Keys, Pads & Synths

The harmonic middle of the track.

Piano, electric piano, organ, pads and lead synths - choosing them, voicing them, and keeping them out of each other's way.

The instruments

What each one is for.

1. Acoustic and electric pianos
2. Organs and their drawbars
3. Pads: the glue nobody notices
4. Plucks, bells and stabs
5. Lead sounds, and how to make them cut through

Playing and voicing

Making keyboard parts sound musical.

1. Voicing: which notes to leave out
2. Register: where to place a part
3. Sustain, release and overlap
4. Two keyboard parts that do not fight
5. Write a three-layer chord bed
6. Keys final