Foot on the G.A.S.

[Bif_]

It"s a great time to be a keyboard player. There"s an abundance of ways to make music with keyboards and soft synths of all kinds and at all range of prices.

 

I"ve been thinking about what has been fueling the growth of these choices and believe that people must be spending plenty of money on this stuff or the manufacturers wouldn"t be creating it.

 

I"ve no desire to turn this into anything political but do believe that many in the U.S. (for whatever reason you ascribe to it), have money to spend on gear. Based on how few people I know that pursue musical learning, or just playing for fun (regardless of age), I find this to be an interesting phenomenon.

 

What age group is spending the money and what is there musical pursuit? I know as I"ve gotten older, I"ve spent way more money on gear (but have shut it down since getting two kids through college, second one graduating this May). I work with a lot of millennials that have no problem spending $100 on a bottle of bourbon, so maybe some in that age group are spending on gear, but again, I don"t know of many in that age group that play music.

 

Also, with live music seemingly so sparse in many venues, it doesn't seem that professional musicians are driving the spending. In fact, the people I know that play in the local scene DON'T spend money on much new gear. In fact, they use a lot of older stuff, I'm assuming because they are trying to make a living, not fund the latest and greatest toys.

 

l attribute a lot of spending on relative affordability. There is so much cheap gear (like Alto speakers, everything Behringer, apps for Ipad"s, etc.) that people can find something that fits their budget. It wasn"t always like this. I remember when I was in my 20"s when I built monitors because it was way cheaper than buying them. I made an X keyboard stand out of metal fence posts for the same reason. Now you can"t build these things and will spend more on the components than on a finished product already in the market.

 

I"m awestruck at what Behringer is doing with synths. Whether you love them or hate them, you have to admit they are disrupting this part of the music industry and doing it quite well. I"m pleased they are filling a thirst for affordable (yes, affordable!) ways to reach into the history of synths. I expect I"ll buy at least one of their synths somewhere down the road (maybe several). They are getting my attention.

 

Sorry for the long post but this was floating around in my head and wanted to put it out for other"s perspective.

 

It"s a great time to be a keyboard player.

[timwat]

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[lightbg]

As long as you"re breathing it"s a great time to be a keyboard player............... I digress.

 

I mostly get calls for organ gigs. Similar to many here, I dragged the B-3, a pair of 122"s, bench, pedals, etc. throughout my youth. I rejoiced when Nord introduced the C1 ( and in no particular order Dave"s Ocean Beach Drawbars, my Yorkville Blok 100 amp topped with a Leslie 2101, the Nord Pedalkey 27"s, and additional stands and bench). As of last month my iPad mini loaded with IK Multimedia"s B3X, a pair of controller keyboards, and my repurposed stand and bench has me right back where I started sound wise. The technology push is scary, but it"s a great time to be a keyboard player.

 

My G.A.S. has been abated mostly because my musical focus has changed from performance to education. I am a retired music teacher, but now I"m the one that needs schooling in how to best continue to play without pain. The years haven"t been kind to my arthritic hands, and it"s frustrating to not be able to nail riffs that a year ago would have not required a second thought. So I love the availability of new boards at affordable prices, but for this old fart I just want to hang on physically to continue using what I have to the my best ability.

 

It truly is a great time to be a keyboard player.

 

Jake

[ajstan]

I would say that it"s the advancements in affordable technology that have fueled the growth. Home pianos, e-drums, sampling, home recording, software, controllers, workstations/arrangers, computers, mobile technology, pro audio and more have opened up opportunities for almost anyone for performance, recording, learning, collaboration and sharing.

 

Keyboards are no longer limited to performers and enthusiasts. Most anyone can get something of relatively good quality for their level of interest. More interest fuels more purchases which fuels more competition and subsequent R&D. It truly is a great time to be a musician..

[MAJUSCULE]

Jeez, we might have to crack that bottle of bourbon if you really want to get into a discussion like this.

[Mighty Motif Max]

I think there"s definitely a sizable market in the worship scene. And recording studios too. Not everyone wants to run on 100% plugins all the time.

 

There is also the performing world. A good example is Dua Lipa, a fairly popular pop artist who"s taken off the last few years. Her first album was heavily electronic-based. For her new album, she"s said that she is working with more live instruments this time, and judging from her recent single, she seems to mean stuff that can be replicated live with less backing tracks and laptops. So, probably hardware boards. Also the lifespan of MacBooks and the like is going down for assorted reasons, so a hardware board might be a better investment long-term.

 

Add to these the 'beat maker' people, DJ Producers, and what I call the 'YouTube Artist' demographic, and I think you"ve got a good driving force behind all these Behringer reissues and small synths lately.

 

Just my two cents.

[KeyboardEric]

As someone who is invested in what is considered low tier gear by Korg, Roland, Behringer and Alto I can attest that it's a great time to be a keyboard player (in that I can more or less afford these things). Sure I wish to have nicer gear someday, but hey at least am gigging and having fun making music. That's what is most important to me.

[uhoh7]

As long as you"re breathing it"s a great time to be a keyboard player............... I digress.

Jake

 

If I live to take delivery of the Osmose.....that will be nice