| There is a great deal of difference between a musical | | | | at which their keys are pressed. That sensitivity |
| synthesizer used by professional musicians and an | | | | produces louder notes for faster presses and softer |
| electronic keyboard used by a typical amateur. While | | | | notes for slower ones. Touch response imitates that |
| the former is an electronic instrument capable of | | | | sensitivity and its resultant note volumes. |
| producing a variety of sounds through the generation | | | | After touch is a common keyboard feature. It allows |
| and combination of signals of varying frequencies, the | | | | for with sound modulation after a key has been hit, |
| latter is basically an inexpensive sampler. The | | | | permitting the player to add effects such as fade |
| difference between a sampler and a synthesizer is | | | | away or return. The effect added is determined by |
| that a sampler does not create sounds from scratch, | | | | the amount of pressure applied to the key. Such |
| but rather starts with multiple recordings and plays | | | | effects were particularly popular in the music of the |
| them back in various sound configurations. Yet for | | | | late 1980s, which is when the feature was originally |
| many amateurs and practically all children, this is more | | | | developed. |
| than enough. Keyboards provide a great deal of | | | | Polyphony is yet another effect that allows keyboards |
| relatively inexpensive entertainment for a great | | | | to mimic pianos. On the latter instruments, it is |
| number of people, most of whom wouldn't know what | | | | hypothetically possible to play every single note at the |
| to do with a real synthesizer if given the opportunity. | | | | same time. Contrarily, less expensive keyboards, |
| Keyboards have a number of potential features, and | | | | especially those designed for children, often permit only |
| whether or not any given instrument includes them | | | | one note at a time to be played. Polyphony allows the |
| simply depends on the price. Some of these features | | | | artist to play more than one note at a time, sometimes |
| improve a player's ability to control the speed or | | | | more than ten at once on more expensive keyboard |
| duration of a note, thereby making a keyboard sound | | | | models. |
| more like a "real" instrument. Others are more | | | | The multi-timbre feature allows keyboards to go |
| technological in nature, such as the feature that permits | | | | beyond the abilities of a piano and mimic more than |
| two instrument sounds to be played at once, a feat | | | | one kind of instrument at a time. Some models are |
| that in the "real world," can only be accomplished by | | | | capable of "playing" up to eight different instruments at |
| two actual separate instruments. All of the features | | | | once. |
| are designed to improve the consumer appeal of the | | | | The tempo feature determines the speed of rhythms, |
| keyboard. | | | | chords and other auto-generated content, or samples |
| Touch response (also called Touch Sensitivity or | | | | on electronic keyboards. The player is able to select a |
| Velocity) is not usually included in the least expensive | | | | sample they wish to use with their own music and |
| keyboards, but it can usually be found on mid- and | | | | then alter the tempo accordingly. Needless to say, this |
| higher-range models. Pianos, which keyboards are | | | | is one of the more commonly used features of |
| often intended to imitate, are sensitive to the velocity | | | | keyboards. |