Welcome

Any realistic or electronic instrument can now be called up in virtual form, and performed using any computer and MIDI keyboard. Why not conduct a software orchestra, or play a grand piano from your laptop? Yet all of this technology is wasted if your basic keyboardplaying skills aren’t up to scratch. Piano lessons are the usual way to learn, but the majority of teachers focus on classical music.

That’s why, starting on p22, we bring you the definitive start-to-finish course, to help you hone your skills on the black ’n’ whites – from hand positioning and fingering techniques through to scales, chord playing, synth programming and much more. And every tutorial comes with a live-action video (that’s 15 in total!) so you can follow along and learn in real time.

Elsewhere, for lovers of dancefloor-destroying beats and hypnotic grooves, we’ve got a techno artist special: the legendary Dave Clarke discusses his career and artistry on p78; and Belgian badman Tom Hades creates an entire techno track from scratch in this issue’s Producer Masterclass feature (p42) and 90-minute video session.

Before I head off to tinkle those ivories, I’d like to bid a fond farewell to Production Editor James Russell, who’s flying the nest after five years on the mag. We’ll miss his quips each month – but thankfully, we have the equally quick-witted Kate Puttick stepping into his shoes. Welcome, Kate! ENJOY THE ISSUE

“Hone your skills on the black ’n’ whites”