How to learn to play the synthesizer? Synthesizer training program

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The synthesizer today is a very popular instrument that is in demand among amateurs and professionals of various fields and categories. Even for children who are going to explore musical spaces, parents acquire this particular instrument. But in order to possess performing skills, musical abilities and certain knowledge of theory are necessary. But in the event that your childhood passed without attending an art school, and there is no desire to attract tutors, then it is quite possible to do this on your own and at any age. After all, is there any obstacle for a person who is obsessed with such a noble goal? Before learning how to play the synthesizer, you need to get acquainted with this instrument.

Tool features

The synthesizer has a bank of instruments divided by types of timbres. With their help, you can play an entire orchestra or solo on one of them.

Also, the synthesizer has hundreds of backing tracks and arrangements, choosing which, it becomes possibleimprovise and compose your own musical-rhythmic pattern.

With the help of the equalizer built into the instrument, you can easily adjust the desired sound frequency. And with the auto accompaniment function, the accompaniment of the song will be more colorful and bright, you just need to select the appropriate rhythm and change chords in time in your left hand. This option allows you to perform compositions without knowing musical notation. Before learning how to play the synthesizer, you need to learn the basic principle of performance: the melody belongs to the right hand (that is, what the soloist sings or plays), and its harmonic accompaniment belongs to the left.

It is advisable to initially purchase a simple but high-quality model. In this case, you should pay attention to the keyboard, which should be of standard size. You need to do this so that later you don’t have to relearn and get used to a normal instrument.

Teacher or self-taught?

When purchasing this instrument, you need to decide for yourself how to learn to play the synthesizer - with the help of a teacher or on your own. There are some differences here, and the most significant is that the correction and control of the student's activity is carried out with the help of a stable feedback between him and the teacher.

Such a connection can be of several types. For example, one-sided is characterized by assigning the main role to the teacher. This type is typical for music schools, where the student has a low degree of freedom. They only carry out a program for learning to play the synthesizer,and the teacher controls the activities of the child.

Two-way feedback differs from the one mentioned above in that learning takes place taking into account the interests of the student and in the form of a dialogue.

But if you really have a great desire to master this instrument, you have a hearing and the ability to self-control, analysis and search, then in this case you can start mastering it yourself. Here, control is carried out by comparing your own performance with a certain standard (for example, video recordings, notes, etc.).

Tutorial

Usually, tutorials are conditionally divided into telling (but sometimes showing) how and what to play, and contributing to the development of independent creativity skills, that is, those that additionally explain why this is how we learn to play the synthesizer. These collections are especially valuable, but subject to the availability of the submitted material and the use of understandable musical material.

But, unfortunately, the main problem of a large number of tutorials is the very weak connection of the sound or visual example with the text.

Electronic or printed tutorial without audio examples

Usually, training on it involves outside help, and the control function here is at an extremely low level. After all, how to learn to play the synthesizer without mastering the technique of performance and a weak skill in reading music? It is very difficult to perform two rather difficult tasks at the same time: to perform a piece andexercise control over the quality of their own performance.

Electronic or printed tutorial with sound examples

In the tutorials on playing any instrument, the presence of sound examples is an obligatory addition. They are used as an auditory assessment of the quality of the exercises being performed, as well as demonstration examples.

But such sound examples will become effective only if you are able to connect them with textual information, that is, you have musical training. There may also be a situation where it is impossible to repeat exactly any example due to the lack of the necessary style in your synthesizer or differences in the sound character.

The big disadvantage of such tutorials is the lack of arranged fingerings, used controls on the instrument, and much more, which causes considerable difficulties.

Video tutorials (video tutorials, video courses)

On the World Wide Web you can find not only commercial video courses, but also free tutorials and video tutorials. With their help, you can understand how to play songs on a synthesizer only if the visual-sound examples are demonstrated at the appropriate level. A significant disadvantage of such learning methods is the lack of course goals.

The quality of such video tutorials directly depends on the quality of the material, picture and sound, as well as its presentation. But, unlikeother types of tutorials, there is good controllability. Indeed, in addition to the fact that the student hears the exercises and examples, he also sees the actions.

Learning literacy

Learning on the synthesizer does not contain any special difficulties, especially if the performer already has a certain level of musical literacy. If it is not there, then it is necessary to study the very basics of music - notes, because without getting to know them it will be impossible to use the capabilities of the instrument.

So, having set a goal: “I want to learn how to play the synthesizer!” - The first thing you need to do is to master musical notation. The keyboard of this electric instrument has the same structure as that of a piano (notes are arranged in octaves). Therefore, before the two black keys there is a note "to". Where it is written (on an additional ruler) can be viewed on the display by pressing this white key. It is followed by all the notes in order.

As for the black keys, they correspond to the note and the character adjacent to it. For example, the sharp is to the right of the indicated note, and the flat is to the left. Therefore, when you see a note with a sign, press the black key.

You also need to know the length of notes.

Auto Accompaniment

It is also impossible to learn how to play the synthesizer on your own without mastering the alphabetic system by which chords are denoted (uppercase letters indicate major, and lowercase letters indicate minor). Usually, notes are written in one line, and there are symbols above certain measures.chords. They are pressed with the left hand in turn. To do this, you need to take three sounds at the same time, located through one key. But at first, it can be done much easier. When you see a capital letter in front of you, just press this sound, and a full triad will sound. If you have a capital letter in front of you with a sign written next to it, then just press the corresponding key.

For a minor one, you need to press two keys simultaneously, where the first one corresponds to the letter, and the second one corresponds to the third step of the minor chord (for this, three keys, including black ones, must be counted from the main one).

When the number seven is indicated next to the letter, you simply press the main key and the adjacent white key on the left side at the same time.

This way only seems complicated. In fact, everything turns out to be very simple, just read the instructions for your instrument first, as this chord system may differ from different manufacturers of synthesizers. Another assistant here will be the display, looking at which it is much easier to control yourself and correct errors. Initially, it is recommended to practice on easy and well-known songs.

Hand position and fingering

In order to feel comfortable during the game and not make a lot of mistakes, you need to sit comfortably, but the main thing here is to watch your elbows. They should be located approximately at the level of the keys. You can also play the synthesizer while standing.

Also in songs, numbers can be written above the notes. This so-calledfingering (correct placement of fingers). It is usually present in sheet music for beginners and indicates which finger is more convenient to press a particular key. Here's how to learn how to play the synthesizer.