More and more schools are incorporating keyboard labs into their music curriculum. Ideally, each student should have a keyboard workstation, preferably connected to a computer via MIDI. In most cases, however, labs are designed to accommodate two students at each keyboard.

This setup poses no problems when students are learning basic sequencing or notation skills. However, it does present problems when students are involved in any type of performance, either when playing along with a recorded accompaniment or when playing together as an ensemble.

The two students who are sharing a keyboard usually use the same sound and play musical parts separated by two or possibly three octaves. This setup has several limitations:

Doubling any musical part at the octave changes the texture of the music. Playing a melody two or three octaves higher or lower than written creates an effect quite different from playing the melody as written. This problem becomes more serious when students are octave-doubling an inner voice, such as an alto part or tenor part.

Both students are hearing the same sound, with no difference in timbre or left-right location. The only available audio cue is the octave displacement — something that can be difficult to discern through headphones, especially for younger students.

Adding expressive details, such as vibrato or volume changes, will affect both notes identically. This limitation becomes even more apparent if the two students are playing different musical parts.

These problems can be solved on almost every electronic keyboard used in labs today. Here is a step-by-step procedure to create a setup allowing each student to use a unique sound, to hear the sound clearly, and to add expressive qualities. (Consult the owner's manual for your keyboard to locate the specific parameters described here.)

1. Enter Combination mode on your keyboard and select a “split”-type combination

   Although you can start with any combination, it's usually much easier to begin with a combination that is close to the setup you want to create (like Piano/Bass or Acoustic Guitar/Bass).

2. Select the split point

   In most cases, what appears to be middle C on the keyboard should be used as the split point. When a split point is selected, one sound will be triggered when the student plays keys to left of the split point and another sound will be controlled by the keys to the right of the split point.

3. Select the sound for each split section

   Let's suppose that you want both students to play a melody but using two different sounds: oboe (General MIDI program 69) and clarinet (GM 72). If you want the student on the left side to use the oboe sound, select GM 69 for the left (or lower) split section and select GM 72 for the right (or upper) split section.

4. Transpose as needed

   In most cases, you will have to transpose the sound used in the lower split section up by two octaves. You will also have to transpose the sound used in the upper split section down by one or two octaves, depending upon the size of the keyboard. As I mentioned earlier, it's very important to have parts played in their proper octave.

5. Edit the output assignments

   Using the pan-assignment controls, set the lower split sound so that it emanates primarily from the left headphone. Set the upper split sound so that it emanates primarily from the right headphone. If your keyboard lets you define pan positions as ratios (where 50:50 indicates a center position between the left and right headphones), use a ratio of 80:20 for the lower sound and 20:80 for the upper sound.

6. Assign appropriate controllers to each split section

   Some keyboards allow you to assign controllers to either split section. For example, you might want the student playing the oboe sound to use the modulation controller to add vibrato occasionally, but you don't want the vibrato to affect the clarinet. This performance effect can be created by disabling the modulation controller for the upper split section. Other controllers such as Aftertouch, assignable sliders and knobs, and sustain and damper pedals can also be enabled or disabled for each split section.

7. Save the combination

   Rename your combination and save it to a new memory location. You can easily create a library of sound combinations for specific pieces simply by editing the program numbers in the combination and then saving the edited combination to a new memory location.

Using these setups, your students will have a much easier time hearing themselves play. Just be sure they aren't wearing their headphones backward!

Don Muro is a composer, performer, author, and lecturer in the field of electronic music. Visit his Web site at www.donmuro.com.