Hi, I'm new here.
For many years I have focused on just playing my Steinway M the best I could solo. Lately I have been working my way through all 32 Beethoven sonatas. Almost done. I'm no Barenboim, just an enthusiast trying to play the best I can.
I've felt that I've taken my solo piano playing as far as I want to go for now. I want to have some fun with an arranger keyboard. Watched tons of videos on YouTube and became smitten by the Genos.
After weeks of agonizing over the price, finally took the dive and received my new Genos with all the accessories yesterday from here:
https://www.kraftmusic.com/yamaha-genos-digital-workstation-keyboard-complete-home-bundle.htmlI couldn't find a local dealer in Atlanta with one to try out first, so I didn't know if I would like it or not.
After several hours with it alone (had to wait until kids were in school, they hogged it for themselves otherwise) my first impressions are:
1. The bundle I bought is extremely high quality. Everything impresses in terms of look and feel. Not sure it's worth $6K, but at least nothing is junky. The Yamaha speakers are satisfactory for my home use.
2. The keyboard action is a pleasure. Wasn't sure if I would like the Genos keyboard without ever having touched it, was my #1 concern before purchasing. Coming from my Steinway, I find the Genos keyboard to be comfortable and supremely responsive.
3. The sounds are mostly amazing. The piano sounds are a huge disappointment, however, especially after reading about them and listening to YouTube videos. Not a dealbreaker for me, since I have my Steinway for that. I've tried adjusting the master EQ, but can't get the piano voices sounding any better yet.
4. The overall usability design of the Genos seems to be very good. I like the button layouts and the touchscreen design.
So I've tinkered with it by starting to play some Christmas tunes. First by just solo instruments, then by starting to add some backing styles. I've also poked through much of the owner's and reference manuals. It's a lot to take in.
Now I'm wanting to figure out how to extract more control during the performance of a song. The type I really want to play right now are standard holiday fare and Vince Guaraldi Christmas songs.
I can't figure out how to quickly change right-hand voices while performing. I want to quickly switch between voices and maybe even rhythm styles during a song. So far I can only change right-hand voices via either the touchscreen or the voice buttons. But that is too awkward or impossible during a song. Is there a way to perform a song while switching voices with a foot pedal switch? I haven't figured out if registrations can help do this or not. I'm not understanding the real purpose of having 10 registrations. I understand they can save all the settings, but I don't know if they are to be used while playing a song or if they can be selected via a footswitch.
Another thing I can't figure out is how to have the style rhythm pause for a few beats, then pick up at the next measure. A "silent break", if you will. I understand the built-in styles are endless loops and have built-in breaks. Do I have to edit a built-in style in order to program a silent break? I found the style editor screen, but it didn't make much sense yet.
Maybe I have unrealistic expectations for the capabilities of the built-in styles? Are they just intended for freeform jamming rather than trying to emulate real songs? Maybe I have to find MIDI files for the exact songs I want to play and then mute out the parts I want to perform?
Thanks for any help,