How to Create the Steve Winwood Solo Sound for Valerie

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In this video, we feature the keyboard solo from the song "Valerie" by Steve Winwood. Included are the components necessary to make the sound (using the Nord Wave 2) and some strategies on how to perform it relative to the mod wheel/vibrato and approach to the filter cutoff. Get the downloadable programs for your Nord Stage 3 and/or your Nord Wave 2 directly on my Patreon page (join at the Discovery level).
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🔗 KZbin video I watch to help me learn the solo: • Valerie (Steve Winwood...
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[@briangreen3226]

Thanks for the info; I was able to take this to my sy-1000 and immediately got something to work with.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Well done! @Brian Green Glad to hear this. And to be honest, this impresses me that the Boss guitar synth has a feature where you can imitate such a classic synth sound. That's awesome. Equipment like this gives guitar players the ability to experience "synthesis" in their own way on their own axe - too cool. Now it's time to learn synthesis. Have a look at what I think is one of the best ways to learn synthesis today: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6SzYausa7GLZ7c

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

Great reproduction of that classic solo sound. I believe Steve Winwood used the aftertouch of his Moog Multi-Moog keyboard for the expression rather than using the pitch bender wheel. Probably much easier to play it with aftertouch.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@classicarcadeamusementpark4242 Good point about aftertouch. Yes, that would have been WAY easier to play if I used aftertouch. Now you tell me! Haha. 😂

[@senycz]

Excellent Presentation

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thanks @Michael Senisch Hopefully you got this working on your end. It's a tricky solo to play when you combine the keys with the pitch bend - it's a good one for your "bend chops" 🤙🏻

[@Trevormortis]

As always, liked before I watched. Good job again.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Wow, thanks!

[@arthurgambell8789]

Thanks Marc, very helpful, very intuitive. Arthur

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Glad to hear it Arthur. Thanks for stopping by!

[@arthurgambell8789]

@@MyKeysToMusic yes , Stevie Winwood, one of my favourite musicians , keyboards , very good guitar palayer, and what a voice He was 17 , when keep on running, came out. What !!. Please keep up the keyboard tutorials. All the best Arthur

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@@arthurgambell8789 I agree - he's a world of talent! We'll keep on rockin' 🤘🏻

[@davevaebutuoy]

Whoa! Nailed it Marc! Thanks for posting this.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

My pleasure! Thanks for saying Hi!

[@richardyoung641]

Marc,thank you,The next song to nail for our band...great playing and narration.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Glad to hear this Richard. Ya, it's one you'll have to rehearse a bit I think (at least for the solo part). Cheers 👍🏻

[@stewartpaxton5260]

Great work as always Marc, this was one of my favourite 80s tunes, a fairly easy sound to create on the Stage 3, but a very effective one. Shows that even a basic sawtooth sound with little processing can be very effective when played right as Winwood does! Thanks again for your coverage!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thank you @Stewart Paxton and thanks for stopping by. Oh yes, the 80s music resonates with me and I always wanted to take a closer look at this sound. What I hadn't realized until I dug in was just how "complex" the pitch bend work had to be to imitate it. New-found respect for Winwood! 👍🏼

[@iamjesper]

What a great video on a great song

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thank you for your comment. I agree! It is a great song.

[@dougpearson5943]

Thanks for this Marc. You sure got that pitch bend action down!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thanks Doug! It took a bit of rehearsal to get it down (as you can imagine) - but it was a fun process.

[@eTrUSCANdigitalnomad]

Thank you, watching this I re awake in memory my first time synth study in 1983... I want to restart it

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Excellent! Making these videos in part awakes my memory as well... Thanks for the comment.

[@derekc180]

Damn i wish i could hear you play the whole song like the pitch bend mod wheel part.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

I know exactly what you mean. The only reason I didn't do the whole song was due to the time it takes to rehearse it all and get it right. I figured the solo was the most important part to tackle. I was also trying to avoid getting a copyright claim, but I got one anyway because the "machines are getting really really smart these days." 🤷🏻‍♂

[@bonneman66]

very nice...I tried the SHAPE Osc category for Square and dialed in 12% with Osc Mod Env modulating Osc Ctrl - Attack and Decay both in the 0-1 range to get a more articulating attack to the PWM. Turn on Velocity to change up the articulation with touch - Amount is up around +8. Thanks for the very helpful Nord tips. The entire user base benefits from the time you donate making these videos!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Hello @bonneman66 thank you for your detailed comment here and tweaks for the sound. On the surface, they sound like a terrific improvement to what I did originally. Thanks for sharing all this - the comments help me know what is working, what people like, and what is helpful - so thank you!

[@cliffordnealon]

Thanks!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Welcome!

[@ajdc88]

great stuff

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@ajdc88 Thanks Don!

[@modalmixture]

Great pitch stick technique! It’s neat how the pulse wave has a bit of Telecaster twang to it in this context, especially with all the bends - it’s basically a guitar solo. I was thinking it might be cool to map the wave shape/PWM to aftertouch so you can make it even more nasal on the held notes.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@modalmixture Thank you and good observations! Interesting about the Telecaster - I can hear that now. I like the idea of adjusting the pulse width by morphing with aftertouch too. It would bring that sound over the top I think plus it's just cool to have the aftertouch doing multiple things like this. The hard part is adjusting the pressure in a way that keeps the effect subtle. It takes some skill not to totally kill the aftertouch while at the same time pushing it enough so that you hear it. But it's true, I think this latest video/song takes the cake for the maximum pitch bend madness. 😜

[@modalmixture]

Yeah the aftertouch on the Nords tends to be all or nothing compared to my other keyboards. On the other hand I think the pitch stick works much better for this type of playing than a traditional pitch bend wheel!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Yes I agree!

[@simeonbanner6204]

Amazing. My dad used to see Steve in music stores playing instruments as a kid in Birmingham. So many great bands from the city. I think he was gifted from the start. Intersecting that Steve went for such a sharp sound but his kind of trademark. Kind of sounds 70s reminds me of the into to the Rockfors Files (also a great teack). I am interested in sound maybe first steps in making some music. Do you need expensive gear etc.? Readers advice appreciated.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@simeonbanner6204 Hey Simon! Thanks for sharing this background and history. YES!! "The Rockford Files-Main Theme" is exactly a pulse-width waveform to my ears. Well done on that association. You don't need expensive gear to get started with sound exploration and creation. There are online sites, for example, that provide miscellaneous "sound generation" apps for free. Here is a starting list: synth.playtronica.com Besides this, if you have a Mac computer, you have pretty much all the music-making stuff you need in GarageBand in that one app. If you go with synth hardware, then that's where the cost starts adding up. If you want to "record" and be a content creator, then things add up more because you need stuff to record audio and video, etc. All that equipment starts adding up and then you'll need a decent computer as well along the way. Perhaps even more daunting is the tech skills required and all the "learning" you're going to have to do - but that's the fun part - or at least it's supposed to be! Good luck on your journey.

[@staceycarras3815]

Spot On ! Marc

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thank you Stacey! - good to hear from you...

[@BrianZolo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Happy to do it Fabio - thanks for stopping by! 🎹

[@spazkong]

I always felt the solo on Valerie was a DX7 although, hundreds of synths can recreate such detailed expression because complex mathematics are now the industry standard, even on fully analogue machines. Life for keyboard players has never been so luxurious. Watching what you're playing is absolute proof that you are an amazing keyboardist and I have an awful lot to learn

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Hello @James Sisson. Thanks for your positive comment here - very much appreciated. Like with anything you see like this from me or anyone else, it typically requires "hours" of practice to pull it off. This for me was no exception. This particular solo is partially good if you're looking to become better at the pitch stick. Up until this song, I never really appreciated the pitch stick to be so integral at making a keyboard solo come alive like this. Start simple, and work your way up - all the best to you.

[@80ssynthfan48]

I heard somewhere it was a Multimoog or something similar.

[@andreasilvestri1696]

Ma bravo!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thank you @andrea silvestri 🎶

[@maicimyoshiki9715]

Like 48 very nice video！👍👍🎶

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Thank you for watching! 🎹

[@jackberlien8916]

Hi Marc! Off-topic from the Winwood solo but more of a vintage keys question - for years I've been trying to figure out, to no avail, what keyboard / electric piano was used by Hall & Oates in "Kiss on My List". It has this clanky sound full of character and overtones like nothing I've heard before. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@jackberlien8916 Hey Jack! This is most likely a Yamaha CP-30 Digital grand piano from the 1980s (when this song came out). The Yamaha CP-30 was introduced in 1976. If you own a Nord keyboard, dial up the "DigiGrand 1" found in the digital section of your Nord keyboard (from the Piano Engine). You'll be pretty close just doing that. 🎹 You'll be amazed at how close this Nord sound is, especially in the bass piano notes-it's nearly identical on the lower end. Oh, and I think Elton John used a CP-70 for many things and has been a long time endorser of Yamaha starting in 1993. Both the CP-30 and CP-70 are beloved instruments being used on many recordings over the years. Modern bands like Keane use the Yamaha CP-70 as their main sound in fact. I feature the "Keane" sound in my latest course offering: "Master the Nord Stage 4" where I imitate the Keane sound to a "T" - so much fun!

[@jackberlien8916]

@@MyKeysToMusic Thanks! I had deduced or gotten a clue that it might be CP-30 electronic piano (no physical mechanism, right - unlike the CP-70 which is an electrified mini-grand piano with strings) but couldn't verify. Unfortunately I don't have a Nord (went through a couple Nord Leads years ago and sold them - just didn't like as much as my Prophet, OBXa or Roland analogs). I have a Motif XF and got CP-30 sounds from somewhere but they have no depth or character - just sounds plinky and nothing really like the Hall & Oates record. So have you tried and compared and really think that's it? Maybe with some effect(s) on it? To that end, what might be the cheapest (i.e. outdated model Nord) I could get on eBay that would have this sound in it? Thanks again, Jack

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@@jackberlien8916 Hey Jack - wanted to circle back to you on this one. You had a question about what is the cheapest/outdated model Nord you can get on eBay that has the sound. That would probably be a Nord Electro 3 or something like that. The DigiGrand 1 is generated in the "Piano Engine" (not the sample player area). So, you would need a Nord keyboard that supports the piano engine and I believe the Electro 3 was the first one to come with an official Piano Engine. I have just confirmed on the Nord website that the Electro 3 supports the Piano Library version 5 which does include the DigiGrand 1 (and 2). Before taking the plunge, you'll want to get absolute confirmation that the sound will do the trick before making the purchase as used purchases tend to be final. You should be able to walk into your favorite Nord dealer and audition the sound on any of the modern Nords to test the DigiGrand1 from the piano engine. Oh and if you're really lucky, I think you can get the Electro 3 as a rack module!! Yet, as I reflect on the effort for all this, it kind of sounds like a bit of monkey business just for one sound. I wonder if, at this point, you could find the sound in software like Apple MainStage or something that runs on an iPad and such. It might be cheaper/easier to adopt, and it might also open up your world to other sounds that are not covered by your Roland/Yamaha hardware. Just a thought. Today's software choices are starting to run circles around the hardware in terms of sound capability (for better or for worse). I realize that introducing an iPad or computer to the rig is also a bit of monkey business as well. I guess it's what you find the lesser of two evils at this point. That or you can just live with the Motif XF for now. 🤷🏻‍♂

[@jackberlien8916]

@@MyKeysToMusic Thanks again and I really appreciate the attention to this! I'm a PC guy and haven't been able to find the CP-30 in a VST either! I know I've made a pest of myself, but it might make a good video to demonstrate that sound! Or maybe just record a short snippet to post or send to me? Would be MORE than happy to make a donation for your time and effort!

[@LuisFlores-xr5bu]

is the a way to save all the samples, and programs I have on my board. Like when you want to reset to default but with my current settings?

[@MyKeysToMusic]

Yes, you would load up the Nord Sound Manager on your computer and connect your keyboard. Then, there are a couple of ways to handle this each with a slightly different result: *Option 1:* Select "Backup" (at the top right). This will backup your entire keyboard exactly as you have it now including all your current settings. Using this option, you'll be able to restore your board as you have it now. Pro Tip: You could make multiple backups over time providing you the option to take "snapshots" of your board configuration for different setups or time periods. *Option 2: * You can select a program you want to keep and make a bundle for it. Do this for each program and you'll have all the components for each program if you want to load it again in the future. This will capture any samples/pianos you might have used for it. I recommend doing this one by one because you'll have some flexibility as to which individual programs you'll want to add back to the board later. You can also select all your custom programs at once (or just the main ones you are interested in keeping as part of our core customized programs). Once you have them all selected, you can "create a bundle" thereby saving all your custom programs as a batch. After you have saved all your programs as a bundle (either as an individual batch or all in a single batch) you can later "restore to factory settings" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH6UqIB5gbeAfqM) and then reload the bundle or bundles you saved. This gets you back to factory settings while at the same time allows you to load your custom programs back on after that. I tend to do option 2 about once a year as I fill the board with many custom programs I make for all the videos and I don't want to lose them. While at the same time, I like to reset to factory settings so that my board will be the same as it is for a new user getting a keyboard for the first time. Hope this helps provide some perspective on how to do all this... 🤔

[@hittingnote75]

What about a Yamaha DX7 II?

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@hittingnote75 Synth the Yamaha DX7 is and "FM Synth" where the approach might be different, but the same sound principals apply. If the DX has the ability to produce a pulse wave, then you're almost there. The original sound was produced using a Roland Jupiter-8 which is a traditional subtractive synthesis board whereby the pulse wave is a built-in feature (not unlike most traditional subtractive synths).

[@FourthWayRanch]

can't figure out how to adjust pulse on the jupiterxm, they have some scenes that are kinda close

[@MyKeysToMusic]

I just looked at the manual for the Jupiter and I didn't see anything jump out at me on how to create a pulse width. Typically it's available as an oscillator type. If not, then see if the Jupiter lets you adjust the "Shape" of a square waveform which is another way to create the pulse waveform. However, I didn't see that as an option either!! I assume there has to be a way to do it, but then again, maybe this is a blindspot on this keyboard?? Do a search (or post a question) on a Roland User forum and see what comes up. There may also be various Roland FaceBook groups that could possibly help out with this question.

[@FourthWayRanch]

@@MyKeysToMusic Thanks, I'm getting close but missing that buzzy tone, I think it's in their app somewhere. to offset the second patch I think you have to play with the envelope too maybe. you can pick the oscilator type, just can't find the adjust to 10% part this thing is so hard to use, I regret buying it.

[@FourthWayRanch]

@@MyKeysToMusic it looks like it uses the jupiter 8 interface to build patches with. I think have to make a scene with two pulse patches.

[@MyKeysToMusic]

@@FourthWayRanch Ah - that makes sense, I think. Good luck. One neat aspect of all this effort you are going through is that once you get your head around this synth, the next one will be all the easier. If you ever wanted to learn synthesis in general and how to make sounds from scratch, I recommend you check out this software that I highly recommend. I didn't make the training series but I made a video talking about it because I believe in it so much: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6SzYausa7GLZ7c

[@FourthWayRanch]

@@MyKeysToMusic can change pulse width in the tone edit menu after all. two oscilators for a part, hmmm