Keyboard Player Magazine
The essential guide to making keyboard music
 
 
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Welcome To Keyboard Player Magazine

 
Keyboard Player is the longest-running keyboard magazine on the UK market, having been published monthly since 1979. Appealing mainly to the home enthusiast and semi-pro player, the magazine covers all types of keyboard instruments including portables, workstations, synthesizers, pianos and organs, plus amplification/speaker systems, computer music software and ancillary equipment. As well as product news and in-depth reviews, Keyboard Player publishes expert playing advice, tuition plus sheet music including exclusive music arrangements, along with interviews and profiles, prize competitions and reviews of CDs, DVDs and books.
 
Download or request your free copy of Keyboard Player Magazine here
Issue & Web Site Update - July 2009
 

Hello and welcome to the July issue of Keyboard Player which is now available to purchase and download.

The second London International Music Show was held recently at London’s Docklands ExCel Centre and John Bates went along to check out the new keyboards at the show, some making their debut appearance. Yamaha, Roland, Casio and Clavia are featured in this show overview.

 

There are several new Roland keyboard products we’ll be looking at over the next few months and in this issue Andrew Gilbert gets to look at the Prelude keyboard and is highly impressed with the vast array of high quality sounds and backing styles and with a price below £900, a definite model to consider.

Roland Prelude Review
 
Band in a Box Review
Every year a new version of that perennial favourite, Band-In-The-Box is launched and 2009 is no exception. There are plenty of new refinements to this software package to get excited about and Andrew Gilbert does just that in his 7 page in-depth review.
 

Mention the name Mike Batt and those furry eco-warriors turned pop stars, The Wombles probably spring to mind. However this multi-talented songwriter, pianist, producer, arranger and record company boss has in his time been behind many hit records including Art Garfunkel’s ‘Bright Eyes’ as well as launching Vanessa Mae’s career and discovering Katie Melua. In Key People this month he talks about his 40 years in the business.
With the Classnotes tuition series featuring music by Bach, Chopin and The Funk Brothers plus the usual music piece, this then is our July 2009 issue which we hope you’ll enjoy. See you next time.

 
Issue & Web Site Update - June 2009
 
Yamaha PSR-S500 Review
Welcome to the June issue of Keyboard Player which is now available to purchase and download.
First up Andrew Gilbert looks at the Yamaha PSR-S550 keyboard, an upgrade from the PSR-S500 from some 2 ½ years ago. This latest model boasts plenty of new sounds and features, and will be a serious contender in the mid-range keyboard market.
 

Casio have always been able to offer value for money with their keyboards and pianos and the CDP200 compact digital piano is a case in point. Andrew Gilbert finds it remarkable that a piano with a rrp of under £600 can boast a proper weighted and graded hammer action. Read his full in-depth review in this issue.

Casio CDP200 Review
 
Isotope Ozone 4 Review
Isotope Ozone 4 is a complete mastering system which operates as a plug-in for PC or Mac in any major DAW program like Cubase, SONAR or Logic. Tony Cliff who has been using the Ozone 3 for some years looks at what this new version has to offer in his in-depth review for this issue.
 

Propellerhead's Reason 4 is a powerful sequencer package which is available as a Premium Edition priced at £399 with the complete Hypersampled ReFill Collection that includes Abbey Road Keyboards, Reason Pianos, Drum Kits and Electric Bass.
You’ll find Mark Jenkins in-depth review in this issue.

Propellerhead Reason 4 Review
 

Ruthie Foster may not yet be a household name, but this Texas born singer, guitarist and keyboard player has an amazing voice and is equally at home singing blues, soul or folk. She talks about her life and music in this issue and can be seen performing in London and Dublin in early July. Try and catch her and check out her CDs.

With the usual tuition and music features, this then is our June issue which we hope you’ll enjoy. See you next time.

 

WIN AN APPLE MAC AT THE 2009 LONDON INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SHOW

Allianz Musical Insurance (AMI), the specialist musical instrument insurance
provider, is celebrating its involvement with this year’s London International Music Show by offering visitors the chance to win an Apple Mac computer worth £1,200.
AMI will be sponsoring the bar, café and press areas for the duration of the event, from June 11 to 14 2009 at the Excel Exhibition Centre, London Docklands. In addition to providing refreshments to music fans, the insurer will offer show visitors the chance to challenge each other to a game of Guitar Hero on its stand. www.allianzpowerplay.co.uk

 
Issue & Web Site Update - May 2009
 

Welcome to the May issue of Keyboard Player which is now available to purchase and download.
The Swedish company Clavia has always had a strong following of worldwide devotees from the days of its synthesizers and particularly since the launch some seven years ago of the Nord Electro, a stage instrument offering classic organ and piano sounds. Now the eagerly awaited Electro 3 is available and John Bates puts it through its paces and discovers a highly commendable instrument. Read his in-depth review in this issue.

Clavia Nord Elctro 3 Review
 
Korg LP350 Review
All the major manufacturers seem to be launching digital pianos designed for their looks as much as their sounds at the present time. Korg now step into this market with their LP350 which comes in black or white. The LP stands for ‘Lifestyle Piano’ and its slimline designer looks are certainly different from the usual Korg piano. But does it sound as good as it looks? Check out Andrew Gilbert’s in-depth review in this issue.
 

Yamaha’s powerful sound module, the Motif-Rack XS Tone Generator, which can be used on stage, in the studio and with or without a computer, and is designed to offer the best of all worlds. Read Tony Cliff’s review which is in this May issue or – as with all reviews – download as a separate PDF file.

Motif-Rack XS Tone Generator Review
 

Andrew Gilbert takes a break from ‘Computer Music’ this month to present one of his occasional Making The Grade articles. In this article he examines several new publications from experienced music teachers and performers offering sound playing advice and practice pieces for budding keyboardists. There is also a 3 page music arrangement taken from one of the books under review.
Charles Gillingham, keyboardist with one of the most successful US bands of the past couple of decades, ‘Counting Crows’ talks about the bands upcoming UK tour and discusses his love of the accordion and the mellotron.
With Classnotes tuition feature and the usual news features this then is our May issue in which we hope you’ll find much to enjoy. See you next time.

 
 
 
Current Issue
0338 Jul 2009
Issue 0338 - Roland Prelude, PG Music Band In A Box 2009,
Recent Issues
0337 Jun 2009
Issue 0337 - Yamaha PSR-S550, Casio CDP200,
0336 May 2009
Issue 0336 - Clavia Nord Electro 3, Korg LP350,
0335 Apr 2009
Issue 0335 - Roland Fantom G6, Yamaha CLP-S306 / S308,
0334 Mar 2009
Issue 0334 - Yamaha DGX-630, Sample Modeling The Trumpet,
 
 
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