From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Wed Feb 19 04:57:38 2003
Subject:Re: Waterfall keys

Hi Deke (et al),

>> Actually the A-37 does not have waterfall keys, it has a slight lip.
>> I use the A37 and who cares about waterfall keys?? There are more
>> important things to worry about.
>
>Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say "who cares?", because I do notice a difference. I will say though that it's a bit like driving a car for me. My Honda Accord has a different driving experience than my Chevy Cavalier. The Honda does have a better feel to it, but that doesn't make the Cavalier undriveable. It's just a different car.

I think we need to separate some of these comments, because we are mixing apples with oranges.

>I love the feel of the keys on my M3's, but my B4 rig is so much easier to move around that I put up with the diving board keys (of course, this has something to do with the fact that I don't have $400 x 2 to replace my current keyboards with A-37's). :-)

There is a big difference between a "diving board" key and a waterfall one. Depending on your playing style, the difference may be important, or it may not. There is a much smaller difference between a waterfall key and a piano-like key with a small, rounded lip like the A-37 has. I have always been interested in comparing my v1.0 CX-3 with v2.0 software against a "real" v2.0 CX-3, because I'm curious as to whether the waterfall keys are really objectively better (as opposed to some kind of imagined improvement); and if they ARE, whether the difference is due to the removed lip, or to some other factor like a change in the counterbalance weights or the springs. (Yes, the CX-3's keyboard is "semi-weighted," as are many other keyboards with a light feel. It just doesn't FEEL semi-weighted, by design.)

>I have heard of Hammond players who refused to play spinets, or wouldn't play even a B-3 if the tremolo switch wasn't a half moon. While I can appreciate the differences, I would sure rather play my B4 rig than a couple of DX-7's with an organ patch.

There is a big difference between a spinet and a console. The key layout of the spinet was reportedly created by studying the needs of organists, and noting that 90+% of the notes played fall into two tight ranges. However, it should be interesting to note that they studied CLASSIC (style, not music) organists. I doubt that Jimmy Smith or Jack McDuff were part of the study, and I'm certain that Keith Emerson and Jon Lord were not. If your style requires long swoops from high to low and back again, a spinet might not be suitable at all. There's also the facts that: 1) the lower manual doesn't have the standard nine drawbars; 2) there is only one set of drawbars per manual (and no presets); and 3) a standard spinet does not have foldback.

As far as the half-moon switch issue: I also know some guitarists who won't play anything except a Pro Shop Stratocaster. That's certainly their prerogative, but it doesn't mean anything more than that they are greater creatures of habit than some of their peers who play a variety of models, or that they have enough money/fame to demand exactly what they want. Everyone has a certain level of comfort that they need to perform well; some players can step in on any instrument, others need a certain make and model.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com