Jam session with SX900 and Chord Looper

[ton37]

For your info:
Sander Tournier does a jamsession and uses the new feature on the SX900: Chord Looper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGF438RgLg

[EileenL]

Thank you Ton,
  Very interesting.

[ton37]

You're welcome EileenL! Looking at the use of the Chord Looper, as Sander T. does here, it demonstrates that it is a great feature for the keyboardist. For me I had allways the feeling that I miss a 3rd. hand. So with using the Chord Looper one can now handle the knobs and buttons with a free left hand, while the songrythm playes on. Yes indeed, very interesting!

[valimaties]

It is indeed the 3rd hand
And the possibility of saving 8 chord sequences, it is greatest thing

Regards,
Vali

[ton37]

I don't know what the meaning is of '8 chord sequences' is. I have to examen that or maybe one knows and is willing to explain this? T.i.a.

[EileenL]

An eight chord sequence means the Eight chords are played in that section. Most songs you can get by with only four that repeat through the song but a bridge in the song may require more so you can set this up ready and use when you need it. It is a very useful feature to have.

[ton37]

I sincerely appreciate your help, EileenL.
Forgive my ignorance: do I make a right conclusion that it has nothing to do with ' max. 8 Beats or Measures' but with the maximum CHORDS one can use in a loop is 8?

Edit: when I try to study the the Yamaha Demo I can see 4 'Loops' (Like verse 1 or bridge 2 ) but I cannot see how many beats/bars one can use each? Maybe it is too early to ask and I have to be patient ;-))

[tyrosaurus]

I suspect that Vali is actually referring to the fact that chord sequence data is memorised in 8 memory slots in the keyboard's chord looper, and all of these 8 memories can be saved together in a 'Chord Looper Bank' file (file extension '.clb').

You can name Chord Looper Banks, and it looks as if you can have as many different banks as you like, each containing up to 8 sequences.

It also appears that you can even save individual sequence memories as individual files (extension '.cld') making managing chord looper banks more flexible than say Multi Pad or Registration banks.

See the section 'Saving and Calling up Your Custom Chord Sequences (Chord Looper)  (PSR-SX900)' starting on page 15 of the 'PSR-SX900 Reference Manual' for details.


Regards

Ian

[ton37]

Thanks @Ian for your very clear explanation. Now I got it! I have overlooked the 'Reference Guide' of the SX900. I'v download it and read it.  Now I understand the power (and creative possibilities?) of this feature I'm more very happy that Yamaha have put it in the SX. 

[beykock]

Wonder if the " Chord Looper " will be added in the next Genos update ? I do not know if it is possible. Maybe not.

Would be a great extra tool for this high end kb, I guess.
Wishful thinking ? 😰

Babette

[Wim]

If the chord looper is what the video shows almost at the end. Than I think for pro's it is not that wonder thing. If you  play a song almost at every gig and do improvisations like every time, than you could make in the style creator a loop like this and save it in a main. tOr make a pad sequece. In the old Technics KN7000 you could build a sequence like this. Mayby for players who always do (not planned) improvisations the chord looper is an ideal function. So don't respons to me with  not nice comments that I don't understand well the chord looper But instead explain me to understand the real purpose of it. So I can better inderstand the principe and necassary of the chord looper.

[Wim]

If the chord looper is what the video shows almost at the end. Than I think for pro's it is not that wonder thing. If you  play a song almost at every gig and do improvisations like every time, than you could make in the style creator a loop like this and save it in a main. tOr make a pad sequece. In the old Technics KN7000 you could build a sequence like this. Mayby for players who always do (not planned) improvisations the chord looper is an ideal function. So don't respons to me with  not nice comments that I don't understand well the chord looper But instead explain me to understand the real purpose of it. So I can better inderstand the principe and necassary of the chord looper.

[ton37]

Hi Wim, in my opinion a practical application would be if you need a 'third' hand in a certain composition. I used the example: a quick succession of chord changes, combined with an intensive use of, for example, the joystick and a quick solo part. Or a counterplay in a piano part. One can use in that case the total keyboard, as shown in the vid. You can do this in a composition / song life or through a recorded chord loop. I think it's a combination of creativity and skill. This feature makes it a bit more flexible for the keyboard player. Note: it is only a feature that a keyboard player CAN use. If you don't like it, just leave it unused. But that applies to many features that the current generation of keyboard arrangers offer.
I hope that when the SX900 is in more hands, we will see various examples when and how it can be enjoyable used 
And for the record: I'm a hobbyist, not a pro 

[pjd]

Finally geting into a house, here, and I hope to get my stuff out of storage in a week or two.

Once I'm up and running, I would be very interested to reverse engineer the CLB format, especially if the chord looper is included in the next Genos update.

All the best -- pj

P.S. Nice playing by Sander!

[rikkisbears]

I suspect that Vali is actually referring to the fact that chord sequence data is memorised in 8 memory slots in the keyboard's chord looper, and all of these 8 memories can be saved together in a 'Chord Looper Bank' file (file extension '.clb').

You can name Chord Looper Banks, and it looks as if you can have as many different banks as you like, each containing up to 8 sequences.

It also appears that you can even save individual sequence memories as individual files (extension '.cld') making managing chord looper banks more flexible than say Multi Pad or Registration banks.

See the section 'Saving and Calling up Your Custom Chord Sequences (Chord Looper)  (PSR-SX900)' starting on page 15 of the 'PSR-SX900 Reference Manual' for details.


Regards

Ian

Sounds like a great new function Far more sophisticated than on the korg. Can't wait to try it.

[valimaties]

Thanks Ian for "translate" my stupidity  Yes, it was about those 8 memory slots

Regards,
Vali

[mikf]

Wim - the chord looper is much a simpler and convenient way to do what you say you could already do other ways. I could take my laundry to the nearest river, but like most people I throw it in my automatic washing machine.

[valimaties]

Wim, is simple.
Think about to a solo part using a distortion guitar. You must use bender to make it more real. In most cases, you must use bender in the same time with changing chords, so what you do first?! You must change chord , but in the same time, if you use the bender lately, it does not sound anymore real and professional. So, in this case, for that solo, you will record a chord loop data and you will starts playing it when the solo must begin. In this way you can make the solo with right hand and you can enjoy the left hand on the bender, singing like Eric Clapton

Regards,
Vali

[Pino]

The looper has been around for a very long time, I don't know any of my musician friends would use it in a live gig situation, it's something that is there but very rarely used, I don't think many members here would be up to that level that they need a looper for improvisation.

The bender/glide works very good when assigned to the foot pedal, then no need a looper for this reason, depends what your doing and what your used to.
Pino


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[mikf]

Pino - I think a piano player who wants to play two handed improvisation might make use of the looper,
Mike

[Pino]

Hi Mike, yes I agree with you but most of the real piano players would have a piano under the arranger keyboard, takes very little space with just the keys showing,

[mikf]

That makes no difference. If you want the accompaniment to play separately while you play two handed improv you still need the looper.

[Pino]

Yes, I figured that out as soon as I posted it but doesn't that full keyboard mode pick up on chords, I've never tried it as I don't do much piano work, some piano is ok but some play all night and it gets boring when there is so much more on the keyboards.
The chord looper is a good addition to a mid range keyboard, it's there if you need it.

Apart from the small print size on the screen this sx900 is a good little keyboard.

Pino

[valimaties]

Hmmm.. If a function on a keyboard does not seems to fit your needs, that does not mean it does not help others I bet there are a LOT of users which will use it. We are a lot of musicians and different type of playing keyboards, different genres, some of them (genres) does not need Chord Looper, but for some of them CL it will be a gold medal, "the second player with one hand"

We need improvements, we need new functions, we need extra content. All of these new functions have been added after studies, users feedback. I don't think Yamaha come with these functions from its own engineers brains. They have analyse users feedback, keyboard testers feedback, and added or improved functions in OS.

Let's ONLY thanks (a BIG thank) to Yamaha for giving us those updates for free.

Thanks Yamaha!

Regards,
Vali

[rikkisbears]

Hmmm.. If a function on a keyboard does not seems to fit your needs, that does not mean it does not help others I bet there are a LOT of users which will use it. We are a lot of musicians and different type of playing keyboards, different genres, some of them (genres) does not need Chord Looper, but for some of them CL it will be a gold medal, "the second player with one hand"

Hi,
Haven't gotten round to using it yet, but I intend to. Had the functio on my Pa4x, except it only recorded one loop, so the 8 sounds  very interesting. On my Pa4x I used it for practice.