Play Music Like Alicia Keys, Singer Launches Piano Software

Date: 9/8/2010 10:25:21 AM | SR Staff
Filed under: R&B News, Alicia Keys

Grammy-Award winning R&B singer Alicia Keys has teamed with the Guitar Center and Native Instruments to launch her own piano software, "Alicia's Keys."

Keys' collaboration with Native Instruments in designing a virtual piano software, which captures the realism of Her Yamaha C3 Neo Grand Piano, is a first of its kind.

"We started with an idea of creating piano software that felt like home to me," says Keys in her interview with Guitar Center Magazine. "I've played many different software instruments of all kinds of keyboards and pianos, but none of them felt like home for me. I have my own studio, and it's this very special place where Ann and I are really able to create the sounds that we want and take the time to develop them. I wanted to be able to take my piano sound on the road with me as well as have it any time I wanted to record. Ann thought it would be interesting to bring in Thomas Scarbee because he created some bass sounds that we love and use often, but he hadn't done a virtual piano sound. We all got together in my studio and started to create it by going through this long process of sampling, recording every note, sound and expressive nuance. We ended up with my entire piano in virtual form."

Keys used her piano software exclusively to record her latest album, The Element of Freedom, and also used the software heavily throughout her most recent world tour.

To experience the complete exclusive interview with Alicia Keys in Guitar Center's September issue or learn more about her new virtual instrument software "Alicia's Keys" from Native Instruments, visit the Guitar Center.