
STYLE KEYBOARD ANGKLUNG PROFESSIONAL
It’s a new iteration of the Korg Pa600, part of the brand’s Professional Arranger series of keyboards, but instead of having just the usual bank of “mainstream” instrument sounds such as strings, brass or piano - the Pa600SG also comes programmed with beats and sounds of Singapore, if you will (hence the SG suffix).Ĭalling it a Korg × City Music initiative for SG50, the idea came about in April 2014, after the retailer noticed many keyboard enthusiasts approaching them asking if they sold keyboards with Chinese instruments or other ethnic sounds, said its director of sales, Hoe Yeegn Lougn. The instrument in question, which was producing all these “uniquely Singapore” sounds, is their new offering, the Korg Pa600SG keyboard. The musician, who was playing the variety of ethnic sounds at a quick flick of his fingertips was Mike Mayuni from musical instrument distributer City Music Co. Then - another change: This time the melodious resonant clunks of the angklung, as the harmonies of the bamboo instrument rang gently in a soft song. Quickly, the music shifted, and crystal clear strings of a gu zheng hummed through the air, twisting and bending as though a light finger was vibrating on the strings’ surface.

Instead, we were greeted by a keyboard standing in the centre of a room, and a man standing behind it, his fingers enthusiastically running through its keys, as he bobbed in time with the rhythms of the music. We expected to see two feisty “lions” springing about, as well as his noisy “band” standing by a corner. SINGAPORE - Lively staccato drum beats and an animated clang of cymbals - familiar sounds that usually accompany lion dance troop performances during Chinese New Year or a store opening - reverberated through the shop as we walked in.

Besides the Singaporean localised sounds and styles, there's also a wealth of sounds and styles from all over the world of different genres on the 29 of March 2016. The first ever Singapore Musical keyboard, a keyboard with sampled Singaporean ethnic instruments that consist of Chinese, Malay and Indian instruments.
