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.
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or request your free copy of Keyboard Player Magazine
here
Issue & Web Site Update - July
2008
Welcome
to the July issue of
Keyboard Player which is now ready to purchase and download.
Although Yamaha
and Kawai are
producing organs for the Japanese market, of the big Japanese
producers only Roland
seem to be distributing them in the UK. Andrew Gilbert had
the opportunity to look at the Atelier
AT-300 and is impressed with it’s classic look and
the fact that no compromise has been made in sound and tone
quality over the larger models and with a price tag under
4K excellent value too.
Another of the great
jazz and blues organists, Jimmy
McGriff has sadly passed away and John Bates pays tribute
to him in this issue Ron
Mael, keyboard player of the brotherly duo Sparks talks
about their highly ambitious series of gigs, playing each
of their 21 albums over 21 shows at the Shepherd’s Bush
Empire in London.
With a special feature on how to avoid keyboard-related back
pain and our usual tuition and music features, this then is
our July 2008 issue.
See you next time.
Issue & Web Site Update - June
2008
Welcome to the June
issue of Keyboard Player which is now ready to download
and purchase. It doesn’t seem possible we’re
halfway through the year already but we’ve reached
that time of year when new instruments are a bit thin on
the ground – most of the stuff shown at NAMM and Frankfurt
starts to come through late Summer, early Autumn.
However Yamaha are launching some new keyboards and digital
pianos during the next month and there is news of these
including the CLP-380 Clavinova of which Yamaha
are making ‘best ever’ claims. Expect in-depth
reviews on this and the other models in future issues.
If you’re
looking for a great little entry-level portable
piano you should check out Andrew Gilbert’s review
of the Yamaha
P-85. At around £500 (£600 with stand and
pedals) this sounds like a good buy.
There seems
to be more controller
keyboards around these days than you can shake a stick
at, but of course every computer equipped studio needs one.
Mark Jenkins takes a look at the CME
M-Key in this issue.
Computer
Music this month starts a two part feature on digital
recording and Andrew Gilbert looks at two models from Boss
– the
Micro BR and the BR-600. This is an essential feature
for musicians looking for affordable multi-track digital recorder
options.
We have
a couple of software reviews, first the Ivory
Italian Grand which is based entirely on a ten foot Italian
grand piano which would cost you £200,000, so £89
for this piece of software sounds quite a bargain and it won’t
fill up the living room. In the second software review Mark
Jenkins examines an impressive budget sequencer
from Steinberg, Sequel, which you can purchase in a package
with the M-Key (see above) for around £100.
With the digital
age providing musicians with so many options these days it
is hardly surprising that re-inventing past glories is an
attractive proposition, often reaching a new audience as well
as keeping existing fans happy. So it is with Jean
Michel Jarre’s Oxygene whose 30th Anniversary has
been marked with a complete new studio recording, a multi-musician
live DVD performance and a series of concerts in Paris which
has been followed this Spring by a full European tour. In
Key People, this issue, Mark Jenkins covers the concert, Jarre’s
career and Oxygene’s continuing popularity.
With the usual music and tuition, this is our June issue which
we hope you will enjoy. No update on the new website other
than it progresses well but might be another month or so before
we’re up and running. See you soon.
Issue & Web Site Update - May
2008
Welcome
to the May issue of
Keyboard Player which is available to purchase and download.
First up we have a new range of Yamaha
Motif synthesizers. Now in its seventh year of production
the new XS range continues in the tradition of previous Motif
ranges in what John Bates describes as ‘all about the
integration of musical facilities’ in his in-depth review
of the 61 note XS6,
one of four models in this new range.
Casio’s
Privia range of digital pianos have been around a while and
have made a name for themselves as quality products at a very
reasonable price. With the new PX-320
the price remains as keen as ever but John Bates believes
that Casio have
come up with an exceptionally good piano that can be used
in the home, on the stage, in the studio and is good for teaching.
High praise indeed, for a piano costing under £550.
Another
tried and tested range is Roland’s
RD stage pianos. Andrew Gilbert takes a look at the RD-700GX
which he is highly impressed with claiming there is not a
poor sound or feature to be found on this substantial instrument.
VSTi packages bearing
famous names appear to be the ‘in thing’. A couple
of months ago we had Miles Davis lending his name to Miles’tone
then last month it was Ray
Charles and now it is The Beatles in the shape of EastWest’s
Fab
Four. Mark Jenkins reviews this and three other new VSTi
packages – Gypsy, Voices of Passion and Ministry of
Rock – in this month’s Computer
Music.
With the usual music
and tuition features, this then is our May
2008 issue which we hope you will enjoy.
As mentioned last month we will soon
be re-launching our website. Amongst other things, we plan
to include MP3 and video samples of products reviewed as well
as tuition and demonstration features. The idea is to build
up a mass of freely accessible items to make the Keyboard
Player website the number one port-of-call for all things
keyboard related. We should be up and running within the next
month or so.
See you next time.
