Doug Robinson

San Miguel has a some very good and even excellent jazz players living here. I'm somewhere on that spectrum but I'm far from the only one. Our concerts are usually about half full--not mine because I know how to promote and have a good following--so imagine our surprise with the local government began promoting four free concerts in the main town square can calling it The City of Jazz! None of us were even considered, even though jazz players from Mexico City and nearby Queretaro were. Still, the concerts all looked good and the kicker was that Saturday night, it was the one and only Herbie Hancock. My gf and I went early, around 3 pm to save about 12 seats for friends. Out comes Herbie at 82 for his soundcheck. Steinway grand and a Korg synth--not sure of the model as a music stand blocked my view for a few inches. James Genus on bass, Justin Tyson on drums--both highly competent players. The biggest surprise was Terrance Blanchard on trumpet--holy moly, what an exciting player. He used an octave divider on his horn for many melodies which gave the flavor of a tenor sax doubling his trumpet but an octave lower. It really, really worked. Herbie has always been a hero since the '60s, and then in the '70s and the '80s and so on. He was simply amazing, creative, relaxed, funny. Great energy--I think he was genuinely touched by the 7000 people chanting "Herbie! Herbie!" The music ranged from somewhat harmonically obscure acoustic jazz to fiery fusion. His synth work was simply beyond my ability to describe except by focusing on specific moments--several of them featuring his work on the vocoder. In the '70s, he released a pop album using a vocoder which no one else had done yet. I thought it was fun and gimmicky. Now everyone uses it but...he played a ballad and used it from start to finish, lovely cryptically romantic lyrics and then the band dropped out and we were treated to a 10 minute improvised section where he sang/played out of tempo the most glorious chord voicings to match his poignant and sometimes funny lyrics. I swear, some of his chord voicings would have made Bill Evans swoon. Just GORGEOUS music, improvised, searching and delivering at a very un-rushed pace. Ain't no one doing what he is doing on that instrument that I have heard. But since his other accomplishments are so well known, it seems petty to ask why he isn't more famous for that aspect. I also want to add that when he comped, he would go back and forth from piano to the synth, and when on the synth he would change sounds really often, like maybe 10 times per song. I really questioned why I'm so conservative about this kind of thing, at least so far.

Well for whatever reason, it didn’t work.

That sounds promising, thanks!

It’s a little obscure, I know but just wondering if anyone has firsthand experience. I saw on some forum where people were using a Yamaha FC7 plugged into the “switch pedal“ input as their volume pedal. I got the impression that it was a setting inside the synthesizer that decided the function. when I plug a sustain pedal in, in advance as the patches as you would expect a switch pedal to do. When I plug my FC7 in absolutely nothing happens. And yes, I am mediately tested my FC seven in another keyboard in the volume pedal input and it worked fine controlling the volume. Any ideas? I can’t really see anything in the internal menu but I’m sure there’s something.

I could not be a whole lot more excited to present my brand new band, MO’ RITMO! The guitar player is from El Salvador and now lives in Mexico City. The Drummer is in the state of Hidalgo, the bass player in the state of Queretaro and the percussionist and I live in San Miguel De Allende. We literally had two rehearsals, and one of them was the afternoon of this entire show. But everyone did their homework. We played another concert Saturday night in another town and it was a smashing success. if you’re in the mood, my synth solo on my new king Korg in the third song called “Dale Ale” is one of my favorite solos ever caught on video. We’re all very close friends, especially after two gigs this weekend and staying in my house. I’ve been wrong before but I think this one’s gonna stay together and keep growing. Every single player has moments of being the very best guy in the band. https://fb.watch/fu6T4Z-VhX/

Everything you’re saying about the KNM18880000 whatever is true in terms of it being lightweight and quick and easy set up and teardown. But getting to and from gigs on cobblestone roads and setting up and tearing down quickly? I’ve probably lost seven difficult to replace screws. They shake loose. I’ve Jerry rigged it but it just doesn’t feel secure anymore. thank you very much for the kind words about my playing, guys! It wasn’t really my best moment, but it was good enough that a beautiful Chilean woman sitting behind me approached me after the setand said “what is your name? I’m in love with you!“ With a big smile on her face. we’re going out on our third date tomorrow. 🙂

Here’s what it looked like in action https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=783051789650869&id=100010609151604

Rather than start a new thread, I wanted to comment on the Stay piano double tier stand that I ended up getting even against my friend Dave B's advice! First of all, I wasn't really expecting it to be so huge. I understand that it's tall to accommodate standing players, something I've never done but now I'm thinking it over. probably better for my back. I got it Friday, set it up in my house Friday night and took it to a benefit concert on Saturday where I played it and another keyboardist did--he's a hard-hitting Cuban piano monster, and I was smacking the keys pretty good myself. It's a little wobbly but no worse than my decrepid K and M accordion-style stand. Certainly works for my style and looks more radical than I do, that's for sure. Setting it up and tearing it down...lots of unfamiliar motions and extra work imo. But I am already thinking of a way to streamline the process--I can velcro the legs together and pick them up 2 at a time, easier to get back into the very weird bag they include. I like it. The biggest problem so far is that I built my own pedal board--very excited that I did something so handy--with my small mixer, my e. piano sustain pedal and my SK1 volume pedal. And it just...barely...doesn't fit perfectly, so my pedals are about 1/2" too close to my foot. I think I can either modify the pedal board or get used to it. Sharp piece of kit.

Thanks Mike! It looks like a great solution for me, but I have a question about the height of the board itself. At the lowest point looks like it’s about an inch high. That hasn’t bothered you in terms of using the sustain pedal?

Yes, that’s what I would probably do too, put my small mixer down there as well.

I’m thinking about it. Under my double keyboard stand would be to the right my Hammond SK one volume pedal and then moving left a sustain pedal for the Hammond and to the left of that a sustain pedal for my lower keyboard, the Casio.

As for the KM 18880 with the second keyboard arms--I live where there are cobblestone roads. Things bump a lot. I got to a gig and one of the main screws had loosened itself and was gone. Same with the arms in another case. I've got an allen wrench substituting for one of them, and something else in the other spot. I am not the most careful person, I suppose, but it's just too fragile for me. https://www.k-m.de/en/products/keyboard-stands/keyboard-tables/18880-table-style-keyboard-stand-black

I have to give up, this is just a bit overwhelming. No one makes what I need for a price that I think is reasonable--between $200 and $300 usd--or at a weight that works for my bad back. I just discovered a newer option, a QuikLokSL930, but it's 26 pounds. That's heavier than any of my keyboards and I know the payoff will be stability but load-in and load-out in Mexico can require long schleps and I can't do it. If any of you have a Stay piano stand with a second tier that you aren't thrilled with, let me know and maybe I can buy it from you. If it's too wobbly for my gigs, I'll just use it in the studio. I am not a builder, but when I look at the two-keyboard options out there I am just stunned at how they are either over-complicated or unsturdy right out of the box--I watched a video review of a Griffin stand and I swear, it was rocking from side to side and he never even mentioned it. Seems like an unmet need to me.

Just too fragile--the knobs fall off and get lost, it feels less sturdy every time I set it up--granted, I used it for 3 or f4 years now, but I've got it gerry-rigged because I've lost that many parts.

Thanks, Timwat--unfortunately, I was wrong and it is the older Spider Baby, not the pro, that is only $195. The Baby pro is over $400. Not gonna happen.

Ok, this double keyboard gigging quest is taking over my life. The Stay piano double seemed the perfect option due to cost, light weight, ease of setup and fun styling. But David says it is wobbly and I believe him. I like some Z stand options but they have to be assembled and disassembled and I need fast setup and something less complex that folds is better for me. The Spider pro looked good until I saw how much it cost, almost $500. Yikes, not going to happen. By the time I get it down here to Mexico, that's going to cost me over $600. It's also 51" high--way more than I need, because I play sitting down. Now, the Spider pro Baby is only $195 (edit--it's over $400!), can take a second keyboard tier and is only 39" high. My current stand is the K and M 18880 with the second keyboard arms. It is only 37" high, so the Baby pro would probably work fine. I don't know anyone who is using it though--anyone here?

I am checking out the Spider pro--how on earth can that thing cost $479 usd? That's just absurd. Isn't it?

Thanks, just nothing that I can see that relates to the KingKorg unfortunately. Maybe there is something deep in the menu that I'm missing.

Thanks Dave, I saw that one too. It’s just a guy noodling.

That’s very thoughtful, Elmer 🙂 but I followed those steps from the beginning and they’re not working. Maybe it’s just a bad input.

Thanks, Aussie--the model I was looking at is the dual piano model, not the slim or the compact. It's rated at 65 kg per tier, I believe.

Hi there--I bought one used recently, looks new. Love it. But I can't get the Vocodor to work or find a decent tutorial to see if I'm doing something wrong. plugged the mic in--tried this with several mics and cables; I see the peak light flash as I insert the mic cable; And then..nada. I hit the button that says 'vocodor' and go to the SE/VOC bank, dial in a vocodor sound and hold a note while I speak into the mic but no sound emerges. No more peak light either, no matter what I do. Am I missing one more button, or is it the mic input? Thanks!

Is it this one, Dave? https://www.thomannmusic.com/stay_keyboard_stand_piano_red.htm

I have the KM 188802 or whatever, and although I have loved the adjustability to get the upper keyboard just close enough to the lower, I have to say that it has been really pretty feeble after a couple of years of gigging. Screws fall out, caps pop off. pain in the ass.