Functions Keyboard Assignment 2

Q1: Briefly describe the functions of the three pedals you would find on a grand piano.
Q2: Give three differences between a grand piano and an upright piano.
Q3: What parameters can you control with the keys of a midi keyboard.

Q4: If you use a sustaining pedal on an electric keyboard or with a midi controller keyboard, what does it do? What does it not do which a real sustaing pedal does?
Q5: What are the advantages/disadvantages of shaping midi data using a keyboard? Give some examples of when using the software interface may be better.

1. Una corda - The first pedal of the grand piano is called the 'Una corda' (soft pedal), this makes the piano sounds soft with a low volume. This pedal is rarley used in performances because it's not really important as much to use. This pedal should be used for dynamic technique and it should only be used when playing softly keys, so that it doesn't produce the full sound when pressing a key.

Damper pedal - This is the Damper (sustain) pedal. Its called the damper because it releases all the dampers off the strings, so that they can continue to vibrate.  When you press a note on the piano it will make the piano sound longer as long as you keep your foot on the pedal. This is the most commonly pedal that pianist uses in performance or rehearsals. This is a video of an example of a sustain pedal and what it does:

Sostenuto Pedal - The Sostenuto pedal is like the Damper pedal, except that it allows certain notes to sustain. When you're pressing a note it will sustian but when pressing another note it will not continue to sustain on the first note you pressed.

2. 3 Differences between a Grand piano and a upright piano.

         Grand piano

1. Grand pianos have long strings that make full balanced tones.
2. They can add ambiance.
3. A grand piano allows repetition of notes and sound. 
4. More Money.

1. Upright pianos throw the sound back at the pianist.
2. Less money.
3. They have a rich age in voice, of high quality.
4. They decpreciate in value quickly.
   

3. With a Midi keyboard, when you are recording something into Logic, you can edit the notes and the velocity of them. This means that you can edit how hard the note you want it to sound like, you make it soft or hard. By doing this you would have to use piano roll to edit the notes you want to edit.

4. If you use a sustaining pedal on a Midi keyboard, the sound it generates sometimes is synthesis. The way it works is that the Midi transfers the data into logic which produces the sound, but when using a pedal the audio sound is coming from logic. What it doesn't do that a real sustaining pedal do is that it doesn't release any strings of the damper because there is no strings to do this and it doesn't make it vibrate contionously.

5. The advantages of shaping Midi data in a keyboard is that when you record something, you can edit it after. You can quantize the sound you made which means you can make it in time. You can also edit it by using thep iano roll and you can edit the velocity, the length of notes and so on. The disadvantages is that you can lose work sometimes, also if you edit to much then you can messup your work.