New Genos owner - how to change voices while performing?

[ryeager]

Hi, I'm new here.

For many years I have focused on just playing my Steinway M the best I could solo.  Lately I have been working my way through all 32 Beethoven sonatas.  Almost done.  I'm no Barenboim, just an enthusiast trying to play the best I can.

I've felt that I've taken my solo piano playing as far as I want to go for now.  I want to have some fun with an arranger keyboard.  Watched tons of videos on YouTube and became smitten by the Genos.

After weeks of agonizing over the price, finally took the dive and received my new Genos with all the accessories yesterday from here: https://www.kraftmusic.com/yamaha-genos-digital-workstation-keyboard-complete-home-bundle.html

I couldn't find a local dealer in Atlanta with one to try out first, so I didn't know if I would like it or not.

After several hours with it alone (had to wait until kids were in school, they hogged it for themselves otherwise) my first impressions are:

1. The bundle I bought is extremely high quality.  Everything impresses in terms of look and feel.  Not sure it's worth $6K, but at least nothing is junky.  The Yamaha speakers are satisfactory for my home use.

2. The keyboard action is a pleasure.  Wasn't sure if I would like the Genos keyboard without ever having touched it, was my #1 concern before purchasing.  Coming from my Steinway, I find the Genos keyboard to be comfortable and supremely responsive.

3. The sounds are mostly amazing.  The piano sounds are a huge disappointment, however, especially after reading about them and listening to YouTube videos.  Not a dealbreaker for me, since I have my Steinway for that.  I've tried adjusting the master EQ, but can't get the piano voices sounding any better yet.

4. The overall usability design of the Genos seems to be very good.  I like the button layouts and the touchscreen design.

So I've tinkered with it by starting to play some Christmas tunes.  First by just solo instruments, then by starting to add some backing styles.  I've also poked through much of the owner's and reference manuals.  It's a lot to take in.

Now I'm wanting to figure out how to extract more control during the performance of a song.  The type I really want to play right now are standard holiday fare and Vince Guaraldi Christmas songs.

I can't figure out how to quickly change right-hand voices while performing.  I want to quickly switch between voices and maybe even rhythm styles during a song.  So far I can only change right-hand voices via either the touchscreen or the voice buttons.  But that is too awkward or impossible during a song.  Is there a way to perform a song while switching voices with a foot pedal switch? I haven't figured out if registrations can help do this or not.  I'm not understanding the real purpose of having 10 registrations.  I understand they can save all the settings, but I don't know if they are to be used while playing a song or if they can be selected via a footswitch.

Another thing I can't figure out is how to have the style rhythm pause for a few beats, then pick up at the next measure.  A "silent break", if you will.  I understand the built-in styles are endless loops and have built-in breaks.  Do I have to edit a built-in style in order to program a silent break?  I found the style editor screen, but it didn't make much sense yet.

Maybe I have unrealistic expectations for the capabilities of the built-in styles?  Are they just intended for freeform jamming rather than trying to emulate real songs?  Maybe I have to find MIDI files for the exact songs I want to play and then mute out the parts I want to perform?

Thanks for any help,

[Toril S]

Congratulations on your Genos! You have a formidable instrument!

The best way of doing this is to use the registration memory.
Momorize the changes you want in a song to the 10 registration buttons. Foot pedal can also be used.
Pleace refer to manual, I don't have the Genos, so I cannot say exactly how it is done.
But I am sure others will chime in
Or, you could just use the One Touch Settings (OTS), to change voices.
If you don't like the preset OTS voices in a style, you can change them and save the style as a user style.

[rdiazhin]

The registrations (and OTS) is the way to quickly change voices. It requires a lot of practice to learn to change them using either hand , most of the time the left hand is the one you need to use, but some times the right hand is also convenient.    That depending of the song. Foot pedals can be assigned to change the registrations also.

All styles have fills and a break, but the break is not total silence for the whole beat, since the majority has drum fills and the tempo is constant. If you need a longer break to play "ad lib" you have to use the the break and immediately the  sync start button to stop completely the style, take the time you need and  then the style will start again when you touch a chord on the left hand.

As you guessed, you also can edit the style to program a break with total silence and possible slow down the tempo to get a longer break.

In general, playing an arranger keyboard requires a lot of practice to learn how to coordinate your hands (and feet) to play the song and use all the controls, buttons, pedals, etc., but that is the fun part.

Genos is a great instrument and you will enjoy it a lot.

[Al Ram]

Ryeager

Congrats on your new Genos.  It is a great instrument. 

For me the quickest, easiest and best way to change voices is with registrations.  As you noticed, there are 10 registration buttons.   People use the registrations in different ways.   I use from 1 up to 10 registrations for one single melody.   Average I use 5-7 registrations per melody/song.

The collection of registration buttons from 1 to 10 is called a bank.   Other people use 1 button per melody, that means they can have up to 10 songs in one single registration bank.   Like i said, i use a registration bank for each melody.

A registration button saves the keyboard state at any given time.

So, for example in button 1 you can save a selected style, variation/intro/ending, tempo, voice, key, vocal harmony and many other parameters.   In button 2 you can keep everything the same and only change the voice, in the next registration # 3 you can change the tempo, or the key or . . . . . . and so on.

To change from one registration button to the next one, you can do it manually or you can use a pedal.  You can even pre-program the order of the registrations if you use a pedal.  In the past, i used a pedal and it is a very convenient way, i do not use it anymore because it is one more thing to carry when playing live.  So, i just switch registrations manually.

For a 'silent break' you can simply use the Sync/Stop and/or start/stop button . . . .

You may want to search on this forum for lessons on how to use registrations.  It is very easy, but at first it may be a bit confusing.

I hope this may start you in the right direction.

enjoy your keyboard.

[ryeager]

Thanks everyone, the use of multiple registrations within a single song makes sense now.  The way the built-in demos make use of them made it seem they were just for song setup vs. being useful while performing.

Now I understand the purpose of registration sequencing that I saw somewhere in the settings.  It seems I can just tap a pedal and move back and forth among registrations based on the saved sequence, which would be perfect!  Can't wait to give it a try.

I guess silent breaks will be best done by some editing of the styles, unless I get the hang of pressing buttons while playing.  It's all new right now, so will keep practicing.  Feels like so much has to be learned to be really proficient and get the desired results.

My whole family is loving the new Genos!  Having lots of fun exploring its functionality.  Some of the results are just amazing, it has some really impressive sounds out of the box.  Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring is wonderful on acoustic guitar.  Some music just can't be as sweetly played on even a Steinway grand.  I'm already starting to feel an emotional bond to the Genos after just a day...where the instrument responds to my wishes and even surpasses my expectations.  I didn't expect that from a cold plastic box full of circuitry.

[Ed B]

Ryeager
Welcome and congratulations on the Genos. Here is a link to lessons covering some of the topics. Although they are not exactly the same they will help. The videos on registrations will be a big help.
http://psrtutorial.com/lessons/index.html
Sorry moved to fast... and didn't paste the link
Best
Ed B

[ryeager]

Hi Ed, I don't see the link, can you please provide?  Thanks!

[stephenm52]

CONGRATULATIONS on your new Genos, you'll have hours of fun.  I have to tell you as a pianist myself I'm very impressed with your Steinway M and your learning of the Beethoven pieces.

[ryeager]

Thanks, Steve.

My forearm muscles are like steel as a result of working on all of Herr Beethoven's sonatas for over a year.  I haven't reached the peak of the summit, in that I haven't started on HammerKlavier yet.  Saving that for last. 

I watch and listen to Barenboim's performances of them on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS3YwjOAekc&list=PLaO5yzGGmlgEncr13JjVJA-hG4VXtXA6S while I work during the day.  Then practice for sometimes 2 hours a night.

Daniel is just insanely good.  I can't imagine the dedication he must have to play all of them so well and from memory.  Have you ever seen how thick the book of music is with all of Beethoven's sonatas?  I read Barenboim had them all memorized when he was a teenager.  Just amazing.  Some musicians go to God when they die, but others are sent by God at birth.  Daniel is the latter.

[panos]

Welcome to the forum ryeager! 

I was thinking if the usage of one of the intro's could be also any helpful to make a silent break if the "silence" should be at least one whole measure(up to 32 measures).
Because after the Intro finishes it's measures will automatically return to the previous Main.
If there are measures more than one we could even assembly a fill in(or break) pattern at the first and at the last measure of the intro so it wouldn't sound that came out of nowhere.
There is the function of style creator of "bar clear" that could help remove the patterns from the measures we don't want.
For examble 8 measures of an Intro.
No 1 & No 8 have a fill in and No 2 up to No 7 are just empty
(or we can add just a hit hat sound to them to keep up with the rhythm).
Juts a thought for those who like to mess around just a little bit with the Style Creator function.    

Ryeager my friend keep in mind that the row of buttons above the keyboard keys is the one which is made in order to change things the easiest possible way while we play a song and we want our hands to be as close as possible to the keybed.
(Style Control,One Touch Settings,Registrations & Multipads).

[acparker]

I just wanted to add my two cents.

Firstly, although there are only 10 registrations in a bank, you aren't limited to just 10 registrations for a song.  On the registration sequence page, you can set it to go to the next registration when it reaches the end of the sequence.  Using that, I have one song that spans 3 registration banks, and uses 22 registrations. The banks are named 'Rejoice1', 'Rejoice2', Rejoice3'.

For silent breaks, there are several ways to do it.  You could turn off (or mute) all the channels for the style, saved in the registration.  You could use the sync-stop feature, or if you press three sequential keys on the left hand.  Ie: C C# D, it will mute all the style parts except drums.

Enjoy your Genos!  It's a wonderful instrument.

Adam

[stephenm52]

Thanks, Steve.

My forearm muscles are like steel as a result of working on all of Herr Beethoven's sonatas for over a year.  I haven't reached the peak of the summit, in that I haven't started on HammerKlavier yet.  Saving that for last. 

I watch and listen to Barenboim's performances of them on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS3YwjOAekc&list=PLaO5yzGGmlgEncr13JjVJA-hG4VXtXA6S while I work during the day.  Then practice for sometimes 2 hours a night.

Daniel is just insanely good.  I can't imagine the dedication he must have to play all of them so well and from memory.  Have you ever seen how thick the book of music is with all of Beethoven's sonatas?  I read Barenboim had them all memorized when he was a teenager.  Just amazing.  Some musicians go to God when they die, but others are sent by God at birth.  Daniel is the latter.

Robert,

Very well said " Some musicians go to God when they die, but others are sent by God at birth. "  Yes he's one of the later.   I read where he gave his first concert at age 7.  I just watched Daniel perform "Pathetique Sonata" I spent about a year working on that one. Unfortunately since getting my first arranger about 12 years ago, I let my piano technique slip.    With that said keep up the piano and don't' let the Genos side track you too much.

Two hours per night practice is great, many years ago I used to spend that amount of time practicing at least a few days a week.  Now the time I play is spent working on playing, doing vocals and getting ready for or playing gigs.  ( I'm a late starter in life to vocals.)  I will say though I'm having plent enjoyment from the Genos.  '

Have fun and good luck there's lots of knowledgeable people here.

[Fred Smith]

Now I understand the purpose of registration sequencing that I saw somewhere in the settings.  It seems I can just tap a pedal and move back and forth among registrations based on the saved sequence, which would be perfect!  Can't wait to give it a try.

I guess silent breaks will be best done by some editing of the styles, unless I get the hang of pressing buttons while playing.  It's all new right now, so will keep practicing.  Feels like so much has to be learned to be really proficient and get the desired results.

You can get tips on using registrations in my videos (link in signature). They were done on a T4, but the principles are the same for Genos.

There's a video specifically on sequences, and another one on "silent breaks".

Hope this helps,
Fred

[mikf]

Another way you might want to consider is to load one bank of registrations with favorite voices. Most people tend to use the same voices frequently so having 8 or 10 favorites may be all you need. Then you keep that bank up all the time and those voices are an easy single button push away. You can even make a little stick-on which names each button with the voice, so you don't need to remember which is which.
Mike

[ryeager]

Robert,

Very well said " Some musicians go to God when they die, but others are sent by God at birth. "  Yes he's one of the later.   I read where he gave his first concert at age 7.  I just watched Daniel perform "Pathetique Sonata" I spent about a year working on that one. Unfortunately since getting my first arranger about 12 years ago, I let my piano technique slip.    With that said keep up the piano and don't' let the Genos side track you too much.

Two hours per night practice is great, many years ago I used to spend that amount of time practicing at least a few days a week.  Now the time I play is spent working on playing, doing vocals and getting ready for or playing gigs.  ( I'm a late starter in life to vocals.)  I will say though I'm having plent enjoyment from the Genos.  '

Have fun and good luck there's lots of knowledgeable people here.

Steve,

Unfortunately I haven't touched the piano since getting the Genos.  I'm still enjoying the honeymoon phase too much, ha.  Christmas is a perfect time for the Genos, lots of simple songs to help get up to speed with it.

I've never been a singer, but since the bundle I bought has a mic and the Genos has excellent vocal effects I might give it a try sometime.

I've figured out what I needed to know about registrations and changing them via foot pedal.  The lessons at http://psrtutorial.com/lessons/start/index.html have been wonderful!!

Have now started to use MIDI files as backing tracks.  The midi files have solved my problem of silent breaks, at least for the songs I've found with suitable midi arrangements.  Have spent a lot of time poking around free midi sites online trying to find the gems.  I'm using MuseScore to do some minor edits to the midi before loading them into the Genos.  Having the midi music score built-in to the display is wonderful.  For my other music I use a big 12" iPad Pro with a footswitch for page turns.

So after just a few partial days (still can't keep our kids away from it) I already feel pretty comfortable with the new Genos.  I'm able to play the songs I want and get results that are better than I imagined possible before buying it.  I suppose that's a testament to how easy the Genos is to use and how great it sounds.

Will probably let our piano collect some dust and just focus on playing the new Genos for the rest of the holidays.  Then will want to play some modern music on the Genos starting next year.  Hope I'm not too rusty with my left hand when I get back to finishing Beethoven's sonatas, that's one downside of an arranger.

[mikf]

You can of course set the arranger to AI full keyboard fingering, and play it like a piano ( two hands) and still let it accompany you with a style. Some piano players do this all the time.
Mike

[rdiazhin]

Great to know you are enjoying your new Genos.

A recommendation about midi files,  do not use MuseScore to edit or create midi files. MuseScore is a score editor and it is a great tool for that, but not for midi.

For midi files, it is better to use a sequencer software that has more tools and capabilities to handle midi data.

You can download Cakewalk by Bandlab that is a professional sequencer and also you can handle audio, and best of all it is FREE now.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk