I am not a piano player

I can’t play the piano. I can’t read notes fluently and I certainly cannot play music from the sheet. I can play a few simple things on the piano – mainly on the white keys – but I stumble when black keys are involved.

I am, though—and always was an analytic and logic-driven person. Musically, I like it when things make sense, sound “round”, are based on rules, and can be replicated in different keys. I like that much more than spending time on learning exceptions, which make everything so complicated. I want to learn only one scale instead of twelve, one for each key. I want to learn only one chord fingering instead of twelve, one for each semitone. I don’t want to mess around with black and white keys that look and feel different for every chord.

Some might call that laziness – I call it effectiveness. There are 1,000 ways to achieve goals, but I usually try to find the shortest way to get something done. Particularly in today’s universe of virtual music production options (software- and hardware-wise), I believe everyone can learn how to compose and produce music without being bound to traditional instruments and learning methods. As long as it is logical and makes sense you’ll understand it.

It’s just a question of how high a person sets the bar and how one deals with the limitations others set for you. If you’re told that composing music is too complicated for you – and you believe that – it probably will be too complicated. If you believe you need a traditional instrument like a guitar or piano to get started with making music and composing and producing your own music, then you probably need one.

Let me ask a question: Is it necessary to play piano or guitar in order to produce current top-of-the-charts music? I don’t think so. Today, songs that reach the billboard charts can be written and produced on notebooks in the subway, the park, or in a hotel room. Your gear setup can be so small that it all fits in a backpack. There are thousands of virtual instruments available to you on the internet – some of them even free of charge. There are many great DAWs available that let you produce music at the highest standards. So why should you think that becoming a music composer and producer requires more than a clear understanding of these tools and an intuitive way of dealing with music theory? If you ask me, there is no limitation.

If you are a bit like me, having a sense for music, playing some guitar or other instrument, and not getting along well with black and white keys, pads may be your solution to play your virtual instruments the way you’re happy with. The piano didn’t work for me, pad controllers do.

When I started with finger drumming on pads a few years ago it was like going back in time to when I started learning guitar. It felt like learning a real instrument with all the joy, creative flow, experimenting and compositional success included. With XpressPads Magic Tone Network I think I can close the circle that makes me a modern composer and music producer who can tap into all the virtual instrument options that are available today. It feels great.

If you are an experienced piano player you probably haven’t even read to this point because Magic Tone Network might not seem beneficial to you. But if you read this, you might be tempted to deepen your understanding of musical relationships and turn to quick, intuitive composing. Thank you for reading!

Everyone who read this far: I wish you a lot of fun with this 100 percent free-of-charge video tutorial series!

Andreas