Rodney posted a while back about not being able to locate a Canadian dealer who could both sell and sevice GEM's new workstation. GEM doesn't have the track record of either, IMHO, and their distribution /serivce network is a work in progress. Roland has many enthusiatic and knowledgable advocates including, I think, Rodney and SteveY. Their track record for durability and innovation is unsurpassed, IMHO. I own or have owned two Yammy stage pianos, but have never worked with a clav or a workstation.Īnd I'm definitely a Yammy fan. Yammy, Roland, and GEM all make 76-key workstations. And that you are prepared to do exhaustive editing makes me think that you really should take a look a workstations!
That you are considering accompaniments makes me think that you may want to look at Yammy's CVP series clavinovas, which are 88 keys. That you have been working with bass lines says that you think of melody and harmony as related units, which makes me think that you would be better served with 76 keys. There are plenty of people out there who will be more than glad to do that for you -)
Understood-and no need to downplay your results. I cannot think much beyond that though there may be something in addition that I am subconsciously looking for. I can imagine that I want an abundance of accompaniments in which exhaustive editing of each instrument or track (add, mute, change, etc.) is possible. What form(s) those would take I'm not sure: I guess I am looking for what would be termed "composer-friendly" keyboards. I have had very exciting results bordering on the "mystical". I have been playing and "intensely studying" (from songbooks) the world's greatest melodies for the last 20 years or so now and identifying those "elements" that make a particular melody "great" and "unique" and then applying what I have learned to my own creations. On an acoustic I can play a simple bass with my left hand and with my right I can play the melody unadorned and that is enough in the way of style or technique because my interest is in creating melodies and their chord progressions from scratch. My right hand is moderately crippled from injury but is usable enough.
To give a little idea about what melody-creating means to me.