The synthesizer can provide two different roles for the band’s sound. A soft supportive pad sound can underscore the song and blur the edges of the beginning and ending and provide support in a quiet part. A lead sound can provide melodic interest during instrumental parts and between vocal lines.
Soft sounds can include pads as well as organs or strings. The sound can often be used at the beginning of a song, before the rest of the band begins, to provide a seamless introduction to the song. Fading in a root and fifth and sustaining that can be a great intro. A loud pad can be played throughout a song as long as other instruments don’t muddy up the sound, and it can make the song very moving. It is usually a good idea to sustain the last chord of the song until the rest of the band is ready to start the next song. Your sustaining can provide time for the other musicians to turn pages, position capos, wake up, or grab some water.
A lead sound can be some sort of sine wave or other traditional lead or you can find pretty much any other sound with or without tone that jumps out of the music and provides interest. You can use the high register of a bass, a piano, an organ, Rhoads, or pretty much anything else. A lead sound is most practical during intros, instrumental parts, and endings or between lyrical phrases. If you have a knob to control the cutoff or resonance, these can be used to create a sweeping sound to add some nice sonic interest.
It is important to remember that a synthesizer is a supportive instrument and that your role in playing these sounds is only to support a song (pad) or to add interest (lead). Do NOT think that you have to play your part 100% of the time. Be very careful when increasing your volume and play only when the part you have really adds to a song. Your part needs to be very planned and everything you play needs to have a reason.
