Roland Atelier
Landmark Organ Sound, Performance, and Luxury
Roland AtelierLandmark Organ Sound, Performance, and Luxury
by Chuck Wright
Pitch bend can add so much realism to so many different tones on the American Classic such as the guitar, trumpet, trombone, violin, etc. Some people find it difficult mastering this technique with the glide foot switch. But putting it in understandable terms, the technique is simple: KICK, PLAY, RELEASE. Kick the left kick switch and hold your foot against the foot switch, play the note and release the kick switch.
Now that we understand how the kick switch works, the next question is where in the music would we bring it into play? The glide is an effect you only want to use periodically for a special effect. For instance, the down beat of a measure is a good time to bring the glide into play.
There is another control you can use to achieve the same effect other than the foot switch. That is of course the pitch bend wheel, located to the left of the lower keyboard. If you are using the automatic features, once you have triggered your left hand chord it will remain in a hold position thus freeing your left hand to reach over to the pitch bend wheel with your hand instead of your foot.
The foot kick switch bends the pitch a 1/2 step. The pitch bend wheel can be controlled for a total of 12 1/2 steps, or a full octave. To program the wheel for a 1/2 step on your American Classic, simply touch Quick Guide (located in the lower right corner of the touch screen) move the wheel with your hand and look at the screen and make sure the keyboard assigned for pitch bend is for the upper keyboard. If you then go to the next page, you can adjust the degree of pitch bend. Pitch bend should be set on 1. Otherwise refer to your owner’s manual. Happy bending!
Tune in next month for another playing tip from one of the Roland Atelier artists!
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