Yamaha Electone BK-4B User manual

Welcome to: the musical world of Yamaha. We at Yamaha appreciate
your confidence in Yamaha products, and we will do everything
we. can to make sure your new purchase, the Yamaha Electone
BK-4B, provides a lifetime of enjoyment.
Please read this manual. thoroughly to be sure you are familiar
with every. feature, and with all the many ways you can use each
one. With proper care and a little time together, you and. your
Electone can become lifelong partners in musical creativity.

Contents
Page
Keyboards. secu RR eLEZREUR deal qe Bua ded a RV 2
This is Your Yamaha Electone BK4B L.a. aulan. 3
The Tone Levers ......... 0c. cece ee eee e ee xx is i siu 4
Vibtato:^ uu rossa ted wane e a ie des s ne 5
Pedal -Sustained espar sehen ee save de BER ade DH 5
Reverb iss enden cs RUE. NO I AES 5
Spacious Sound. soe eck ww Seed acento b ERA 6
Auto Rhythm Section ......... 00... cece eee eee nee 7
Auto Bass/Chord Fun Blocks ........... 0000 cece ee cues 8
Expression Pedal ....... 0.0... cc cece eee cece se 10
Headphone Jack ... 0... . ccc eee 10
Exts In. Jack s oov dened, ee bee ev ok ineat creen 10
Care of Your Electone ........... cc cece eects 11
Do not Be Alarmed If ..... 0... 0.0... ccc eee eee 12
Playing the Electone ............ 000 e cece ee ee eee nee 13
Specifications: 4 1. à eed veces teet gerer Gd ea arala 14

Keyboards
The BK-4B has three keyboards. The upper two are called “manuals” and the lower one, played with the
feet, "pedals." They have keys and octaves as follows:
Upper Manual 44 keys (3% octaves)
Lower Manual 44 keys (3 octaves)
Pedals 13 keys (1 octave)
The Electone is designed to permit playing the melody on the upper manual with the right hand, the chords
on the lower manual with the left hand, and bass notes on the pedals with the left or right foot.
All keys are arranged in the traditional keyboard method: two black keys, three black keys. Each white
key has a name (from A to G), and the blacks are sharps or flats. "C" is always the white key just below
the left black key in the two-black-key group. Any complete set of seven white keys and five black
keys is called an ‘‘octave.”’
ABCDEFG
Same pattern ' Same pattern
(1 Octavel (1 Octave)
Manual
Y
“C" is always at the bottom of the group of two black keys.
Pedals
The
pedals
follow
the
same
pattern;
only
their
shape
is
different.
Both end pedals are ''C':

This is Your Yamaha
Electone BK-4B
@ Lower Manual Tone Lovers Q Music Rost
Vibrato Lever
> Upper Manual Tone Levers
DARoll-top Fallboard
@Power Switch
eee ol) Sees me epee sm tom ee
. Lll NI DENM a aN Se SSS eee ee eee
) Pedals | @®Upper Manual @ Pilot Lamp
®overb Balanco Control Lower Manual @ Spacious Sound
Reverb Control Selector
Auto Bass/Chord Fun Blocks lA. Pedal
Peds! Tone Lever GRhythm Foot Switch
| @Pedal Sustain Lever ® Seventh. Chord. Foot Piston
Auto Rhythm Section (D Minor Chord Foot Piston
-3-

The Tone Levers
To the left of the upper and lower manuals are
series of tone levers which control the Electone
voices which will sound when the keys are de-
pressed. They are divided into groups for upper,
lower and pedals, so that different registrations
can be set for each.
Upper Manual Levers © 5 voices
Lower Manual Levers Q 3 voices
Pedal Lever O 1 voice
Each lever provides two methods of control. One
is by continuously moving the lever from off to
full, to achieve the exact setting for that tone, and
thus balancing the overall tone setting with perfect
precision. Each lever also has two easy-to-feel click
stops, at 1/3 and 2/3 positions. This lets you
refind any setting with mathematical precision and
no guesswork in a matter of seconds.
PITCHES OR FOOTAGES
The BK-4B has two different pitch levels, indicated
by the numbers 16' and 8'. These are standard
organ abbreviations showing the tone's pitch in
relation to the fundamental (written note). An
8' tone will sound just as it has been written. A
16' tone (meaning that the wave length of the
vibrations are twice as long as 8', or half as fast)
will provide a tone exactly one octave lower than
the written note.
(max.
volume)
ONE OCTAVE
BELOW
FUNDAMENTAL
FUNDAMENTAL
NOTE: When the Auto Bass/Chord section is used, the tone color of the lower manual voices will
change from Horn to Piano, and from Cello to Guitar.

Vibrato
Vibrato is a waving of the tone. You will see
violin and cello players use it freely by an oscillat-
ing motion of the left hand. It increases the
emotional quality of the violin tone. This vibrato
lever € produces the same vibrato effect.
Pedal Sustain |
This control @ provides continuous adjustment
of the sustain effect on the pedals and allows the
pedal note to continue to sound a few seconds
after you have released it.
(full effect)
Reverb
These
continuous
controls
@
@
let
you
add
a
fullness
to
your
playing
much
like
the
acoustics
of
a
concert
hall.
Use
Reverb
to
compensate
for
deadend
dull
acoustics
(due
to
furniture,
rugs,
drapes,
etc.).
REVERB REV- BALANCI
ontinuously increases
strength: of reverb «

Spacious Sound
This
function
produces
the
same
feeling
as
a
revolving
speaker.
The
Yamaha
exclusive
Spacious
Sound.
A
world's
first,
this
new
system
is
an
exclusive
development
of
the
outstanding
Yamaha
electro-acoustic
technology,
incorporated
in
the
Electone
BK-4B.
Successfully
incorporating
the
essential
sound
quality
of
the
Yamaha
rotary
speaker
tremolo
effect,
this
new
effect
is
achieved
solely
through
special
electronic
circuitry,
adding
full,
rich
musical
expression
to
your
music.
SLOW
SPACIOUS
i
i
i
i
i
SPACIOUS : SPACIOUS
SOUND SOUND | SOUND
|
LOWER | UPPER |
Spacious Sound is available in two speeds. Use SLOW
for stately, liturgical selections, FAST for popular num-
bers. Works on Upper, Lower or both manuals, according
to which of the three selectors you choose.
LOWER SELECTOR
Use this selector to apply the Spacious Sound to the lower e e
manual
tones.
LOWER
"UPPER
UPPER SELECTOR
Use this selector to apply the Spacious Sound to the upper
manual tones. The use of upper and lower selectors
together will apply the Spacious Sound to the whole organ.
SPEED SELECTOR
Combined with either or both selectors, this selector
determines the speed of the Spacious Sound. Set on
FAST for (tremolo effect), SLOW for (chorus effect).

Auto Rhythm Section
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bd kd bd kd
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wary SW ROCK [rod m
LJ
VOLUME 8 BALANCE — TEN PO: SYNCH 30-START
1
——
Tempo
Indicator
Lamp
Synchro-Start
-
-
Tempo
Control
Rhythm
Start
»
— Volume Control
ey - Rhythm Selectors
Balance Control
This section has 8 different rhythm accompaniments, each with its own selector button. There are also
rhythm Volume, Tempo and Tone Balance controls, a tempo indicator lamp and two start switches.
To use the rhythm section, first push the desired selector button (or buttons — you can combine rhythms).
Then switch on normal Start. The rhythm will begin and you can adjust the tempo, volume and tone
balance. Now switch the Start button back off and you are ready. If the Start button is switched on,
the rhythm will begin immediately. You can also leave it off and switch on Synchro-Start instead. This
will automatically begin the rhythm the instant a lower manual note or a pedal note is played, letting
you lead in with a melody or introductory notes on the upper manual first,
SOFT LOUD
SLOW FAST
VOLUME -@- BALANCE TEMPO
RHYTHM STOP (FOOT SWITCH) (p
This switch is located in the expression pedal housing to the left of
the pedal. Once the rhythm is on, push this switch once to instantly
stop it, once again to restart. It lets you stop and restart the rhythm
in the middle of a selection without using your hand.
NOTE: After the foot switch has been used, be sure it is reset to normal
after you finish playing your selection, and then make sure
both Start and Synchro-Start switches are off. Otherwise you
may turn on one of the switches in the middle of a new number Expression Pedal
only to find the rhythm still canceled.

Auto Bass/Chord Fun Blocks
The BK-4B is equipped with a "Fun Block” section of five buttons which can be used in conjunction with
the Auto Rhythm section (see p. 7). It enables you to play a variety of alternating bass chord rhythms
and implies that the pedal and chords automatically match the melody notes, simply by holding down
either a single lower manual key or a lower manual chord, according to which fun block button you press.
From your very first keyboard attempt, the auto bass chord feature will let you sound like a pro, making
full rhythmic use of the lower manual and pedals. Here is how it works.
REVERB REVERB BALANCE
NORMAL SINGLE. FINGERED CONSTANT MEMORY
A CHORD
Choro
SINGLE FINGER CHORDS (THE EASY PLAY WAY)
e Set the tone levers for the tones you want on the lower manual both Piano and Guitar sounds are avail-
able); use either or both levers to adjust the Auto Bass Chord tone color and volume in the normal way.
Match the setting of the Pedal tone lever to the lower manual tones.
Select a rhythm pattern and push the corresponding button down until it clicks and stays down.
Set the Rhythm Start switch on.
Adjust the rhythm tempo and volume.
Press the Single Finger Chord button.
Now, if you press a C key on the lower manual, a C major chord will play in an alternating pattern which
matches the rhythm pattern and tempo set.
As long as the key is held down the bass chord rhythm
will continue, but will stop as soon as the key is
released. If the Minor Chord (left) foot piston «D
is depressed at this time, the chord will change to a
minor (i.e., from C major to C minor). Releasing the
Minor Chord foot piston will change the chord back
to major.
If the Seventh Chord (right) foot piston ® is depressed C Chord
at this time, the chord will change to a seventh (i.e.,
from C major to C seventh). Releasing the Seventh
Chord foot piston will change the chord back to major.
If.both foot pistons are held down at the same time, a
minor seventh chord will result (i.e., from C major to
C minor seventh).
In other words, a combination of one lower manual
-R-