Music in my Soul © 2011 Grant Johnson composed on Chordboard STAC

YouTube Uploaded by chordboard on Mar 8, 2011

"see http://www.chordboard.com for more info on the Chordboard STAC
Last week I was in the studio playing sounds on the STAC and found a real interesting chord progression. In key of F I started on the iii chord, the awesome and very cool A minor chord and played an arpeggio on that, then alternated with the A# major chord on the root mixed with the equally awesome D minor chord on the top of the chord mix, arpeggiating notes... creating this bed of harmonic conflict that begs to be resolved, and teasing more by going to the V chord, the C major, and then back to the first A minor progression... and finally breaking away into a chord progression on the MAJORS side of the song starting with F major using the I, IV, V pattern. Branched over into the minors at G minor (ii chord)"

Chordboard STAC Music: Meso Kingmann © 2011

YouTube Uploaded by chordboard on Feb 23, 2011

"http://www.chordboard.com for details on Chordboard STAC
"I created this song on the Chordboard beginning by starting with a performance preset on the Yamaha Motif CX8 keyboard, just trying to get some ideas, and the tempo was 103 bpm. I went to the Chordboard STAC and tried the Key of C and started to play the minor chords on the right side of the STAC. I went back and forth between several chords but gravitated to the D minor and A minor chords because for some reason they just sounded like the mood I wanted to be in, and then also bridging with the E minor chord for even more tension. After a couple of rounds with those chords, it was time to resolve from the minors in this key, and so I branched over to the left side of the chordboard playing the major chords and experimenting with that, and settling on going from A minor to F major, introducing a positive feel to it, and down to the C major and up to the G major, and finally to a B diminished to return to the original minor chord progression of ii, vi, iii.
Near the end of the song I brought all track volumes down and emphasized a sound called ELFIN DREAMS on the Yamaha, and just loved the way it took the song into a new dimension. I played the same chord progressions on these new harmonies (and melodies) but played them in a more fanciful way playing single notes (as shown on the vid) and taking advantage of what the sound had to offer. Some sounds sound WAY better played through the Chordboard STAC than they do on the regular keyboard, they just do, and vice versa as well. Some sounds sound ineffective on the STAC because they were not designed to be played that way (ie arpeggiated sounds, since the STAC already does that).
Overall, this song production is about 18 tracks of music and percussion, with a few of these tracks played on a regular keyboard (the Yamaha) and the remainder played on the Chordboard STAC. It took about 2 hours of music time, and 6 hours of mixing and engineering time. The Chordboard STAC significantly shortened the time to come up with 18 tracks.
One of the reasons I use the piano keyboard for parts of the song is that the piano keyboard is a different musical instrument and you can get the different sounds (playing styles) from using it. I use both the piano and the Chordboard. Some sound timbres are similar to those used by Daft Punk in Tron, but that is a coincidence, as I just love those saw wave sounds in the first place :)"
Grant Johnson"

New Chordboard STAC: Studio Version

YouTube via chordboard | December 23, 2010 |

"http://www.chordboard.com official site, purchase options
The Chordboard STAC Symphonic is a MIDI Controller and new musical instrument with a very short learning curve. It places millions of different chord voicing combinations into the hands of musicians at all levels of play.
The STAC Symphonic is an Idea Mill, music just happens, in a new and unexpected way. It sounds different, it is different, and this is because notes and chords are being voiced in new ways never before heard. It's symphonic voicing of chords, with Harmonic Quantizing. Try a new patch, pick a key signature, and begin to create a new song using Nashville Notation. It's that good.
STAC Lays Golden Eggs! Imagine writing 20 songs a week, and picking and choosing from 1000 new songs in a year. STAC Simplifies and is Less Stressful. Composers and Producers speak of "racking their brains." Imagine eliminating that part of the process, and enjoying composing / producing with a musical tool / instrument that extends your creativity.
The Learning Curve is Short. 15 hours is all you need. Our tests and videos show amateur musicians going from novice to respectable in just 15 hours. Expert musicians only need a few hours to experience the creative magic.
It is analogous to doing for piano keyboards what the mouse did for the personal computer. it takes it to the next level, much faster."