J_tour

All right, since it's on to inflammatory concepts, here's some that I think are true: (i) a classical musician who doesn't know how to improvise idiomatically is not an actual musician. Studying the scores and recordings is just as important as it is in any other music, but if you just play transcriptions note-for-note, it's nothing more than a party trick. In some cases a very lucrative, creative one, but it's like buying a "saw the lady in half" trick from a magic shop. (ii) American music (jazz, blues, rock, and all the others) isn't anything without the European art music tradition. Maybe you can make some EDM without tradition, but I've never met anyone worthwhile who considers that a worthwhile pursuit, as a scholar or listener.

Very apropos. I have an RD-64. Lovely concept. I swing it over my shoulder. Set up is a breeze. However the action is sluggish to me, so it gets less use than I thought it would. It's a great rehearsal piano. Try before you buy. Excellent contribution: yeah, I couldn't in good faith sort of show up at some Craigslist rando's place and "try" the board and then just mumble something like "I got to go check something in my car" and screech off. But, really, you find you can actually literally "sling over the shoulder" (in some kind of little soft case) and head off? I suppose. I'm a tall guy and that seems possible for me if anyone can. Sluggish action, yeah, I can see that's subjective, but for not a main board, just a toy, that doesn't seem a deal-breaker. After all, think about how many different real acoustic pianos one's played some OK, some mediocre, some good, some dogs, some cats. I have faith in being able to adapt for just the occasional use. $650 US seems really steep for a used one from what I've seen, though I guess you get what you pay for. Hell, people pay more than that for some nitwit phone that runs on human tears. ETA Since I'm in the realm of pure fantasy, what would be nice is a pseudo-hammer-action, AND some little fold-down "legs" built into a recessed portion of the chassis. IMHO carrying a stand around is the biggest part of the obstacle to having a true "set and forget" portable instrument for fun. And, hell, probably could spare two or three inches on the LH side for basic controls (volume, verb, select samples, MAYBE set a MIDI channel, if being fancy). The ashtray in my Camry is tiny (not even big enough to hold a briar tobacco pipe), just like much else in the interior and under the hood. So, "they" can do it for cars, and I've no doubt "they" can do it for boards. Here's a marketing slogan for free: "Slab-of-keys."

That's true. But, hey, sustain pedals are strictly for kids! I don't use them for Haydn or Mozart. In fact I sold my original sustain pedal for my Rhodes when I needed two hundred bucks quick quite a while ago. They're overrated.

I put hands on a Clavichord once, but I don't disagree with you at all. Excellent points. Some of those I feel the same way about the Rhodes and the Wurli I guess I keep those for a mix of sentiment and occasionally a change of pace. Neither of mine are tuned especially well, either, unless it's to some microtonal scale I accidentally invented. I know they're quiet, but my use is not for any performance. Just cheap fun, like those lucky bastards who get to drag their annoying acoustic guitars or bongos everywhere. HOWEVER, just to play devil's advocate, guitars have to be tuned pretty much every other hour, it seems, (not that many non-proficient guitarists seem to be that great at doing it right : )) I don't know that they're all that extinct my five hundred USD figure was from partially-remembering some surprisingly cheap newly-made clavichords from some American company. And, at least you get that fancy portamento for free! Maybe I'm subconsciously a bit frustrated that the keys I desire doesn't seem to be there, unless I wanted to be complicated and use a basic Fatar/S-L controller plus fiddle around with an external module.

You know, I'm still thinking the appeal of an old-school clavichord is about right for my needs. Light-weight. Fully acoustic. About five hundred USD or thereabouts for a single-manual one. Good enough (certainly) for pre-romantic-era music. I could see improvising on Haydn or Mozart or early Beethoven on one of those, if not just playing off some published score. Truly, about the closest thing to a "sling over the shoulder and go" practice board that seems to exist. Of course, disadvantages are they're apt to need regular technical care, they're not very loud, and they're very fragile. They ARE stackable, though. At least with other clavichords (N.B. I'm not talking about a Hohner Clavinet, but the real old-old-school clavichord, like Bach and others used). Since it'd just be a high-quality toy for me, I guess I can give up the modern grand piano action simulations and use it as an EXTREMELY limited practice little thing to toss in the trunk of about any car and get some music out of. Yeah, I think that's as close to a "backpacker"-sized guitar as one can get these days, with all the limitations.

Thanks! I did check out the listing. I suppose we'll see if the taxman gives his refund in a timely fashion. The more I see of the RD-64, the more I get to be irritated by the controls on the left, though I feel I might be tempted to just borrow a Skil Saw and cut that whole part off and tuck the electronics somewhere inside and patch up the exposed end with duck tape. BUT, the nice, flat profile and overall simplicity is very appealing. I wouldn't even say it's too expensive, given some of the non-ac-piano options included. Even the reverb is not without its uses. For a light board for the right performance situation, it likely is pretty close to ideal for a compact stage board. For me as a lower keyboard with my old XK-1 on top it could be close to ideal as both pianos and as a lower organ manual. For which the LH-side controls would be a great idea no having to try to peek between the boards to change something. Probably what it was designed for, really.

Good find. Not quite ready to pull the trigger yet, but at least there's some out there. Interesting that this ends up lighter than the older RD-64. Unfortunately, for the me, the length of the keyboard is important you know, adding in a few inches in either direction for a little lightweight case, and the next thing I'd be doing is knocking over a lit candle at some girl's apartment and being shown the door on a romantic weekend. However, at about five hundy, that can buy a lot of new candles and maybe some flowers or shit to apologize with. I don't doubt it one bit. I think it would be wise for me to try to put hands on one of these new Privias or the above-mentioned Yamaha CP-73 (the latter sounds like it could be more cash than I want to spend for basically just a toy for me to play around with when traveling light). It's not that I'm a glutton for punishment with heavier action yes, my wrists and forearms get sore playing heavy rock and roll/blues on those after a while without being careful or changing it up, but I like the added little bit of control I feel I get, especially since I'm not playing a lot of Romantic-era piano repertoire that needs a bunch of skittering along the tops of the keys. That can't possibly be true that the Privia line generally lacks basic MIDI. Not really applicable to my case, but you never know when you might want to rig up a little mini-Franken setup.

Oh, I'm 100% sure even I could do that with a lot of trial and error. Not too lightweight, though! Although one of the stage models I've been able to carry under one arm, and it's about as self-contained as it gets. Just kind of bulky. The Yamaha Piaggero might be close to the Wurlitzer key-weight: I wouldn't call the Wurlitzer keyboard "fully-weighted," really. More like a spinet acoustic piano. Definitely playable as a piano, just not a heavy action.

I think that's absolutely right: it may not be easy to track down a used RD-64, at least one that hasn't been too abused (or else why would they sell it!). The Korg and the Electro HP seem like nice instruments, but way more than my idea of the keyboard-equivalent of a portable guitar, that I can afford to be casual with and just use it for short trips out to the coast or a short weekend someplace. I should upgrade my "real" digital gear sometime, but for now my regular stage gear is adequate. Anyway, as I'm sure everyone's noticed, there seems to be this little problem where what they want to pay won't even cover gas money for one, let alone multiple, members of a little pick-up band. Let alone the cost of lost opportunities for better-paying short-term jobs. Bah. My regular beat-up stage gear can stay at home, so long as I have a little usable (but limited) instrument to toss over my shoulder when the mood strikes.

Thanks! I think the Yamaha is, for me, a little better (more keys, less space wasted at the LH cheekblock for .... well, I'd be gracious and assume the Roland board has at least one of their pretty good Rhodes sample on it ... but I'd rather have the space used for more keys and that darker Yamaha piano sound). Of course I don't know what I'm talking about without at least having played either one, but at least that's a good start. Probably a super-niche market, but I think it's an excellent idea to just have a little "travelling" board that doesn't have synth-weighted keys or miniature keys: if I just wanted to plunk out some tunes for composing, I'd just bring one of those backpacking-sized guitars or a kazoo or something and some staff paper. But being able to do serious work, including technical exercises, at the keyboard is an excellent bonus. ETA. Geez, the Yamaha is one ugly looking board. I guess that's what black gaffer's tape is for. BUT, there is something to be said for just tossing a little board in a bag + sustain pedal + little X-stand over the shoulder in a little soft-sided bag and heading out for an impromptu weekend vacation. The ideal form-factor is a Nord Stage, but then it gets too big, too complicated for my needs, and also more of a real instrument than my idea of a "head-out-the-door" on a moment's notice backup/mini thing. That is too bad the RD-64 is only find-able by sheer luck, it seems the smaller profile almost makes up for the lack of the extra octave. I just really don't like that "wedge" shape of many keyboards, including the Yamaha for one, just a flat slab is better for stacking, and IMHO it just is simpler and better-looking. Yeah, that's kind of a petty aesthetic reason on my part, but nobody, I'm guessing, likes to think when starting to practice, much less perform, start thinking negative thoughts like "ergh, this is an ugly mofo!"

Yeah, yeah I know. But what exactly are my options for the smallest-profile (length/depth) fully-weighted digital pianos with a reasonable acoustic piano tone? I have a fantasy about finding a tiny 61-64-key board with full-sized, fully-weighted keys. If nothing else, can play Bach on it or a good amount of jazz/American music. Let's go all the way up to 76 keys. No mod wheels, no nothing except volume and standard TRS jacks. As you all know brick and mortar shops are not having the good times, so I don't remember what's out there. I still suppose my Rhodes or Wurlitzer EP could do the job for practice, but since in the US tax refund season is coming around, I'd really like the ultimate bare-bones backup, just in case. Yes, I know, use "search" and try having a clue, but I don't feel so bad about starting a dumb thread. Only requirement is fully-weight action, preferably on the heavy side, and IMHO the actual samples/models for ac. piano are all fine, or good enough. Don't care about on-board speakers, or any MIDI implementation. Truly, just a "good enough" spare tiny board that allows for playing at least enough space for playing Beethoven sonatas to "stay current" on technique. For other uses, I can get away with fewer keys. I had a fantasy about buying a Clavichord (the old school ones made of wood and steel and brawn), but IMHO they're too fragile and not much good for modern repertoire. If the answer is "no," then with all the power of a random forum poster and regular piano/organ player, that might add some spurs to get some of the big manufacturers to make such an instrument.

Thought I'd give a brief kind of funny anecdote to my little question about modulating E/Em-->Bb. I kind of forgot people like to sing along "Silent Night" -- I guess they know the words or whatever. So after asking someone for a starting note, turned out F was the key to make everyone happy! Easy to forget about little details like that! Anyway, happy St Stephen's Feast Day, and all that jazz.

Hey, propers to DF for the "Who Can I Turn To?" I still have a little book of standards, getting smaller by the year, but I still like this one, and FWIW I'm still learning some things from DF's arrangement. Short and sweet. Very nice.

Ah! I get it now. I'll try it out voiced like that. Actually, that's really clever. I'll not only have to try it, but think about it as well. Much appreciated, both for the original idea, and the explanation. Definitely the jazzier extended chords can (I'm pretty convinced) be shoehorned into the baroque style, sort of gradually weave the upper extensions in, maybe using some kind of line until bit by bit the ear is ready to ear the real voicings. And then, baddabing you can get to something like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqwmZsPe_3c I still have to remember just how short attention spans little kids have, so that's my main challenge! I think I frightened the piano nephew by writing out some lead sheets of "Happy Birthday" and some other little tunes, you know, with simple chords above and just handwritten melody. Not quite there yet. ETA I should add, if I were "teaching" him, and not his grandmother, this would be all done by ear, so my compromise is to pass along little sheet music and stuff. I'll also ETA I just thought Bach sounded Christmasy, so I picked short simple pieces (I spent Oct and Nov doing all my stuff in E, and Dec is everything in A), but since he likes Beethoven, I might edit down the Rondo from the Op. 26 piano sonata to much shorter as an "encore," or maybe the Allegro from the Op. 126 bagatelles is short enough and has enough variation in mood. I made some copies for him of the simplest Beethoven I know of, the 6 Écossaises, but unfortunately that's way off. I could play those, and then do them a half step up in E (not that hard, you can even just read it straight off the page in E instead of Eb), but I don't like those very much. Never mind, I'm just rambling -- in music and in words, pretty long-winded! EETA can't resist adding more TLDR, you know, never mind why I fixed on E major Bach stuff -- those tend to be, from what I know of his "book," short, pastoral things. The WTCII prelude is one of the comparatively few preludes I like from both books of WTC, but it's kind of dense harmonically and a bit too long. The one from WTCI is, IMHO sort of like a retarded (no offense) version of the E major sinfonia, but the sinfonia is I think too long and complex for kids to enjoy. And I don't care much for the stuff from the Emaj Fr Ste. Meh, maybe the Op 26 Rondo, cut down to brevity, hitting the (IMHO) important bits, then do that nice little Air from the partita, then just close out with a little xmas thing from one of the few xmas tunes I don't hate. Not doing the Guaraldi "Christmas Time is Here" (or whatever the exact title is again), kind of I've done it too many times at family holidays, and nobody sings along. So just close it out with a little Silent Night with a groove. And,if piano nephew gets colichy, him being a Beethoven fan, I've already got the best lullaby behind "Lousiana Lullaby," namely the first movement Op 27.#1 of Beethoven. Just don't hit the allegro bits too hard. Know thine audience!

This looks like a creative idea for the normally difficult ( for me ) modulation. But E A D G B E Is not quite E major tonality? Maybe a chord prior to E A D G B E that reflects E major? I missed linwood's post, so thanks for that. I take it to be kind of a spoof, just go through the circle. The opposite of concise, but it works, and it's fun. So maybe it's me who is missing something, but I like it!

Thanks very much! I think I'm settling with E-->Em7b5-->A7-->Dm etc to Bb. It's a little noodly, but the Em7b5->A7 has enough room for a baroque-style line before going into the lounge lizard Dm G7|Cm F7. I wouldn't have thought of that were it not for your concise suggestions. Oh yeah, hey, "Green Leaves of Summer" is usually in E minor, so just noodle on that baroqueishly then do that change then do something Christmasy in Bb. Sure, that's the ticket! Thanks again.

Haven't had a chance to look at the latest, but if anyone wants to throw in on a basic modulation problem I haven't decided how to settle, I'll outline the little problem. So, Xmas I'm going to be with extended family, all that, and since one of my nephews just started piano lessons, I thought I'd do a short little medley of simple but satisfying (and key word SHORT) more classical-type tunes. WTCII E major prelude --> Air from the E minor Partita. Then I want to get to Bb (I don't know why Bb, it just seems like a good idea, being a tritone away) and just cut out with a little jazz-churchy style "Silent Night" (or whatever, I don't know, but something in Bb). I think easiest way is just to grab onto the F# minor and somehow turn that into an F#7 (from there, just -->F7). I'm finding it difficult to make this sound smooth without doing a bunch of harmonic preparation, i.e., basically noodling around. Any shortcut ideas in voicing that could make this modulation more efficient?

The store owner? First laugh of the day! It's funny because it's true! But @OP, that's pretty amazing the whole thing ended up working out. Yeah, since a lot of "true confessions" about Rhodes v Wurli have been made here, I kind of have to throw in my 0.02 that you can make the Rhodes sound Wurli-ish, with a little tremolo pedal, but it's not the same. I'd rather have a mint-perfect (well, pretty close, anyway) Wurlitzer than a so-so Rhodes (even with a good action -- mine has a nice action as well, its still heavy). IMHO there's always a temptation to fiddle with something inside the Rhodes, whereas the Wurlitzer is more, "set and forget." Plus, the light action can make you feel like a monster shredder when doing scalar runs and stuff. In addition to everything else.

Can someone remind me of who it was in the '00s who was playing pretty straight-ahead jazz using a Wurlitzer EP? I think it was a 'she,' and I don't recall if she/he/it put out any records. Anyway, I echo a bunch of people above, IF the Wurlitzer is tuned perfectly, and electrically perfect, then of course I'd trade an unkempt Rhodes for it. However, I know people who claim it's "fun" and "fast" to tune the Wurlitzer, but I claim it's the opposite. FWIW I think the Rhodes is a b**** to tune as well. They're fine being traveled with around town, anyway. Never had one break, whereas it seemed like there was also something shifting around inside the Rhodes, probably because it's so f****** heavy and awkward.

It occurred to me over the past year that I have a real problem learning "by heart" various pieces by Webern (variations) and Schoenberg (the "gigue" and the "intermezzo"), so I figure if I can't end up memorizing the "Children's Piece" by Webern by osmosis, eventually, I should keep trying.

Word. That was an amazing autobio Dr. John did. Booker seemed to have been quite a character. It wasn't so long ago that one of my main things on the internet was tracking down those hundred hours or so of live Booker tapes, and then YouTube came along with a bunch of video footage I'd never seen and it was like "damn." Hey, you know what's a good documentary, is the one about Monk....called....I think it's called *Straight No Chaser." Tons of great footage. I knew the big records and a little bit about his life and the same handful of his tunes everyone plays, but lately really digging deeper inside his music, it's amazing to see great footage, even if he did have kind of a sad life. Also, another old chestnut, *The Universal Mind of Bill Evans* -- just him chatting with his brother and demonstrating things on the piano. Oh yeah, speaking of piano footage, here's one I saw about a year ago, *Glenn Gould The Alchemist*. Fucking amazing footage of Gould performing, up close and personal, the Bach E minor Partita and a bunch of stuff. I know there were the two big movies relatively recently about him, but this one's from the 1970s, I think, and isn't so much about his (kind of weird) life, but his playing.

What's up with no DVD of *Bayou Maharajah* (docu about James Booker released last year)? Weird. I bet there's some footage in there I'd like to see.

That's just classic. Both been there as a recipient and a giver. Reason number 1 to avoid the club scene. Lots of "customers" out there. Whatever, I only do it for the money.

I don't have anything really crazy (keyboard player, so who cares, amirite!), but a guitar player (unknown to me at the time) actually called "Drown in My Own Tears" and before I could get out "so, like Eb, Bb, or what" he was like "Yeah C is good." OK, so do some gospel in C. With guitar! For me that was pretty cray.