How Do You Lower The Pitch On A Keyboard

How Do You Lower The Pitch On A Keyboard? Transpose Piano Octaves

How to lower the pitch on a keyboard? Can you lower the octave on a Yamaha keyboard? Can you raise the octave on other piano keyboard brands? What is the octave shift on a piano? When it comes to octaves and octave shifts, these are just some of the questions that are usually thrown around, and now we are going light and answering some of them so that you can also have a better idea of what this octave shift is all about.

What Is Octave Shift On Piano

Before discussing what octave shift is, we must first discuss what octave is first. An octave is defined as the interval between two pitches where one has a rate or frequency of vibration that is as twice as fast as the other pitch. In a piano, it comes with seven octaves, and they are separated by twelve half steps.

So, when it comes to octave shift, it means that you are playing in a normal octave while your piano keyboard produces a sound that is on a higher or lower octave. An example is when you are playing a middle C on the piano keyboard and decide to have an octave shift, you are going to hear a tenor C which is below the middle C or a higher C, depending if you want to have a lower or higher octave.

Why Would You Want To Do An Octave Shift On Piano

The first reason why keyboardists use octave shifts on their piano keyboards is so that they can make two layers of simultaneous sounds, which are usually piano and strings. Usually, musicians like to play the piano at its normal octave while shifting the octave for the strings higher, giving you a multi-layered sound that would be perfect for playing in many applications.

Other keyboardists also use organ sounds similar to those you hear in churches or operas. So, if you are going to integrate it with the additional layer from your piano keyboard and play it at the same time, you are going to have a deeper, fuller, and brighter sound from your musical equipment that I am sure that you would love.

The third reason to use an octave shift when playing the piano keyboard is when you are playing with an accompaniment, where its split point is usually determined just below the middle C. In a normal setup, your left hand usually plays the tenor range, which is lower, while on the other hand, your right hand is assigned to play around the middle C and up, which can limit your playing in a sense.

Using the octave shifting feature on your piano keyboard will allow you to assign your right hand to play the tenor range while allowing your left hand to have more freedom with lots of things that you can do while playing the middle range.

As your left hand typically plays the lower notes, you can now use the octave shift feature to play the alto saxophone sound with your left hand. By shifting the alto saxophone up one higher octave, it will go to the proper alto range, allowing your left hand to play a higher tone while still playing the same lower keys.

Can You Lower The Octave On A Yamaha Keyboard

So, can you lower the octave on a Yamaha keyboard? Absolutely, yes. Here are some of the Yamaha keyboard models and how to shift their octave higher or lower:

Yamaha P-45 And P-71 Piano Keyboards

When it comes to Yamaha P-45 and P-71 piano keyboards, you can transpose their pitch up and down, depending on your needs and preference. To transpose the pitch down, find the “GRAND PIANO/FUNCTION” button on your piano keyboard. If you have seen it, hold it down and press the F6 key once to lower it by one semitone, or press the same key twice to lower it by two semitones, and so on.

You can also transpose the pitch higher by holding the GRAND PIANO button and pressing the G6 key once to decrease the pitch by one semitone or pressing it twice to decrease the pitch by two semitones, and so on. To restore it to its original pitch, hold down the GRAND PIANO button and press the F#6 keys once.

Yamaha PSR-E323 Piano Keyboard

When it comes to the Yamaha PSR-E323, you can shift the pitch of the note upward or downward in steps of an octave for its Main, Dual, and Split Voice features. To do this, first is to locate the “Function” button, and if you have already found it, press the button a number of times until it shows the specific Voice active item you are looking for. You can then start to set the octave by using the number buttons from 0 to 9 or the “+” and “-” signs.

Yamaha YPG 235 Piano Keyboard

For all Yamaha keyboards, they come with a feature that allows you to transpose your keyboards to the interval that you need to be able to play the piece that is needed, just as the Yamaha YPG-235. To do it on this piano keyboard, you will have to locate its FUNCTION button. If you have already found it, use the category buttons, which are upward and downward arrows, to select the transpose item. Set the value from -12 to +12, and find what value works for your playing style.

Raising And Lowering The Octave On A Korg PA-600 Piano Keyboard

If you are using a Korg PA-600 and want to raise or lower its octave, you should first find its UPPER OCTAVE buttons. If you have already found the two buttons under this segment, you can now press the “+” button to raise the pitch by one octave. By pressing the “-” button, it will also lower the pitch by one octave. However, if you want to reset the octave settings, press the two buttons at the same time.

Raising And Lowering The Octave On A Roland A-49 Piano Keyboard

If you are using a Roland A-49 piano keyboard to play with you on your practice, gigs, or recording, and you want to shift the octave of your equipment, the first thing to do is to find the OCTAVE buttons, and if you have found it, you can start by pressing the “+” to raise the pitch, while press the “-” to lower the pitch. You can change the piano keyboard’s setting in the range of -4 up to +5 octaves. It also has an indicator to determine which current octave you are setting up.

Raising And Lowering The Octave On A Kawai Piano Keyboard

When it comes to the Kawai keyboards, you can lower or raise their pitch by finding the button located on the CP button panel and below the rotary dial. If you find the two buttons under the Octave Shift segment, you can press the left one if you want to shift down its sound with one octave, while if you press the right button, you are going to shift the sound higher.

So, how do you lower the pitch on a keyboard? The first thing you should do is find the octave button if there is one or find the function if there is no octave button on your piano keyboard. Either push the “-” button if there is one or set the octave at a lower value to lower the pitch on a keyboard.