger Workstation" or "Digital Workstation"

Hello!!!!!

What's wrong with Korg, Roland, and Yammie ?????!!!!!

That's why I Love KURZWEIL and ENSONIQ etc...

and that's why I'm moving into software, because there is no faking there or arranger-keyboard stuff in software, maybe just loops and stuff, but basicaly it's more "right"!

Vadim · Post by **Vadim** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:55 am

also, some none musical people, and a little musical people...
whenver they see a keyboard or a synth or a auto-arranger or whatver, they always think that that's an auto-accompaniment keyboard.
I hate when people come up and say can you play me a song?
I start playing, and than they say:

"no, something with music" , "can you make the keyboard play the music"

I can't beilieve how Arranger-keyboards ruined everything!!

Who invented arranger keyboard must Die!!!!!!

Voltan · Post by **Voltan** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:23 am

Who invented arranger keyboard must Die!!!!!!

but really... I do myself feel that "live music is better", meaning I enjoy seeing bands live much more than listening to them from a CD and I enjoy playing live on stage a lot
what I can't understand is that some people (especially metalheads, I'm in a heavy metal band myself) keep saying that they prefer a band to play "live instruments" (probably meaning non-electronic and really meaning "no keyboards")...
as if the keyboard was not a real instrument or somehow inferior to a guitar or something

btw, a piano or a hammond organ is ok, a synth is not... WTF?

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:49 pm

Voltan wrote:btw, a piano or a hammond organ is ok, a synth is not...

Yeah.....totally illogical!

My favorite though, is when some guitarist starts playing an old riff from the 60's and people say, "that's cool," but if I play something reminiscent of ELP, or a song from the 80's I hear, "that's cheesy!"

Voltan · Post by **Voltan** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:57 pm

I try to take this all with good humour.... and i'm still getting a keytar one day

Keytars in Poland have a double (or more) cheese factor because they do not only get instantly connected with the 80s but also with some very bad Polish dance music (mostly from the 90s) popular mostly in the least developed regions of the country...
Playing a keytar in a metal band here is total suicide but I'm still getting one... one day that is... got some purchases with higher priority before that

Vadim · Post by **Vadim** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:29 pm

Voltan wrote:
Who invented arranger keyboard must Die!!!!!!

but really... I do myself feel that "live music is better",

i can agree on "live music is better".

But i can't stand people saying that playing an arranger keyboard is better than prerecorded music or a synth..

Yes people like to see the musician on stage and hear their music, even arranger keyboard player.
But they have to uderstand that arranger-keybord player doesn't play everything himself.

I rather listen to a keyboardist playing along to a backing track.. rather than arranger-keyboard player playing "live"

and general public should understand that making a backing track is much more difficult than just playing live

btw, those people that really like LIVE instruments and hate keyboards because they're Synths should stop and think about electric guitar: is it Live or is it electric, or is only Acoustic guitar considered live.
so if they say electric guitar is live than synth is Live also...

and another example:
they say Turntablelism/DJing lis ive and synth isn't

Voltan · Post by **Voltan** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:49 pm

what's with the font? calm down

I agree on the "playing to a pre-recorded backing track" thing

higskies · Post by **higskies** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:53 am

Voltan wrote:what's with the font? calm down

Little Lord FONT-leroy.

(My wife tells me I am the only one who laughs at my jokes.)

ellll · Post by **ellll** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:05 am

I have to go with Sharp, regarding the "general public"...

And I went through life as a classical musician....think about the abuse I suffered...!! However, people did get amazed if there was a piano nearby I could jump on...always impresses, so I guess the name is just such a part of the whole lexicon...we can't escape it..

John