Seaboarding...

This post was suggested/requested by the amazing artist Belly Full of Star, who was asking me to share a bit about how I incorporate the ROLI Seaboard into my music.  The best way I can describe the Seaboard is to call it a rubberized keyboard that allows for maximum expression.  Have you ever wished you could bend the keys like you do guitar strings?  Slide up the keys in an unbroken manner?  Vary the volume of a single key as you are playing it?  Yes.... that's the Seaboard.  I'm in love with this instrument.

I found out about this new fangled thing-a-ma-bob from various advertisements and posts from friends.  Before this thing was truly commercially available, I signed myself up to receive one.  I spent part of my bonus check on it!  I wanted it that badly.  So I ordered the ROLI Seaboard Grand Stage, which has 61 keys.  There is also a limited edition 88 key version as well as a smaller Studio version.  Then there is the Rise, which is meant to be utilized more like a MIDI controller.  If you have limited space and maximum capability, I would check out the Rise.

The first thing I'm going to is is kind of shameless promotion...  I'm going to direct you to some of my more popular songs featuring the Seaboard.  Then I'm going to pull apart the Seaboard portion of those songs and let you listen to parts of them raw, explaining how I utilized the instrument.  So let's jump in!

Example No. 1:

1.  "We Shall Go the Way of Bees" features an unconventional percussion line provided by Roofhare (Kees De Groot, @groovehare on Twitter).  The Seaboard comes in as a very buzzy string sound.  I wanted to really test the different capabilities of the instrument and used the glissando ribbons (space below and above the raised keys).  I took my finger and moved it quickly back and forth in a short motion on the ribbon while inching my way up the board.  It was kind of like quickly smudging a line.  I used a slight rocking motion of my hand to achieve this without breaking contact with the board.  Of course you'll hear a few slides and some other bee-like droning, which is simply rocking a finger on the ribbon.  On the high pitched, almost whistling slide down at the end, I trilled two fingers down the ribbon.


Example No. 2:

2.  "Trade My Smile" used the Seaboard on the little background hook and other background noises.  Leaning into an F and then rolling my hand as I hit F# with another finger, I was creating that bendy little thing in the verses. Throughout the bridge and chorus you can hear me starting light on chords and then really pushing into the board to increase the volume.  If you start light and then dig, it responds accordingly with intuitive volume control!



Yes this was a shorter post this time around, but given the sound clips I felt that I should give you time to listen and consume.  In a near future post we'll be hitting vocoders in a rather unconventional setting!

Please send me your suggestions for posts in the comments, via my website, or to my twitter account sarahschonert@sarahschonert.

Visit www.sarahschonertmusic.com to learn more about my music.

Source!  ROLI