Tyros 4 Chromatic "B-griff" keyboard

[Hugh Wallington]

Have come across this YouTube video of a Tyros 4 with a Chromatic "B-griff" keyboard.

I Can't Stop Loving You

Recorded live with only the “Yamaha Tyros 4” keyboard possibilities by Paul Huybrechts - no midifile or backing tracks.
Yamaha Tyros 4 equipped with chromatic “B-griff” keyboards.



I am completely spellbound!  What an amazing video!  Until this point I had never heard of a chromatic "B-griff" keyboard ! ?  Has anybody else heard of one of these?  When I first saw it I thought it would be 'played' like a 'button accordion'.  But notice that when he pushes the buttons down other 'buttons' go down with it.  So what exactly are his 'buttons' connecting with in the Tyros 4?

Hugh

[Hugh Wallington]

I had come to the conclusion that the set-up of buttons must be from the Chromatic Piano Accordion, but as I have never played one (only a Piano Accordion) I had no idea how the notes were made up.  I have come across this YouTube video explaining how the "B-griff" keyboard buttons are made up from the notes on a piano.



The whole idea of having the buttons in this arrangement is so that you can get all the black and white piano notes to fit into about half the space required for a piano.  Although I have noticed that the Tyros 4 "B-griff" doesn't have any 'black' buttons, so all sharps and flats look the same as the 'white' notes.

This has answered one question for me.  The top two rows of buttons are the same as the bottom two rows of buttons, so that is why those other white buttons go down at the same time as the ones he is pressing.  And the reason for this is is to make the 'fingering' easier as you can press a higher button or a lower button to make the note sound.

Here are some more videos showing the chromatic "B-griff" keyboard being played.











I suppose that Yamaha must make the Tyros 4 with a "B-griff" keyboard as well as the "Piano" keyboard?  Maybe for the German and Swiss market?

Hugh

[Severin Nugent]

I'm a bayan player, "B-Griff" russian Accordeon. It has russian "B-Griff" converter on the left side.

But, what is the keyboard, he plays left hand? 6 rows, like left hand on accordions. But arranged straight, not like on accordions.

You know, what that keyboard is?

You answered the question about the moving buttons already yourself. The real classic "B-Griff" Bayan (russian accordion) with 4  choirs (i.e. 15 registers) was never and is still without the tremble from detuning, but had only three rows. Later to be able for easier transpositions it got 5 rows, where the two lower rows are coupled to the two additional upper ones and hence the keys move. Yugoslawian "B-Griff" accordions have even 6 rows. That is, when you never have to change grip patterns, while you transpose.

Severin

[Hugh Wallington]

Thanks for that Severin.  I had never seen or heard one of these played until I found those few examples on YouTube, by Paul.  What I have found with a Google Search is information about the MT-50 Chromatic Keyboard Kit with dynamics, which it appears you can use to replace the piano keyboard in several keyboards.

This is the website promoting this product (Musictech):

http://www.musictech-midi.it/eng/midi-systems/chromatic-keyboards/kit-mt50

It says:

A Chromatic Keyboard kit designed purposely to substitute the piano keyboard of instruments that can accommodate the chassis size of this kit, such as the Yamaha Tyros 2 and 3, Korg PAX 2 Pro etc.
The technical characteristics are the same as the MT-60 model
- Right Hand - 87 active buttons (B-Griff with C in 2nd or 3rd row) or (C Griff with C in 1st row).
- Left Hand - 120 active buttons with 2 or 3 rows of basses.
- MIDI Transmission Channels: Right. Hand - CH. 1 and 4 (pre-settable). Chords - CH. 2, Basses - CH. 3
- Dimensions (cm): 82.5 (W) x 16.6 (D) x 6 (H).

Here's another by Paul.

" Du "   -1969-   Peter Maffay



Hugh

[Hugh Wallington]

And another!  Always On My Mind.



Hugh

[Severin Nugent]

Thanks Hugh, that's it.

I followed your link. And that doesn't really explain it. But the downloadable manuals do. It definitely is the left hand side of the accordion, and on the photos you can see that the later versions (lower two pictures) have the right arrangement of the left hand keyboard, also 45 degrees arrangement, like right hand and like the accordion. I like that.

I, personally, would have arranged it more like a piano keyboard. One line through, 6 rows. Left part switchable to accords like in the accordion. But if it is played in the melody bass arrangement, how melody in left hand is called in the accordion world, it would be more like a piano with chromatic keyboard than an accordion with melody bass. Why copy the disadvantage of the naturally split keyboard from the accordion to an organ?

In accordions melody bass can have different arrangements, only melody, melody still with the two bass rows, and an arrangement where accords and melody keys are present, which makes the left hand side big. So my preferred one would be 6 rows of only melody, so the keyboard would be one from lowest basses to highest tunes, but still left hand switchable to accords. Why not? It's all electronic and just doable by computer codes.

But thanks for the link. I certainly will keep an eye on this one,
Severin

[Hugh Wallington]

Yet another one from Paul.  It's his 'arrangements' that I find really good.



Hugh

[Severin Nugent]

Paul has recorded several songs since. This is his channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_PUqvK-clx7TcRwAsleeg

Severin

[Hugh Wallington]

Thanks for this, Severin.  Hugh