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I have to play a song which has electric piano tone which has a good distinct accent sound and can also be played at different dynamics.

The problem is that you've to hit the key hard to make it accented (considering touch response here), which makes that note loud and vice-versa you have to hit the key hard to play loud, so you cannot play a note which is loud but not accented or vice-versa accented but not loud. I want to solve this problem. In my keyboard, I can change the voice/tone dynamics, by changing its reverb, vibrato, touch response (so much that I can even play an organ soft or loud, without the swell pedal), etc. So, if I know that there is some setting which controls the accent of a tone, that'll help me.

EDIT: My Keyboard is YAMAHA PSR-S-670.

Please help me with it.

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  • Would you consider getting sound from a computer (e.g. plugin instrument with effects), or does it have to be pure hardware solution? There's a lot you can do with virtual instruments. Also I imagine you need some additional controller except from the keyboard, e.g. a pedal or wheel, as otherwise the only articulation you can get from keyboard is velocity (and maybe aftertouch, which rather won't help you).
    – user1079505
    Commented Mar 23, 2021 at 17:13
  • They solve this in the 'real' world with a compressor. Some instruments have them built into the effects chain, but not all. You'd have to tell us which keyboard you have. Without it, then directly from the instrument's own speakers, this cannot be 'fixed'.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Mar 23, 2021 at 17:19
  • On some of my kbds, there are various Rhodes sounds which have good attack when the keys are hit harder - can't say how you'd do it with whatever keyboard you'll use, but it's worth checking out the (usually) several Fender Rhodes sounds, and use different attack as you play. No electronic effect, it's just a built in sound - on mine.
    – Tim
    Commented Mar 23, 2021 at 17:25
  • 2
    It sounds like you are trying to play a note louder but not accented? My understanding of an accented note is that it is a bit louder than the notes around it so louder and accented are the same thing? Perhaps what you want is an EP sound that doesn’t have the “bark” when you play it hard enough? If that’s the case then this site isn’t right place to ask to find a specific kind of sound, and also the “bark” on an EP is a widely desired quality so it will be hard to find. You could try to build one from samples or something.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Mar 23, 2021 at 17:38
  • If you’re asking for help on configuring your keyboard differently, please add in the exact make and model of the keyboard.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Mar 23, 2021 at 17:39

1 Answer 1

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An option would be to play the accentuated note more loud than the other loud notes, but from your post I get the idea that you have already tried out something like that. I don' t know how nuanced you can play on your keyboard model. It might be hard to make a clear difference. So here is another idea:

A church organ player once told me a little trick you can do on an organ. On the organ the keys are not touch sensitive, and yet you can accentuate a note. The trick is to play the note staccato. Try it out, it might work for you.

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  • Yes, actually, the notes I'm supposed to play accented in the song are staccato!! So, not a problem there. And I can show the difference between accented (moderately loud) and loud notes, but it's not very distinctive. The problem is that the accented notes aren't the loudest there, so somehow I have to play them softer and still manage to play them accented.
    – Ishan.J
    Commented Mar 25, 2021 at 4:59
  • @Ishan.J you are giving conflicting information. A note with an accent is a note that stands out compared with the other notes. But now you are saying that a note with an accent should be softer than than the other notes. That doesn't make sense.
    – Lars Peter Schultz
    Commented Mar 25, 2021 at 10:30
  • Yes, it does. In the song, I'm playing, the accented notes are supposed to be mezo forte while other parts are supposed to be forte. It is conflicting right?? And that's the problem. The accented notes have to stand out from others but at the same time, they should also be moderately loud - mezo forte, not loud I.e. not the loudest in the piece.
    – Ishan.J
    Commented Mar 26, 2021 at 5:39
  • So are you saying that is not a matter of a note that has an accent, but a whole section of notes where all the notes are accentuated.?
    – Lars Peter Schultz
    Commented Mar 26, 2021 at 8:57
  • Yup. And another part which is supposed to be played louder than the accentuated notes.
    – Ishan.J
    Commented Mar 27, 2021 at 9:22

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