Keys Keys Keys… and this topic is an ever growing field in the musical world, and especially in my musical world. And to say: „It’s just a method of playing notes“ would be THE underestimation! It has opened a world of possibilities for me ever since I discovered this wonderful system of 88 serial nodes to play music or to express emotion.

Even if you are tied to this method, it opens all the creativity to other instruments or triggering features. So I was lucky to begin my journey on a real piano at the age of five by exploring key action and resulting sounds. Actually this was the best way to understand the system in a non-electronic acoustical way, instead of being spoiled straight off on a  electronic instrument from start. But in these days there were only electronic organs or unreachably expensive sophisticated synths. So here I was laying my brain out on a piano, somewhere in Fayetteville. And I loved it!

And I was lucky! Not only that I am part of the eyewitness moon landing generation, I was around when Sequential Circuits www.sequential.com  and Roland www.roland.com came up with THE technology warping technology of MIDI. Simple in its core, but besides the amazing progress in electronic instruments, the most fantastic addition for electronic music.

It’s not just a connection between two devices, it is perfect to blend the possibilities and sounds of many in its self fascinating sounds, to something unique by the player. I would like to compare that to a DJ mashing and merging tracks from different sources to something very much of his own.

Many of the sound collages I use in productions and/or on stage are simultaneously played custom sounds from different synths and devices.

And at that point I would also like to mention CME www.cme-pro.com  and its founder Zhao Yitian, for creating a rock steady and totally smooth operating wireless bluetooth MIDI (WIDI) system. What a game changer on stage and studio.

In the next page I will she a little light on my different systems in use, why I use them and for which occasions. I’ve had many systems ans electronic instruments throughout my musical life, but these are the two I am currently working with.