Keyboard basics (part 1) - White Keys

Congratulations! After 3 weeks of learning how to use the Redrum Drum Machine, we are all getting pretty good at making drum beats. Now we're ready to start looking at the other cool instruments and sounds that Reason has to offer.

There are two goals for today:
1) Learn the keys of the keyboard
2) Learn how to create an NN19 sample player and load sounds into it.
Keys of the Keyboard

OK, here's one thing you need to understand: there are only 12 notes that you can play!

Here is what they look like:


Now, you may be thinking, "But I've seen a piano before and I know they've got a lot more than 12 of those things on them". Take a look at this picture of a full sized piano keyboard:
Notice any patterns?

So, basically this whole keyboard is made up of sets of these 12 notes repeating. A set of 12 notes is called an octave. As you go to the right, the pitch gets higher, as you go to the left, the pitch gets lower, but there are always just 12 notes.

"What are the names of these notes, Mr. Runde?" you ask.

• The white keys are just the first 7 letters of the alphabet (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) repeating over and over.
• The black keys are extra things called sharps and flats.

We'll talk more about the black keys later, but for now lets concentrate on the white keys:
What is the name of the first note on the left? What happens when you go 12 notes to the right? What do you think the next white note to the right will be?

So, if you play each of these white keys in order, from C to C, you will be playing what is called the C Major scale. We will be working on this tomorrow but for now, just REMEMBER...

The white keys are just the first 7 letters of the alphabet (A-B-C-D-E-F-G).

The NN19

The NN19 is a type of instrument called a sampler. It lets you load the sounds of all kinds of instruments and play them with your keyboard.

Loading sounds with the NN19 is simple. Let's practice loading a piano sound into it:

1. Go to Create>NN19
2. Click on the folder icon in the upper left corner of the screen
3. Go into Reason Factory Sound Bank>NN19 Patches>Pianos and Keyboards
4. Find the patch called Bright Piano.smp and double click on it.
5. Now when you play some notes on your keyboard, you should hear the sound of a piano. Practice playing the C Major scale and pay attention to what it sounds like. What kind of feeling does it have?
6. When you are finished, try loading different sounds and pay attention to which ones sound cool.