Technics SX-EN4 88 Manual Keyboard Layout of Notes

[Technics SX-EN4 1992]

Good evening all,

My name is Andy and I have acquired a Technics SX-EN4 organ from my Great Uncle who has had to move into a home and doesn't have the space to have it anymore.

I'm thinking of learning how to play it (I used to read music when I played in a brass band over 30 years ago) but I don't know the order of the notes on this.

The top keyboard layout tells you the notes but the lower keyboard does not. I purchased a note sticker set and I know I have stuck them in the wrong places, that's where I need your expertise to correct the error of my ways. Where the green sticky tabs are in the photograph, were where I thought Middle C was, but I really don't know, even the manual doesn't tell you.

I'm sorry for being such a noob.
Andy C

Ps once I know the answer, there will be a follow question about an USB emulator to replace the SY-FD20 floppy 2DD drive.
Thank you in advance.

[auronoxe]

Hello Andy,

there is no absolute wrong or right on an organ in my opinion, because it also depends on which registration/instruments you are using for a specific song. However in my opinion the markings/stickers on the upper keyboard should be shifted one octave to the right and the markings on the lower keyboard one octave to the left. Otherwise you would end up crossig your arms when playing ;-)

[andyg]

No, you are absolutely correct to place Middle C where it is, period! There are no possible arguments against that as that's how the organs were designed. A spinet type organ like yours only has a part of the range of a full size, or console model. They have 61 keys, from C to C, and Middle C is the third C up, including the lowest key - more or less in the middle (but that's not why it's called Middle C, of course!). Yours has the top 44 keys for the upper manual and the central 44 keys for the lower manual. So I'm sorry, but auronoxe is wrong in the suggestion that you move the stickers an octave up or down respectively. That will immediately make the left hand too low in pitch and 'growly' in normal playing.

However, Auronoxe makes a valid point about the position of Middle C depending on the registrations used. Your positioning of Middle C assumes that the pitch of the sound in use is 8'. That basically means that Middle C played on a voice at 8' pitch would sound the same note as Middle C played on a piano (or any instrument, for that matter). If the sound in use on the upper manual is at 16' pitch, or includes a voice at 16' pitch, then it will sound an octave lower. So in that case you might need to play an octave higher on the upper manual. However, a trombone or tenor sax would naturally sound lower, so you'd play those voices taking your Middle C as it is marked.

Almost all your lower manual sounds are 8' pitch, (I think you may have one 4' Organ Flute that will play an octave higher but you would never use that on its own) so your Middle C marking is correct and you would be unlikely to play chords anywhere else, certainly when starting out.

You won't exactly cross your arms over when playing, but do expect your right hand to partially cover your left hand when you're playing near Middle C. That's just normal playing.

Two riders:

1) Organ playing in home organ style isn't like piano. Piano, you play what's written. Organ, you have options. You might play the first verse of a song near the marked Middle C and the second verse or the chorus an octave higher. Perfectly OK and makes the tune sound more interesting.
2) With my teacher's hat firmly on..... I'd really recommend that you take all the stickers off immediately! If you leave them on you may start to rely on them and never properly learn where the notes are! Five minutes a day for a week, learning where the keys are and you'll never need stickers again. C - find any group of two black notes next to each other and play the key immediately to the left. F - find any group of three black notes next to each other and play the key immediately to the left. When you start to learn, you'll only probably need C D E F and G for your melody - all the books start like that! So with C and F as your 'landmarks', you're never more than one key away from them. Trust me, it works. I've started two new students this afternoon and they already know where the notes are - after a 1 hour lesson!

[auronoxe]

Hallo Andy, if the stickers on the upper manual are kept like this I could not play most of the songs in any of my song books. They almost all use the c,d,e below the 1st line. Given the stickers like that this would not be possible at all.

You are saying it is not possible to say play Jingle Bells according to this score on an organ??
https://www.free-scores.com/PDF_EN/p...ells-13307.pdf
Or the blue danube?
https://www.free-scores.com/PDF_EN/s...nube-58359.pdf

I‘m confused...

[Technics SX-EN4 1992]

Gentlemen, Thank you for both your answers, I take note of all that has been written, including the removal of the stickers which I applied this afternoon to assist my wife in being able to learn the notes and their postition on the stave (staff for the USA readers). I appreciate the time you both have taken in your replies.

[RogerM]

I wouldn't presume to interfere with anything andyg says and, of course, your green labels for Middle C are in the right places. But, looking at the stave annotations, surely the upper manual sticky tabs should be moved one octave to the right as auronoxe says. If you've taken off the sticky tabs it doesn't matter now but note the third tab from the right on the lower manual actually says Middle C, but you've put it on an A way up the keyboard. The tabs were designed for a piano and if you put them on a spinet organ you will end up with some tabs left over and some notes without corresponding tabs.

[Technics SX-EN4 1992]

Dear RogerM,

That was where I was confused, I thought my green tabs were correctly positioned but the stickers didn't tally, as you say they are for a piano and I then realised if I moved the lower set to align with the green sticker I would have a couple without on the lower left hand side. That was when I sought as much help from more experienced players than myself.

PS I hadn't removed them yet, it's so my wife can have an idea on the notes on a music sheet.

[andyg]

Aha! Yes, As I said, the green stickers are correctly positioned. However, with my specs on this morning for a closer look, yes, your note stickers are an octave out. Piano stickers aren't 100% suitable for organ.

Auronoxe. That site objects to my ad blocker but it did let me look at The Blue Danube for a few seconds before complaining! It's perfectly playable as the lowest note that I could see was Middle C. With some nice 8' Strings that would sound OK. An octave up with 8' strings is a tad high pitched for that tune, IMHO but there's nothing to stop anyone playing it there.

Most home organ players (learning from something like Complete Organ Player and playing with chord symbols rather than notes for the left hand at first) will only really need stickers for the upper manual and you have enough stickers to label them accurately. The lower manual can make do with just the letter names from the F below MIddle C to the G above Middle C, as that's where all your left hand chords can be played. By the time you need to go outside that range, you'll know where the notes are.

I'll set you a challenge, the same one that I set any students I take on who have been sticker users. Two weeks to learn where those notes are and then the stickers will come off in your next lesson! Most have removed the stickers themselves before I turn up for that lesson!

[abacus]

Perhaps this will help

Keyboard Layout.pdf

[Technics SX-EN4 1992]

Dear all, I really Thank you all for your input into my dumb question, everyone helped and I must say, abacus, That DID help, it helps a lot, I know now where all the notes are on the stave and how they correspond to the sheet music, that is what I was trying to do when I stuck those stickers on, it wasn't for the ABCDEFG, it was which ABCDEFG to press!