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Keyboardists, if you could do things again...


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I have nothing profound to add here, except that its interesting that everyone has already captured all of the coulda woulda shoulda things I have pondered over the years. Totally agree that maundering over the past is a complete waste of time, and will go one further to say that sharing all this sage advice with a young person is probably a similar waste of time and energy as their world is different than ours was and they probably wouldn't listen anyway.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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i would have partied alot less and composed more back when i was young enough for it to matter. would have believed in my ability to develop lyrics and melodies, which I now believe was always in there by I was not mature enough to grab the opportunity.

 

now i have plenty of both, and no time or band to deploy the great ideas.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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Early 20s in the 89-93 period I was gigging every week but I wish I'd bought better gear and practiced more. I wasn't even buying records or CD's during that period after starting with them earlier in the 80's. And I should have had a guitar and amp too. Had already started with it and was playing well but was borrowing a guitar. (got this sorted in 94) And I should have had a metronome too.
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Oh, and another thing, I'd sleep with more groupies. Not that we keyboardists get a lot of them, but there were opportunities I passed up. I thought I was taking the high road. What the hell was I thinking.

 

+1!

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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I'm certain you're mistaken there, the Nord Lead didn't come out until '76

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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Lessons. If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would have not stopped lessons. In fact, I will be starting lessons as soon as I find the right teacher. So far, no luck. The ones I spoken to are all really great human beings, but they have been either terrible at communicating knowledge or not advanced enough.

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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I dunno, I have two parallel lives, equally serious and committed, as a professor of biology and as a musician -- often wonder if I should have quit science and gone full bore on music. I know the reverse would not have been possible, would have been like cutting off an arm. Being an academic researcher though has enabled me to travel and see much of the natural world that I would not have been able to do otherwise.

 

On the other hand, the life described by Dave Ferris seems utterly idyllic to me, which makes me wonder what would have happened if I had made a hard choice in my 20s. Making a living as a freelance musician while practicing daily on a 2005 NY Steinway D seems like an impossible dream. Nice to see some have made the dream their life.

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I would have started playing much, much younger. Like whatever age Steve Nathan was when he first touched a keyboard. :D

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Even if I wanted to do things different, I don't know that I could have. I have the attention span of a gnat; as such, I don't easily commit fully to anything. I kind of dabble to varying degrees in different things, music being one of the higher degrees. I've got the natural chops to have gone a long way with music... IF I had the passion, desire and stick-to-it-iveness. But I get bored -- I'm not the kind of player who will sit for hours trying to get one passage exactly right, I'm more like close enough is close enough. I probably would have been diagnosed as having ADD if there was such a thing back then. If I could have done anything differently, things probably would have turned out the same.

 

The only thing I maybe wish was that I had taken piano lessons early on instead of accordion, but with the kind of piano teacher that would have given me the same well-rounded background that my accordion teacher did -- classical technique, 'pop' styling, theory, all that, which was hard to find in piano teachers. I'd still most likely not have made a career of it, but I think I'd have a much better technical foundation on keys than I do now.

D-10; M50; SP4-7; SP6

I'm a fairly accomplished hack.

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Dear Phil,

 

Note to past self:

 

Do NOT sell your Juno-106.

Do NOT sell your Rhodes 88.

 

Go meet and hang out with the Roots. They're opening for your band, after all.

 

Love,

Phil

Soul, R&B, Pop from Los Angeles

http://philipclark.com

 

Cannonball Gerald Albright Signature Alto, Yamaha YC73, Fender Rhodes, Roland Juno-106, Yamaha MX61, Roland VR-09, MicroKorg XL, Maschine Mikro, Yamaha Reface CP, Roland MKS-50

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I have given this some thought.

 

Even though life is kick back and groovy, it would have been nice if I had some wealth, and owned homes in Paris, Monte Carlo, , Maui, Florence and Amalfi. Then I could fully appreciate the classic art and great music. Each home would have a music studio of course.

 

I am not complaining, however

 

:)

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Yeah, I'm with those who wouldn't really do anything differently.

 

Sure, there are lots of things I wish I was better at now, but between having both learn-by-ear American music as a young kid as well as very good training when I was old enough to appreciate it as a pre-teen or tween, I can't complain.

 

There's some nit-picking, like I wish I did more technical, methodical things at a younger age, but my enthusiasm wouldn't have been there, and perhaps I would have come to resent it.

 

Naw, I think, looking back, it's all just part of some kind of gumbo, and I wouldn't want to be missing any part of it.

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I played guitar and bass for most my life, mixed with day gigs later. I didn't come to piano until recently for what I now realize was really crappy teacher in college. So in general I would do everything different and definitely start playing piano early on, along with probably sax.
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To all you guys who have no regrets, I say if Frankie had a few, then Ill have a few too!

 

Seriously, life is good and it all worked out. And Im enjoying playing probably more than I ever have.

 

Maybe one more regret. I wish I had started participating in Keyboard Corner a lot sooner!

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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... it would have been nice if I had some wealth, and owned homes in Paris, Monte Carlo, , Maui, Florence and Amalfi.
Two homes in Italy? Don't you think that's overdoing it?
These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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Hard to say how things would be different if I had done anything different. I would say I wish I would have practiced more when I was taking lessons as a kid. But have you ever seen the movie "Butterfly Effect"? I've had some good experiences that maybe I wouldn't have had if things had gone differently.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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... it would have been nice if I had some wealth, and owned homes in Paris, Monte Carlo, , Maui, Florence and Amalfi.
Two homes in Italy? Don't you think that's overdoing it?

 

you are right, it is excessive. The wife prefers Florence and I prefer Amalfi. So the compromise is both.

 

Imaginary life can be tough.

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Yes Italy is very different region to region. My mothers friend had a house in the south, the North and an apartment in Milan.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Some others have brought up the topic of loyalty. That might be one area where I would do things differently. Looking back, I was super loyal, turned down some opportunities probably to the detriment of a more lucrative and rewarding career.

 

The tradeoff, some of those old band bro's are friends for life. Was it worth it? nahhh... haha

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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... it would have been nice if I had some wealth, and owned homes in Paris, Monte Carlo, , Maui, Florence and Amalfi.
Two homes in Italy? Don't you think that's overdoing it?

 

you are right, it is excessive. The wife prefers Florence and I prefer Amalfi. So the compromise is both.

 

Imaginary life can be tough.

Imaginary life with 2 wives would be tough.

 

I can only manage 1 home and 1 wife.

These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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... it would have been nice if I had some wealth, and owned homes in Paris, Monte Carlo, , Maui, Florence and Amalfi.
Two homes in Italy? Don't you think that's overdoing it?

 

you are right, it is excessive. The wife prefers Florence and I prefer Amalfi. So the compromise is both.

 

Imaginary life can be tough.

Imaginary life with 2 wives would be tough.

 

I can only manage 1 home and 1 wife.

 

This is not my imaginary house... This is not my imaginary wife...

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I wish I'd developed more self-discipline as a child. I wish I'd taken the years of classical more seriously.

 

I wish I'd tempered my career ambition and need for status and approval with kindness and empathy earlier in my life.

 

I wish I had spent so much of my time more wisely.

 

While I concur that focusing on regrets can be a waste of time. But occasionally (like using a little garlic), these kinds of things can fuel forward progress with the time that remains.

 

More than anything, I'm grateful. I have been given much, so much more than I deserve, that thinking on the things I don't have, didn't choose, didn't pursue is poor form.

 

I have time now, so time to build something to leave behind. Impact on others, a reputation, some kindness.

 

 

..
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