How to prepare for your gig on keyboards

[@DaleE-u4n]

Great tips. As a keyboardist myself for over 50 years, I've got another tip. I always keep in my bag a tuner, a capo, picks and 9V batteries. I've saved quite a few guitarists some embarrassment over the years. LOL!!

[@jfn467]

And a pricelist too I hope? 🤣🤣🤣

[@silverlight2004db]

What about spare strings, drumsticks and a snare skin haha

[@hawedehre]

Batteries for the singers microphone 😅

[@DaleE-u4n]

@@silverlight2004db Nope. If the guitarist doesn't have a least a spare E string, he's on his own! And I never have anything for drummers, I only help out musicians......Sorry, I'll see myself out! 🤣

[@jaysgood10]

Screw the guitar…oops to late…

[@JonathanDotExe]

You're handsdown the best piano/keyboard youtuber out there. I immediately gotta watch when a new video comes out. I'm looking forward to seeing you live with Jamiroquai next year.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@oosaxx]

it's been so long your Montage has turned black! 😄

[@MarimaruXD]

Time to learn more from the master :)

[@stevecappella7358]

There are people that can play and play well. However, they may not be a performer. Then there are people that play well and are performers, but do NOT do it well. Here is where there is a difference between performers being amateurs and those that are professionals. Matt is the epitome of a professional, hands down. Keep up the great work Matt, both on stage and here online teaching us how to better ourselves. I appreciate your advice, and I am never too proud to admit if I need more practice and time to work on something to get it right. Thanks again.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@MorrisMetschan]

00:00 Introduction 01:05 Learn the identifiable parts 02:26 Get the sounds right 04:11 Using samples 08:28 Layering & Sound design tips 11:35 What to know about using presets 12:38 Setting consistent levels for the gig 14:22 Live Sets/Organization 15:13 Lead/Solo Sounds with Expression, Essential Sounds 18:56 Come prepared

[@DerrickMckenzieOfficial]

This is a real lesson on doing your homework before any gig this is so so important even as a drummer I do the same thing!! A big big lesson DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Nice one Matt a really good lesson indeed love this!!!🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯😃

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks D!

[@donwrangler]

The bass player ate my homework 🤣🤣

[@3vrgalois]

"Don't be a ____" is the most important advice of all.

[@1881Gordon]

100% True, but that also has to apply to the rest of the Band too 😂😂😂

[@Bashanvibe]

This has been my claim to fame!!! Always finding the right sounds and the right voicing!!!

[@jamietopolski4019]

Terrific video! I have a few additional tips: 1. You cannot count on having effective stereo separation at most gigs, so try to avoid stereo effects and patches if possible. At a minimum, take your "summed mono" output and amplify it into a single speaker to test how things will sound to your audience. 2. Many patches that sound great when playing alone will sound horrible (muddy) in the overall band's mix (especially acoustic pianos). A high-pass filter is very helpful (in addition to Matt's suggestion about cutting back the reverb). It will sound terribly thin when you play it alone, but you won't be "stepping on" the bass when playing with the band. 3. I am not sure that I agree with Matt's suggestion to turn all patches up to maximum. The problem (for me) is that there is a huge difference in the relative volume of different patches, even on the same keyboard (or soft synth). I don't have a great answer to this problem. It is a constant battle of tweaking patch volumes. Perhaps compression and/or a limiter might help?

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Good. points except I didn't say turn the patches up to maximum. You turn your keyboard up to maximum so the levels you arrive at are always the same. This is crucial for big Shows

[@jamietopolski4019]

@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Now I understand. That makes more sense. I will give it a try.

[@CremerSoul]

@@jamietopolski4019 You can match volumes in the live sets on the MODX oder Montage when in edit mode. That's a great feature for these boards.

[@OnKeyboards]

It kind of surprised me, that you literally went through a lot of practices I've been doing for years: Using splits, regulate levels between zones, set list with essential "improvisation"/"spontaneous keyboard solo" sounds in the bottom row, reduce reverb level of preset, disable sustain pedal of some split zones. Such things were done before the internet, based on a lot of intuition, experience, reading magazines and talking with musician friends.

[@BruceCopenLaboratories]

Did keyboards in the pre-internet era had various split zones, where you could independantly switch off sustain? 🤔

[@OnKeyboards]

@@BruceCopenLaboratories ➡➡➡➡➡➡"such"... ...and btw that assumption you just made randomly happens to be true- I did in fact have a keyboard that had this feature way before my first windows 3.11 internet 14.4K dial-up modem.

[@thefantompianist4165]

Superb! All top tips. As a 90s dance keyboard player in a trio I spend hour and hours working on faithfully replicating sounds, learning the tracks inside out, constantly riding 4 expression and control pedals and praying we get a good sound engineer, I couldn’t agree more with every word of this video. Great advice for all keyboard players.

[@InTheKeyOfSimon]

This was brilliant. I have just started playing keys live (covers band) and have that same desire to reproduce as much of the original songs as possible. It's comforting to know that my endless splits and sticking of samples on certain keys is what pros like yourself are doing. Your idea of putting parts of phrases on single keys is a great idea. The only problem is synths can do so much that I haven't got enough hands to do all the bits that I know they could add to tunes or remember where I've put them on the keyboard 😂

[@MBF_MBF]

Getting a comprehensive Midi foot controller, has really transformed how I can perform my music. Sometimes yiu really can’t take the hands of the keys.

[@InTheKeyOfSimon]

@@MBF_MBF That's really encouraging to know as I do have a Nektar Pacer which I'm trying to work out how best to integrate into the setup as I have officially run out of fingers 😃 Triggering some of those sampled phrases via that while my hands are busy could be great. Thank you.

[@MrThedalaillamaknows]

Hands down one of the best channels on KZbin

[@BillVincent]

I just discovered your channel and this video. Excellent, excellent advice! It is comforting to know that I do what you are recommending on a regular basis in my gig. And since my gig is a solo gig, I use every technical trick available to me to help me get the sound I want, including vocally, and including backing tracks. Thanks for this, and btw, I love Jamiroquai and his sound!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Welcome!

[@doublebass5y]

Loved your Lonnie Liston Smith Track you did on one of your gigs at jazz cafe. Awesome. You just cant beat that 70,s jazz funk Psychedelic shit man.

[@stevebatty2518]

This is Great Matt. More of this stuff please.

[@knarkis90]

Thanks Matt, always inspiring!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@jamesturk6697]

Great tip regarding presets and removing the reverb. I've been doing that for a while now and it was really affirming to hear you advocate that Mat. 👍

[@stevemcgrath01]

Matt....I'm extremely grateful for your shared experience here and giving your time to us. You've challenged me to " look under the hood" a bit more on my old Triton Extreme.....God knows what I'll find.

[@micindir4213]

That thing is such a pain to program. Omg, couple hours just to get few combis working.

[@Jamminn555]

Super funky groove off the top!! Great tips from the funk master and the gig master as well, embodying how to live and conduct your life as a pro musician. Thanks so much, Matt. Really LOVE your tune as well!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks a lot!

[@HarryNeelam]

This was one of the most brilliant videos! I was enthralled till the end. I'm not a muso - I'm learning piano in my 60s, mainly to impress and train my 3yr old grandson. i bought a Yamaha reface and Arturia 61 MKII to do this. Please do more of these. I learnt so much! Subscribed.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KooriGraywolf]

Band synth player here! I'm in an environment with a lot of cover bands around, and one of my pet peeves is seeing a cover band where the keyboard player will ALWAYS play the piano sound. "Can't Stop" by RHCP? Piano! "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne? Well, piano of course! And I'm sure for some of these cases there might be a way to make piano fit in the song, but it's always done thoughtlessly. Having to find the right sound can be annoying, having to craft the sound even more, but when you hit the sweet spot it is so gratifying. Also, no one would be excited for a cover of Sweet Dreams if you played the main riff with an EP rather than with a detuned unison saw.

[@pianofry]

This video is gold, especially about reverb (eschew reverb, prefer delay) and levels. If your levels are all over the place, you'll end up compressed beyond eternity and losing control. Watch your IEM mix - if your channels are getting loads of gain reduction, you are probably doing it wrong.

[@krz9000]

loving that bird sound ambience!! feels like a polished emu-II loon :)

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Love putting stuff like that in

[@A423-f9o]

Excellent video! Great information as always! Loved the summary at the end :))))) THANK YOU A LOT for sharing your experience!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@oliverziehme8981]

Matt you're a genius! Thanx for sharing.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@thejollyjoker187]

Is it just me or this is the best Montage advert ever?

[@jt_via]

You've given me many great things to think about as I grow toward prfessionalism.

[@mustangsupersnake7848]

I was looking for a keyboard hero that would rip those synths and I found the guy... I actually found two! Matt Johnson, keyboard hero of Jamiroquai and Jay Hosking, both super talented at making those synths really talk. Great channels, great players, great synths. These guys have to be among the best sound builders and music gear architects I have seen. On top of that, they are composers too. True artists.

[@cwelchgrapes]

You are number 1 in my book....very professional..

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@wolfvonderr4487]

Thanks Matt, as always this is incredibly interesting for us Jamiroquai/Matt Johnson fans, as well as suiting the pros and most basic amateur musicians in us

[@GabeChurray]

Solid gold Matt. I think about this stuff all the time and to hear some of my own thoughts reinforced by you is very reassuring. Appreciate it man!

[@dereksellin]

This is absolute gold. Thank you, Matt, for sharing your hard-earned wisdom!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@danmoretti8898]

It's absurd how good you are lmao. Always fun to watch!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@alanredversangel]

I love the 'whatever you need to get the job done' approach. Split keys, layers, samples, midi filters etc. I use Halion on a laptop like this.

[@CalvRobb]

Great Tips Matt! I do enjoy your podcasts! Thank You! 🙏🏾👍🏾

[@tomwesley483]

That was awesome Matt..Thanks

[@Geoff-D]

Great Video Matt!🙂

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks! 😀

[@nickatnite68]

Yamaha synth player in a Tribute Band. These are words of wisdom. Thank you!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@ofpag]

What a masterclass BRAVOO!

[@pneptun]

the sound at 10:15 - i was convinced it was gonna be FM 😀 that totally has that FM vibe! but as always in music - many ways to get to the result :)

[@johnnybegood2693]

Thanks for this excellent first hand advice - great to see this level of detail coming directly from touring experience!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@smusicm]

Excellent information!🎶

[@stephenshadenough]

Love learning about your process. Great advice. Thank you!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks for watching!

[@jjrusy7438]

2:11 point taken. that could also be the start of great gig in the sky "just chords" too haha. this whole video was very informative. thx a bunch. that synth go-to sound was a beast wow.

[@albertotaya]

Thank you for this amazing class!!!! I always wanted to know how a great musician like you organize the sounds.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@PhillyTom]

Keep the videos coming. Great stuff sir!!!!!!!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks! Will do!

[@eugeniomeza2886]

Excellent tips Matt, thank you very much for sharing with us.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@grahamcmusic]

Like so many great musicians very humble Thank you

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks for listening

[@carlakazana]

Looove this ! 🔥

[@redsolar7]

luv the sounds

[@unclemick-synths]

Even if you lack Matt's talent: show up early, show up prepared, show up with a good attitude.

[@Andrew-rz7qt]

Sometimes those of us that haven't made it are on a budget and haven't got thousands of Disney dollars to put out on gear. Make do with what you got and play it your way. It's called a rendition for a reason and it's more about the energy for me. I have heard many bands that don't play note for note and it has sounded amazing. But I do believe that you hit it on the head when turning up prepared.

[@fab5091]

Love how you groove and improvise 🙂

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@SoundsToBlowYourMind]

Brilliant tips Matt thanks! I'm currently learning 3 x 45 min sets to start doing some gigs next year with just myself on keys and some backing vocals, and my mate on drums and lead vocals! I've arranged the sets so Set 1 will mostly be Rhodes, and was planning to actually use my Mark II 54 note Rhodes, with a Roland Juno G synth on top! Set 2 will be mostly acoustic piano and set three will be mostly organs, so mainly using the Roland synth and I had planned to just be quite lazy and cover the actual keyboard part and bass lines on the Rhodes or piano sound and also play some of the strings / brass / guitar parts etc, just using the main Rhodes / Piano / Organ sound, but maybe I need to spend a little more time on layering and splitting etc to cover the other parts more authentically! I hope I've not bitten off more than I can chew taking this gig on, lol!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Good luck!

[@angelostarrUK]

...anaother great video Matt, very well done!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mooogg]

Great advice MATT!! thanks as always for sharing your good energy with us 🙂

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!!

[@jumpstar9000]

What great timing! I was very curious how you set up your splits and what palette of sounds you like to have on hand. Really great to know how the pros do it, so can't thank you enough for sharing. Brilliant stuff Matt. Have a great day!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SriharshaaPrabhakar]

Thanks so much!!! We keep learning from you a lot ❤️🎊

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

I'm so glad!

[@voytecgrobor7576]

Great, great, great! Everything organized. Thank You, man!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

You're welcome!

[@jadestoneproductions5110]

Great tips Matt - using expression pedal (left foot) or any controllers adds another layer of live playing complexity on top of playing / improv & sustain pedal (right foot) - in other words it’s another practice area which I have not mastered very well - not hugely covered in tuition vids also

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Yes it can add a lot of dynamics to the sound

[@fuzzylogickben]

Really useful stuff. Bass player in an industrial metal band wanting to move away from pure backing tracks for the electronic elements to more live triggered stuff, this video showed up at just the right time! (Started following during the pandemic when I decided I wanted to play funk keys ... Things changed a bit from there!)

[@fuzzylogickben]

Not sure I'll be needing the clav on speed dial for this gig though!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

haha true

[@whattherec]

Super tips! Thanks Matt!

[@dewievans7238]

Fantastic advice, thanks Matt! Maybe you could do an accompanying video about how best to get yourself out of tricky situations when things go wrong, having back up options etc?

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Great suggestion!

[@adamkita]

Good God Matt that opening song was so good! You and Jay should do something with that!

[@freddyperezmusicentertainment]

Great video, I do a lot of this, but you really bring out the best of keyboardist, my respects. Thanks

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

I appreciate that!

[@GingerNinjaJazz]

Super Advice. As a music student and keyboard nerd, I'm taking notes. Advice & Jacket are both spot-on!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GingerNinjaJazz]

@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Always Dude. A legend like you, taking time to share your knowledge... Iconic 👍🎹 Rock on!

[@pesssdigio]

Thank you Matt! I love the shortcuts to the most used sound (rhodes, piano...), I will replicate your tricks on my setup!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Fantastic!

[@duddel6]

Great video, lots of inspiration and the need to deal intensively with the program, thank you very much! ❤

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

You're so welcome!

[@simbaking6338]

Awesome vid, totally appreciated...I do similar stuff to what youre doing...although i use soft synths using either Mainstage3 or Ableton Live.....but the set up is very much the same. 2 thumbs up for your excellent playing also..

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks!

[@patrikvelek2630]

Thanks for your tips. Luckily I do everything as you´ve said. But I really needed this affirmation, because I dont have any teacher and I´m young so always look up for more experienced keyboardist so I can learn something new and get better. The hardest thing for me is setting the levels. Its really hard in bands where we dont have recordings to adjust these, because some sounds could have lower level of volume but still they cut through more easily. Also I dont want to have the same levels through the song. When I play several sounds in one song I want some to be just background and for solo to really cut through. But its hard to set it perfectly so its not too loud or too quiet.

[@BongoBaggins]

That ambient little addition has got The Orb written all over it

[@giquo]

man, this is gold information and I can dig it more now that I'm prune to be more into doing synth and sound design great! great video! thank you so much for your time

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Great to hear!

[@yaronbrecher7397]

matt is simply the best superb bravo

[@cezary5177]

Very useful tips, thanks very much Matt. You are amazing musican and good teacher.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

I appreciate that!

[@stuartcrossen2723]

Great video, and exactly how I approach the keys parts in my three (albeit less successful) tribute bands, although the level tip is something I need to take on board 😬. Most multitimbral workstations and the Nord Stage can do these sort of setups. This is the reason why we still need workstation style synthesisers, most gear reviewers/influencers miss this type of end user when they review them.

[@cedricbablet9429]

Always good advices. Good tip: reverb on expression pedal and dont touch your level knob. I will enhance the use of samples in the patch! Thanx.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pietropavan777]

Masterpiece ! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@jandoedel1012]

Great advice from my favorit keyboardist. Specialy about not using to much reverb during a gig. Since you wear this fancy jacket you might add aviator glasses and fill in the space Quincy Jones left open.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Haha he was more stylish!

[@jarnleikr]

The most inspiring and useful demonstration of a synth/stage keyboard ( and the Montage M8X in particular) I've ever seen. Been searching all over KZbin for videos about the Montages and this video is THE VIDEO that Yamaha should have produced to promote the Montage. Chockfull of great tips and even greater riffs! Would love a video on how to add samples to the Montage. ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

It’s easy maybe I’ll do at some point

[@wilcandou]

A great clip... thanks for your experience. Remember to always save all your work to an external drive should (heaven forbid) the board glitch out. ...however, some great tips. Nice! 😊

[@HaykMartirosyan]

Good to see you Matt. And thanks for sharing, this is a great video... I love my Montage for 5+ years already. Love the sampling, layering and actually the built in sounds are quite good and realistic. I use mainly Montage and Arturia synths. Matt, hope to see you again on stage soon. Happy Thanksgiving from Armenia! 🎹🎶

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dmcgwhisper5945]

I agree with everything you said. If only I could play like you 😊

[@CoolJacketCoder]

This is priceless! Thank you ❤

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

No problem 😊

[@80sman80]

Love this Matt. Thanks !

[@adrianoconnor3020]

Great practical advice Matt, I'm Playing with multiple bands at the moment,bought a modx this year scenes and touch screen are a game changer now all I've got to do is learn to play 😅

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Have fun!

[@SoothingJazz88]

How’s this for a drag? When you take the time to learn the right parts and sounds and the guitar and/ or horns play the same parts cause it’s the most obvious part. Gotta love that.

[@FLH3official]

Great video (as usual with Matt!) Thank you. I would add to the list: Play at 70% of your possibilities, dont try your 100% on a live gig. And personnaly I still have difficulties to play a clavinet sound, would love to see a Special Clav' video from the master.

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

I did make one which you can find here

[@FLH3official]

@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Excellent, Matt, thank you, I'll have a look at it. EDIT: Actualy I've seen it 3 years ago. I've the brain of goldfish 🥴.. I need to see it again, obviously

[@B3-R]

Left hand, amazing 👏👍

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@_Rasdin_]

Thanks for sharing these Tips 🙂

[@TeddyLeppard]

Awesome to see a new video.

[@PascalM-ld9xn]

Thank you Matt 🎹🎸 More videos please 🙏😉

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

More to come!

[@Simial]

amazing value in this video, thank you mate!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@rafverheyen5458]

Preparation is key. And if you are lucky you get to see Matt doing this live, which sounds so good, to the point you start to wonder if there is a background track, but no the master does it all live 😎

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks Raf!!

[@andreafox7267]

Great tips! I loved the final tip, “Don’t be a ******.” I think “wanker” is the most appropriate and applies equally to girls & boys! 😆

[@timweinheimer1]

Thanks for sharing your expertese on the matter

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

My pleasure!

[@nellysagundo6634]

Thank for these great tips!❤

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Any time!

[@tommyvaughanhaus]

Brilliant

[@BruceCopenLaboratories]

Hi Mat, thanks for sharing your decades of pro-experience in a great way as always 👍🏻💪🏻one more thought about the iPad thing: I think if you‘re playing a gig by heart, it has a very different Energy. I was on shows of great musicians where the band just sounded like a bunch of mercenaries - that‘s kind of a shame for the music🤷🏼‍♂️

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

yeah I agree

[@mikew4646]

Great video and great advice!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Thanks so much!