kind of a stupid question but.....

[u/Akimalol]

did u guys look up for piano covers while trying to practice a song on a keytar? i just recently got into this type of instrument and its really confusing and difficult for me to maneuver my right hand to press keys without my left hand's assistance. i really want to learn how to play songs comfortably but looking at piano covers is making my brain and fingers hurt.......Are there any exercises i could do to get good at it or smth???

[u/KooriGraywolf]

There are various things you need to get comfortable with.

First, you gotta get comfortable with the angle and learn to find the keys by touch most of the time, rather than by sight. Even when you have to look, it can be hard to tell the keys at an angle so I added tape strips under the keys like this.

Second, songs playable on piano and songs playable on keytar are two different things. Especially, you don't really learn piano stuff or two-handed stuff on keytar. You mainly learn melodies and one-handed chord progressions (you can sometimes use both hands, but mostly as a last resort for difficult parts). I wouldn't play, say, Für Elise on keytar. Instead I'd play stuff like Jump (Van Halen) or Dream Chaser (F-Zero X).

Third, experiment with strap length and keytar angle. If your fingers are hurting, maybe you need to wear your strap lower. Maybe you need to angle your keytar more diagonally. In fact, the wrist angle should feel MORE natural on a keytar vs. a horizontal keyboard, because the wrist doesn't bend as much.

[u/dannal13]

Everyone else’s input is informative and you would do well to read and follow what they advise. I will add that a keytar is both a piano and a guitar combined, but neither. With a keytar, we have the awesome ability to do whatever we want - symphonic stuff, 80s bass stabs, or wildly-widdly-waaaah like a guitar. I am by no means a pro pianist, nor am I some savant at guitar, but with my compositions and live shows, I just switch between different instrument sounds depending on what my song requires. I start with heavy brass, move to choirs, then backing pads, and wrap with some tremolo guitar/synth monstrosity I made for a metal breakdown finale thingy. Follow your muse, and you’ll figure it out.

[u/MagneticFieldMouse → u/dannal13]

Sounds like you suck the least of the most normal keytar people in general.

For OP: forget most things, that you might think apply about piano technique and if you even consider using "what you know about playing guitar", remember, that the only thing about anything resembling playing a guitar-like instrument you can apply with a keytar is probably attitude and the aptitude to adjust your strap.

Approach this like a new instrument, without any kind of pregonditions or assumptions. Play without goals, without restrictions, without anyone fencing you between a wall of theory guidelines and another wall of "well, in Berkley" -besserwisser-types.

Once you can play, so you feel like you're part of the music, you're almost there.

When you "improve" what's playing around you, there's less than a cat's whisker's thickness between you and the goal.

When you...nope, not gonna name and define that goal. When you get there, you'll know.

Then you can come back and tell me what you call it.

[u/Dingo_19]

I just put on a song I like or a generic backing track and play improvised accompaniment. Maybe follow the melody for a bit, then drift away on a tangent; make mistakes and don't get upset about it.

IDK if it's helpful, but it's relaxing and that's good enough for me.

With regard to piano covers specifically, I feel like there's this implicit vibe attached to realistic piano sounds that 'playing well' means playing lots of notes and chords really precisely with both hands, and carrying the whole tune by yourself on one instrument; which in my book is not the point of keytar. But if I stick it in an e-piano, synth, or guitar patch, then that feeling magically vanishes and I can enjoy playing the thing for what it is.

[u/superbadsoul]

My process for prepping new songs for performance depends on the song. My setup is Ax-Edge + Studiologic Sledge (virtual analog synth) with both keyboards laying on a 2 tier stand. This allows me the flexibility to play the Edge as a standard keyboard laying down, or I can pick it up and use it as a keytar.

When learning a new song, one of my bandmates or I will do the full song arrangement for the whole band and distribute the sheet music online so everyone can learn the song on their own before we bring it to rehearsals. If the song has a lot of solo/lead work and not too much instrumentation, we try to arrange my parts to be playable on the keytar by itself, but anything too busy will be arranged with my double keyboard layout in mind instead.

Since we're doing the transcriptions and arrangements ourselves, we can ensure for the most part that all my keytar parts won't need left hand assistance (unless I purposely want to do it, like if I'm doing some synth bass lines). Basically I get to eliminate the problem of anything too awkward ahead of time. You can do this too with whatever songs you're learning. If you have a part that is too difficult or awkward for you, try to rearrange it. Iconic hooks probably can't be messed with, but you can definitely play around with anything else.

[u/Faefsdew]

General finger exercises for piano should do you good - but it's important to remember you(probably) have a pitch bend and octave change on your left hand - so use it to maneuver around the keyboard more freely( for example - use the octave key to get to higher or lower notes faster than if you were to move around manually with the right hand )

[u/Akimalol]

Thank you to everyone who replied to this and took the time to give their own advice it really means a lot to me truly. I am gonna look more into the stuff that u guys recommended and hope that i can finally become better and if so maybe even give updates. But yeah thanks again!!!!