single finger chords in left hand

[old piano player]

First post here so please forgive me if i am violating any rules.  My advanced age and arthritis is requiring me to modify my limited piano skills.  Arthritis in my hands makes it hard to have the dexterity and motion to play many chords.  I am looking at one of the  psr e series keyboards and wanted to make sure they have one finger chording available.  I could not find it in the online manuals or any you tube videos.  Thanks for your help.

[Fred Smith]

First post here so please forgive me if i am violating any rules.  My advanced age and arthritis is requiring me to modify my limited piano skills.  Arthritis in my hands makes it hard to have the dexterity and motion to play many chords.  I am looking at one of the  psr e series keyboards and wanted to make sure they have one finger chording available.  I could not find it in the online manuals or any you tube videos.  Thanks for your help.

Good to have you aboard.

Probably best if you tell us what E-series model you're looking at. I looked at the E363, and it says the only chording supported is Multi-finger. So this could well be an problem

Also, while Yamaha says "single finger" chording, in fact, that's only for major chords. For minor, and 7th chords, you need two fingers, in case that's an issue with your arthritis.

Cheers,
Fred

[overover]

Hi old piano player,

welcome to the forum!

Yamaha PSR-E models are permanently set to "Multi Finger". This chord fingering type combines "Single Finger" and "Fingered". So you can play:

• Major chords with only ONE finger
• Minor chords witch TWO fingers (chord root + closest BLACK key to the LEFT)
• Seventh chords with TWO fingers (chord root + closest WHITE key to the LEFT)
• Minor-Seventh chords wich THREE fingers (chord root + closest BLACK & WHITE keys to the LEFT)

Of course, you can also play chords "normally" (using 3, 4, 5 fingers that play the "real" chord notes). Please see also the attached picture.


Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Chris

[attachment deleted by admin]

[panos]

Hi piano player,

PSR-E463/PSR-EW410
page 63 of the manual
Easy Chords
This method lets you easily play chords in the Auto Accompaniment area of the keyboard using only one, two, or three fingers

https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/9/1170809/psre463_ew410_en_om_a0.pdf

E 463
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e463/index.html

EW 410
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-ew410/index.html

=========================

PSR-E363, PSR-EW300, YPT-360
page 25 of the manual:
Easy Chords
This method lets you easily play chords in the accompaniment range of the keyboard using only one, two, or three fingers.

https://jp.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/7/890277/psre363_en_om_b0.pdf

E 363
https://europe.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e363/index.html

EW 300
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-ew300/index.html

Chris is right but that "multi finger" may be a beat confusing while on PSR S series we can see those types of fingering in the specs as Fred have noticed:
Single Finger, Fingered, Fingered On Bass, Multi Finger, AI Fingered, Full Keyboard, AI Full Keyboard.

[SciNote]

Yes, on the PSR-E400 series (such as the PSR-E463), the "easy-play" chords are accomplished by playing up to three keys at a time -- one key for major chords, two keys for minor and seventh chords, and three keys for minor-seventh chords, as described above.  But, since these keys are all played close together in a kind of close cluster, it may be easier on your hands and fingers than spreading out your fingers to play a regular three or four note chord.

[old piano player]

Wow, thanks for all the responses and ideas.  A little background for all of you.  I am not an experienced player.  Never touched a keyboard until I retired. I started playing with a piano with weighted keys. Last year it just got to the point that it wasn't much fun with the arthritis.  Somebody mentioned the spread of fingers needed for some chords.  That is a real problem. 
also mutlifinger things are hard to do.  Even right hand chording can be a challenge.  One of the reasons i took up the keyboard was to keep some flexibility in my fingers. I have sold my weighted key piano.  Last year bought a Yamaha np12,  for its small size and unweighted keys.  This has really helped.  Last year we became snowbirds and spent the winter where it is warm.  Lots of music jams and so forth there.  I have never owned an arranger type keyboard but am thinking it we be more versatile than a regular keyboard.  I played some pre dinner music and thing like that.  Any way there you have my boring history.  Sorry for the long post.  I have looked at Yamaha, Casio and Korg information on line and trying to get something that will work for me on a limited budget.   Again thanks for the replies please keep them coming.

[panos]

Just a couple of thoughts if you don't mind my friend 

On an arranger keyboard with auto accompaniment (styles) our left hand is playing by far less notes(actually it plays just the chords) than it does when we are playing a sheet music that is written for a piano.

Of course you know that the keys are not weighted at all, so they are too soft.
There are 4 types of keys for electronic keyboards of all types (arranger keyboards,synthesizers,digital pianos etc) if I remember well.

That's why if we just touch a little more a wrong key along with the right key with the same finger,unfortunately the sound will be heard by both keys.We are doing this many times 

The various sounds (voices) of a keyboard and the combination of them, also can help to play a melody(or a melody line) with just one finger at a time without having a luck of the polyphony that would be more noticeable on a piano.
Just because let's say a real violin or a flute for example they also play a single note a time while the same composition in a piano sheet would required as many notes as possible to have a more "pro" result.

I don't know if by transporting every sheet music to the keys of C or Αm will be also helpful to you to play mainly in the white keys that way.

If a chord is hard to play you can "replace" it with a non that professional one(e.g Cm7b5 with Cm) but as long as you are having arthritis and you play just for fun, I suppose musicians with a good ear will not judge you too hard for this 

If the sounds or the keybed of a keyboard from the psr E series don't satisfy you and money allows, you might search for a used keyboard from the psr S series in a good condition(buttons that will work with no problem and especially the first row above the keybed)

You better try some keyboards on a store if you can to see which one is having a sound that you like and a keybed that suits you.
Not weighted keybeds and more cheaper keyboards might have a less or more annoying.... "click-click" sound when we press  them.