five dimensions lesson plans -...

Seaboard RISE

Five Dimensions of Touch

Lesson Plans

Version 1.1

Five Dimensions of Touch: Lesson Plans 1

Seaboard RISE & The Five

Dimensions of Touch

In partnership with Central Bucks West High School, ROLI have created five lesson plans focused on the playing techniques of the Seaboard RISE.

By following these lesson plans and exercises, students will master The Five Dimensions of Touch that enable multi-dimensional expression on the Seaboard RISE. For more advanced students, ROLI has commissioned a set of Etudes, that focus on refining further Seaboard RISE playing techniques.

Introduction: 5D Touch

Unlike traditional keyboards and controllers, the multidimensional Seaboard RISE lets you control sound through Five Dimensions of Touch (5D touch). It moves far beyond the expressive limitations of a standard keyboard, opening up new ways to make and shape music through intuitive gestures. The icons below depict the Five Dimensions of Touch on the Seaboard RISE and its accompanying software.

1: Strike

Strike is the initial force with which your finger makes contact with the keywave. Anyone who has played a traditional keyboard or any drum is familiar with Strike. For those familiar with the concept, Strike corresponds to Velocity (1-127).

2: Press

Press refers to the pressure applied to a keywave after the initial Strike. Think of pressure like the bow of a violin—the harder you press, the more “effect” you get (volume, modulation, etc.). For those familiar with the concept, Press corresponds to (Poly) Aftertouch.


3: Glide

Glide refers to the effect of the horizontal movement of your finger(s) on a keywave or the ribbons. Moving left and right on a single key achieves vibrato, as it would on a violin. Moving across the ribbons achieves a glissando, as it would on a trombone. Glide generally affects Pitch Bend, but it can be combined with other effects as well.

4: Slide

Slide refers to the effect of the vertical movement of your finger(s) on a keywave. Slide typically is used to modulate (change) the sound in some way, such as opening a filter or changing the speed of an oscillator. You can begin the Slide at any point on the Y axis of a keywave. Slide is unique to the Seaboard RISE instrument.

5. Lift

Lift is the speed with which you lift your finger from a keywave. A rapid lift can create a lingering resonance or a hard pluck, whereas a slow lift may allow the sound to decay naturally. For those familiar with the concept, Lift corresponds to release velocity.

We will now explore each of the Five Dimensions with lessons in basic technique, exploration activities, and musical examples.


Lesson 1: Strike

Objectives

- Student will be able to understand and explain the concept of Strike.

- Student will understand the impact that finger height and initial force will have on the sound produced.

- Student will explore various sounds within the Equator

synth in order to better understand the effect of Strike on the sound of each patch.

- Student will perform basic preparatory exercises featuring the Strike dimension.

- Student will perform Etudes featuring Strike in a musical setting.

Essential Question: What is Strike?

Strike refers to the initial force with which your finger(s) make contact with the instrument. The more gentle the initial touch, the softer the sound will be, just like a traditional keyboard. Anyone who has played a traditional keyboard or any drum is familiar with Strike. For those with MIDI or controller experience, Strike corresponds to Velocity (1-127).

Technique: How to Strike

Place your hand above the Seaboard and bring your index finger down to contact the surface of any keywave. Notice the sound. Try again with a harder initial Strike— what do you hear now? Switch to a different sound and see how it responds to various levels of Strike.

When we Strike the Seaboard, we intend to draw the sound out of the instrument without sustaining the pitch. Leaving your finger on the keywave will trigger the Press dimensions (which we will cover in the next lesson). In this way, the Seaboard is approached almost like a percussion instrument, in which we think of the sound “blooming” out from the instrument as we lift our finger.


Strike Level

While it is not always ideal to talk in absolutes when discussing music, we can think about the level of Strike on a scale from 1 to 6. For those familiar with the musical concept of dynamics, you will recognize the symbols on the bottom.

This may be an oversimplification, but it will at least give you a good idea of how to perform various “levels” of Strike and the impact those techniques have on the subsequent performance.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Strike Level Lightest Light strike Medium Light Medium Heavy Heavy Very Heavy

Finger Height Very low Low Med low Med high High Very high

Dynamic pp p mp mf f ff


Exploration Activity- Strike

1. Load up the Double Bass and Bow preset in Equator

2. Use various levels of Strike to experience the impact on the sound.

3. Respond briefly to the following questions: a. How did different levels of Strike impact the

sound produced? b. Most patches “modulate” volume based on

Strike level (velocity). Was there any other effect created as you performed with a more forceful Strike?

4. Repeat the same for the following presets; a. Acoustic Piano. b. Steel String Guitar.

Question to ponder: For almost every sound within Equator, Strike has the greatest impact on the modulation of sound of any of the 5 Dimensions of Touch. Why do you think this is the case? How does this translate to a more traditional keyboard?

Important vocabulary Crescendo, Decrescendo, Dynamics, Velocity, Modulation.


Practical Exercises

1. Preparatory Exercise: Strike

• Practise the preparatory exercise for Strike, following the fingerings given.

• Watch video of preparatory exercise.

2. Etude 1: Strike

• Perform the “intro” portion of the exercise (Letter A), following the dynamics/finger height carefully.

• Perform left hand melody, 1-2 bars at a time at c. QN = 68, being sure to follow all fingerings and dynamics.

• Perform entire piece, left hand only, following all fingerings and dynamics.

• Perform right hand ostinato only.

Tip: Use left hand to steady pulse to ensure that the “ta” of beat one (the “e” or whatever we want to call it) falls exactly on the right part of the beat. TAP ta de ta TAP ta de ta, etc.

• Perform entire etude, both hands together.

3. Advanced Etudes: Strike

• Out of time, repeat each right hand phrase as many times as necessary until it is performed fluently.

• With a metronome, play each chord change out of rhythm, but with the metronome, one beat per chord, followed by rests so that you become comfortable moving from chord to chord.

• Add the rhythm to the right hand, first without accents, then with.

• Follow steps 1-3 for left hand as well.

• Perform entire study with both hands.

You can watch a full performance of this Etude here.


https://youtu.be/BRjbfvLThXU

https://youtu.be/0-kHQw9r45Y

Lesson 2: Press

Objectives

- Student will be able to understand and explain the concept of Press.

- Student will understand the impact that pressure will have on the sound produced.

- Student will explore various sounds within Equator in order to better understand the effect of Press on the sound of each patch.

- Student will perform basic preparatory exercises featuring the Press dimension.

- Student will perform Etudes featuring Press in a musical setting.

Essential Question: What is Press?

Press refers to the continuous pressure applied to the keywave after the initial strike. While the sound is sustained, applying more pressure will typically impact the sound in some way. The most common effect is on the volume of the sound (more pressure = louder), but other effects such as the modulation of a filter (cutoff, resonance, etc.) are also very effective.

Technique: How to Press

Launch Equator and navigate to 064 Sine Solo Lead. Strike any keywave on the instrument, but instead of having your finger rebound, allow it to remain in contact with the keywave. As the sound sustains, slowly apply more pressure on the surface of the keywave. Notice the impact on the sound. Now gradually release the pressure. What happens now? Navigate to 055 Attack Unison Synth and repeat the same exercise. Did Press trigger something different than before? Can you describe it?


Exploration Activity- Press

1) Choose three different “patches” sounds from

Equator; • Sound 1 _____________________ • Sound 2 _____________________ • Sound 3 _____________________

2) Using various levels of pressure, note the effect for various sounds within the Synth.

3) Respond briefly to the following questions?

a. How did different levels of Press impact the sound produced for each patch?

b. Some patches “modulate” volume based on Pressure level (Aftertouch), but for certain sounds, Press has a different effect on other characteristics of sound. Even if you do not know the proper terminology yet, try to explain what happens to the sound for each of the patches you chose.

Question to ponder: Press is a technique unique to the Seaboard instrument, allowing for a completely natural approach to expressive playing. If you were to compose a piece utilizing the Press dimension, what type of piece might it be? What are some musical concepts you could include within the piece to take full advantage of this very important attribute of the Seaboard?

Important Vocabulary Crescendo, Decrescendo, Dynamics, Poly Aftertouch, Modulation.


Practical Exercises

1. Preparatory Exercise: Press

• Practise the preparatory exercise for Press,

following the fingerings given.

• Watch a video of preparatory exercise.

2. Etude 2: Press

• Perform the “intro” portion of the exercise (Letter

A), following the dynamics/pressure amount carefully.

• Perform the first chord, using pressure to achieve a crescendo to the note change on beat 3.

Tip: Listen to the video performance carefully and try to mimic the articulation of the performer’s 5th finger as it changes to the higher note.

• Perform the second portion of the etude, utilizing

the “pump” technique to achieve quick dynamic swells. Tip: Perform this portion one hand at a time until it is easy to play, then

combine.

• Perform entire etude, both hands together.

3. Advanced Etudes: Press

• Slowly and without Press, perform each hand

individually. Take your time moving from chord to chord, following the fingerings carefully.

• Once comfortable, add press to each hand individually

• Perform both hands together, complete with Press.



https://youtu.be/Wpo7pSvkpAo

https://youtu.be/ZaEtdYCi-Pc

Lesson 3: Glide

Objectives

- Student will be able to understand and explain the concept of Glide.

- Student will understand the impact of Glide on the pitch.

- Students will utilize Glide to perform both Vibrato, both types of Glissando, and Seamless Half Steps.

- Students will perform basic preparatory exercises featuring the Glide dimension.

- Students will perform Etudes featuring Glide in a musical setting.

Essential Question: What is Glide? Glide refers to alteration of pitch with a horizontal motion applied to a keywave or one of the two ribbons. Typically this motion across the X axis will bend the pitch up or down. A “wiggling” motion upon a single keywave will achieve an effect very similar to vibrato on a traditional string instrument. Moving up or down the ribbons will achieve a glissando, moving up or down as much as two octaves from the original pitch. Using the Touch fader on the RISE enables you to set the level of sensitivity of the Seaboard to the Glide dimension.

Technique: How to Glide

Launch Equator and navigate to 064 Sine Solo Lead. We

will practice 4 separate techniques that utilize the Glide dimension.

1. Vibrato: Strike any keywave and sustain the pitch by using Press. Wiggle your finger back and forth to bend the pitch rapidly up and then down, imitating a natural vibrato.

2. Glissando (ribbon): Strike the Seaboard anywhere on the ribbon and, while pressing, draw your finger left and right to achieve the Glissando technique. Try this on both ribbons.


If you are having trouble maintaining the Glissando throughout the entire range, use slightly more pressure.

3. Seamless Half Steps: Strike any keywave and, while simultaneously lifting your first finger, move to a note a half step (one semitone) up or down. The pitch should bend seamlessly between the two notes.

4. Glissando (keywave): This technique works most musically with patches set to the Mono Legato setting. These patches, like many traditional leads, can only play one pitch at a time. This affords us the added technique of using Glissando on the keywaves themselves without having to move to the ribbon. Navigate to 115 Triangle Mono Lead and Strike any keywave. Perform the same Glissando technique you did for a ribbon Glissando, but this time, perform directly on the keywaves.


Exploration Activity - Glide

1. Choose three different sounds within Equator, make sure one falls under the Mono Legato category (they will have “mono” in the title)

• Sound 1 _____________________ • Sound 2 _____________________ • Sound 3 _____________________

2. Technique practice;

• Because there are so many different techniques associated with Glide, it is important to spend time getting comfortable with all of them before moving to the musical exercises.

• Spend time with various patches, trying each of the 4 techniques listed above. Although it won’t be quite as smooth, you can certainly use the keywave glissando on polyphonic patches.

3. Respond briefly to the following questions:

• Several musical terms associated with the Glide dimension are introduced above. Can you come up with several traditional instruments other than the ones mentioned above that you may be able to emulate using the Glide?

• Do you find it more musically satisfying to use more “traditional” sounds to emulate these traditional instruments, or do you prefer to use the more electronic patches within Equator? Can you explain why you feel this way?

Question to ponder: In just about every patch in Equator, Glide modulates the pitch, like an extremely intuitive pitch wheel. When we Glide to the right, the pitch goes up. When we Glide to the left, it goes down. There are other aspects of the sound, however, that are often modified subtly when you Glide. Can you tell what they are? Do you think it would it be beneficial to add a more obvious modulation via Glide?

Important Vocabulary Vibrato, Glissando, Half Steps, Pitch Bend, Semitones, Pitch Bend Range.


Practical Exercises

1. Preparatory Exercise: Glide

• Practise the preparatory exercise for Glide, following the fingerings given

• Watch a video of preparatory exercise

2. Etude 3: Glide

1. Perform the “intro” portion of the exercise (Letter A), taking time to make sure the octaves are in tune with each other. Glissando slowly and evenly to achieve desired musical effect.

2. Perform the left hand part only, perfecting one bar at a time before moving to the next. As before, take time to ensure the Glissando is even

3. Play two measure chunks of the right hand melody starting at B. The melody is rhythmically repetitive and B and C are almost identical. Learn these bars thoroughly to make the rest of the etude easier. Leave out the Glide at first if need be, then add it back when you are more confident with the notes and rhythms.

4. Perform with both hands simultaneously.

5. The tempo and date chart is no longer provided for you, but you are encouraged to keep track of your progress on your own. This habit will streamline your practice sessions and improve productivity by ensuring that you learn your materials and technique thoughtfully.

3. Advanced Etudes: Glide

1. Practice this study one hand at a time at first, then both simultaneously

2. Work on the left hand rhythmic ostinato in measures 1-4


https://youtu.be/4k15QkFfvTg

3. Slowly work through the vibrato section in the right hand in measures 1-4, being careful to include dynamics once the technique is comfortable

4. Continue for the remainder of the study this way, bit by bit, until comfortable



https://youtu.be/ORDs0qG6otg

Lesson 4: Slide

Objectives

- Student will be able to understand and explain the

concept of Slide - Student will understand the impact of Slide on the

sound of various patches within Equator - Student will perform basic preparatory exercise

featuring the Slide dimension - Student will perform Etudes featuring Slide in a musical

setting

Essential Question: What is Slide? While the Glide dimension dealt with horizontal movement across the X axis of the Seaboard, Slide is triggered by moving vertically on the Y axis. The unique texture of the RISE keywaves allow the performer to “feel” the track on which to Slide more easily. Slide initiates the movement that vertical movement is detected, regardless of how high or low on the keywave it begins. Slide can be assigned to numerous parameters within Equator (Filter, LFO rate, Envelopes, etc.). Slide sends as MIDI CC 74, so for those more adept with software synths other than Equator, you can assign CC 74 to various parameters.

Technique: How to Slide

Launch Equator and navigate to 002 Smokey Rhodes.

Slide is triggered via vertical movement on a keywave, so strike any key, sustain by lightly pressing, then slowly draw you finger upward, along the Y axis, keeping your finger flat and straight. Notice the change in the sound. Now draw your finger back to its original location, again keeping your finger flat and straight.

What do you hear? Within this particular patch, Slide triggers a high pitched, glassy timbre, reminiscent of the sound you might produce by drawing a violin bow along the bar of a vibraphone. In this case, Slide is triggering the sound of the oscillator with that particular timbre or sound quality.


Exploration Activity- Slide

Choose a few different patches and repeat the same process. What do you hear? If you aren’t fluent with “synth” vocabulary like Filter, Noise, Oscillators, etc. just describe what you hear in your own words, like we did above.

Patch ____________________

Slide effect _____________________________

Patch ____________________

Slide effect _____________________________

Patch ____________________

Slide effect _____________________________

• Respond briefly to the following questions: (number

format as before) • In your exploration, did you find any

patches that did not respond to Slide? Why do you think these sounds would be programmed to omit this dimension?

• Compared to the other dimensions we have explored, do you find the impact of Slide on the original sound to be more dramatic or less dramatic? Why did you come to this conclusion? Do you feel this

makes the most musical sense and why? Question to ponder: We have experienced several different modulation parameters triggered via Slide. None of these, however, have been Pitch Bend, which has generally been assigned only to the Glide dimension. Would it make sense to assign Pitch Bend to Slide? If so, in what situation? How does this impact the Seaboard’s “natural” approach to modulation?

Important Vocabulary Filter, Oscillator, Reverb, X and Y Axis


Practical Exercises

1. Preparatory Exercise: Slide

• Practise the preparatory exercise for Slide, following the fingerings given

• Watch video of preparatory exercise

2. Etude 4: Slide

1. Perform the right hand portion in the first two measures, taking your time to hear the change in sound. Try to “draw” it out of the instrument as though you are drawing a bow across a cello.

2. Perform the left hand part at Letter B. This hand only performs one note at a time, so be picky about taking all of the beats to complete the Slide motion.

3. Perform with both hands simultaneously, focusing on making the Slide even in both hands. You do not want to Slide too quickly in one hand or the other, or the effect will sound like an echo instead of triggering simultaneously in both hands.

4. Once comfortable with the Slide dimension in context, add the dynamics (crescendos) where notated.

3. Advanced Etudes: Slide

1. Familiarize yourself with the melody by performing the right hand only, without Slide.

2. Once comfortable, add the Slide dimension to the right hand only.

3. Work on the left hand alone. As you do so, “hear” the right hand and how it fits rhythmically with the left. It is very important that, while the hands are separate, the listener hears eighth and sixteenth notes in succession.

4. Perform with both hands together, adding dynamics and proper phrasing when ready.



https://youtu.be/8OSdZfCCM4o

https://youtu.be/snccBieCGN0

Lesson 5: Lift

Objectives

- Student will be able to understand and explain the

concept of Lift.

- Student will understand the impact of Lift on the sound of various patches within Equator.

- Student will understand the relationship between release velocity (Lift) and velocity (Strike).

- Student will perform basic preparatory exercise featuring the Lift dimension.

- Student will perform Etudes featuring Lift in a musical setting.

Essential Question: What is Lift?

Lift is the speed with which the fingers are released from a keywave. Typically, the faster the Lift, the more pronounced the effect. Since Lift applies to the end of a note, it typically triggers effects like resonance, reverb, an articulate pluck, or something similar.

Technique: How to Lift

Launch Equator and navigate to 042 Ocean Horizon Pad. In order to perform Lift, it is necessary to press in and then “pull” your finger away from the keywaves at various speeds. The faster you pull away (think pulling your finger off a hot stove), the greater your Lift will be. Strike any keywave, Press to sustain, then Lift several times. Use different speeds each time you release the note. Since Lift can be subtle, you may wish to look at the Lift Panel within Equator to get a visual representation of how much Lift you are actually achieving.

What do you hear? Within this particular patch, Lift is modulating the frequency of LFO 1. You should be able to hear the speed (the wah-wah-wah) of the filter going faster or slower, depending on your level of Lift.


Lift and Press, a symbiotic relationship

As you work with the Lift dimension, you may notice that the modulation is far more pronounced when the Press dimension is used at a greater value. As we learned before, additional Press often increases volume, intensity, filters, or other very obvious targets. The effect of a high release velocity on a sound that is already very pronounced is going to be far more obvious than one that is subtle.

Pay attention to this as you experiment with this dimension. It is a way to make it a little less subtle, often with great results.

Introduction to Modulation

The modulation on various parameters via Lift is often subtle. In order to better experience the effect of Lift, we are going to make an alteration to our modulation list. This is just one way to add a modulation source and target.

1. Select 007 Worlds Apart Pluck.

2. Experiment with the Lift dimension. By default, this patch does have a subtle modulation via Lift, but we are going to make it more obvious.

3. Click on the Modulation List tab on the lower half of

the screen

4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Select

New Source.

5. Choose Lift as your source and Sampler Filter Cutoff 1 as your target. The modulation amount will default to 100. Leave it there.

6. Choose Lift as your source and draw a modulation of 35% on the FM Depth A dial and FM Depth B dial. Assign modulation to the level dial of Envelope 3. You can then experiment and adjust as you play.

7. Now experience with different levels of release. What do you hear?

8. You may wish to “Save as” (name your patch whatever you’d like) for future use. Be sure to use “Save as” so

you don’t overwrite the original patch! Five Dimensions of Touch: Lesson Plans 20

Exploration Activity - Lift

Not every patch within Equator modulates via Lift. Browse through the synth and find several that do, then describe what you hear when you release at various velocities. Take note of how subtle (or not) the modulation is on each patch you select.

Patch ____________________

Lift effect _____________________________

Patch ____________________

Lift effect _____________________________

Patch ____________________

Lift effect _____________________________

• Respond briefly to the following questions:

• Are there any patches that did not modulate via Lift that you thought should do so? Name that patch here. Even if you are not yet comfortable with the process for doing so, what effect might you like to achieve with Lift in that particular patch?

• As you will see in the following exercises, there the speed of Lift (release velocity) is labeled with one of two articulations. One is a slow Lift, the other fast. There are some instances in which a traditional dynamic marking (piano, mezzo forte, fortissimo, etc.) is used under the Lift symbol. Why would this be necessary? Do you feel this is the best way to represent more subtle levels of Lift?

Question to ponder: Lift is arguably the most subtle of the dimensions we have seen thus far. Is this a good thing? In what scenarios might you want to create your own modulations in which Lift has a more pronounced impact on the sound?

Important Vocabulary Modulation Panel, Modulation Source, Modulation Target, Release Velocity, LFO, Filter


Practical Exercises

1. Preparatory Exercise: Lift

• Practise the preparatory exercise for Lift, following the fingerings given

• Watch video of preparatory exercise

2. Etude 4: Lift

1. Familiarize yourself with the syncopated rhythm. Tap your foot and try clapping to ensure the second note in the rhythm falls in between beats 1 and 2.

2. Perform the right hand only, at first focusing only on the fingers and rhythm. Once comfortable, incorporate various levels of Lift into the performance.

3. Repeat step 2 for the left hand, then perform with both hands simultaneously.

4. The performer on the video takes many liberties with the pulse of this etude. This is a musical technique called rubato. Follow the push and pull of the tempo from the video or create your own musical performance including rubato.

3. Advanced Etudes: Lift

1. While notation only appears in bass clef in this etude, those using the written notation should be aware that this study must be played with two hands, both reading the bass clef part. Notes with stems facing up should be played with the right hand and those with stems facing down should be played with the left.

2. There are several time signature changes in this study, but the quarter note pulse never changes. If you are confused, just read the piece as though it is written without a time signature and use your ear to guide your phrasing.

3. As before, perfect each hand one at a time before performing with both hands simultaneously. Follow the markings for Lift carefully once comfortable with both hands.


https://youtu.be/j_b7kGyGp7E

4. G.P. is an abbreviation for Grand Pause. The piece should stop for a moment and let the music rest, out of time, returning to measure 15 when the performer is musically ready to move on.



https://youtu.be/SKOvWQNlqYc

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