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So I have a Korg T3 (basically an M1 with some extra ROM samples). I am deeply deeply unsatisfied with my trills because they just don't have that smooth, singing, "trilly" quality. They are on time and everything, but they sound... bad.

I am beginning to suspect that the synth's unweighted action and limited sound capabilities place an upper limit on how good can my trills sound - and that, in particular, if the keys would "bounce back" like they are supposed to, everything would sound better.

Can anybody confirm or deny such a possibility?

Has anybody managed to produce good trills on a synth action keyboard?

Am I wasting my time, here?

(Obviously, I don't have access to a piano for the ultimate test.)

Thank you.

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  • There's no piano store near where you live? You could try it there.
    – Alex Basson
    Mar 15 '15 at 17:45
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    I know what a piano teacher would say. But I think the old quote about a workman blaming his tools would also apply.
    – Darren Ringer
    Mar 15 '15 at 18:25
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    Based on dim & distant memory, the M1 had a decent keyboard for a sprung mechanism [never owned a T3] I'd say, make sure you hit the bottom of each key-travel to get some feel from it, I do recall it had a reasonable 'stop point' to work with.
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 15 '15 at 20:45
  • That's quite an old keyboard, isn't it ? Is it possible the return springs have streteched and so the keys aren't bouncing back as they should ? Either way the best bet would be to try it on another sythn/keyboard - anythign woudl do- to see if it feels different. I disagree with @DarrenRinger's comment: If your tools are genuinely shot (f'nar), then you're fighting a losing battle. I'm a guitarist so an analogy is: playing a guitar with v high action makes it a real handful. Playing a well set up guitar makes it a dream. Sometimes it IS the tools - but also .. sometimes not ;-)
    – user2808054
    Mar 16 '15 at 10:21
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Having just done an acid test, for me, trills using a proper piano action are easier to execute than doing them on an 'organ' type 'board. This may be because I play a lot more on pianos than keyboards, though. The bounce back seems to help the control. Having said that, there are lots of trill type bits in Bach's organ works, so it is quite possible to do it well. It is probably a harder technique than on a piano to master, as control is far more in the finger muscles when the keys respond in the way they do on a keyboard.

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