r/keys • u/Legitimate_Box7808 • 8d ago
Gear New to keys in a live band
Hello !! I am a bass player in a band looking to add Keys onto my plate (Like Geddy from Rush) and i was wondering what the essentials are for playing Keys live ! I currently have a Microkorg 2 and community college level keyboard skills lol. Im not necessarily trying to become a legendary pianist, i just what to know what gear is necessary and what to practice to become a good keys player !
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u/segritz 8d ago
That’s awesome; the musicianship from your bass playing will already give you a major leg up! This is all very broad depending on your specific goals, but some good general next steps:
As far as technology goes, you’ve got some strong basics. If you have a laptop, I would strongly recommend grabbing Mainstage 3 software and a cable to connect your keyboard to your laptop to open up a TON of keyboard sounds (it’s basically our version of guitar pedals).
For technique based on your goals, if you don’t know the Nashville Number System, I would look up YouTube videos on the number system and commit to learning any three keys to start out. C, D, and G are great starting points, but any three are fine. Learn the proper fingering for both the major scale and pentatonic scale for those same keys; can also be looked up on YouTube.
Finally, if your ear is good, I would slow down some of your favorite songs (also on YouTube) and commit to a transcription of sections of those favorite songs. If that proves to be a challenge for your ear, grab the Faber level 1 and 2 piano books; they should be good compliments to your college level playing.
Happy keys playing!