Rodan88

Mike Martin! THANK YOU for your speedy, comprehensive, informative and transparent reply - MUCH appreciated. It's good to know that no other Casio models have been affected by the "No Media" bug, so I won't hesitate to purchase another Casio should I decide to go in that direction. I may get in touch with you after the holidays to discuss my PX5S, as I have experienced the issue several times. Again, many thanks, and Happy Everything!

HI, all - I posted the below question on the Facebook PX5S Group's page last night. Unfortunately, many of the respondents didn't really answer the question; many digressed into telling about their personal experiences, which were interesting, but not really what I was looking for. So, I thought I'd try asking here: Question: Are any other Privia models - or any Casio models, for that matter - subject to the "No Media" error message bug, or is that issue exclusive to the PX5S? Yeah, I carry a thumb drive with the OS on it, and have a 100% success rate with re-booting after inserting the thumb drive. But the 15 minute re-boot time is unacceptable in many situations, and I'm always nervous bringing the keyboard to a gig. Let me know what your experience has been/what you know about this issue. Thanks! Ultimately, I'm strongly considering buying a new lightweight 88-key weighted keyboard THAT WILL WORK RELIABLY. The PX5S makes me nervous, my Kurzweil SP6's main board died (and it's shockingly expensive to replace), etc. I'm considering all of the sub-30 pound candidates (I live in Manhattan), both those with extensive features and sound sets, and those with limited sounds that will essentially function as an ersatz piano when I'm doing piano-centric gigs in venues that don't have pianos. I'm very familiar with what's out there, but suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Yes, that's it, Octa! Did you know the piece? (Mendelssohn was one of my guesses, actually.) As it turns out, "Andante Sostenuto" is #2 of 6 children's pieces from Kinderstücke, Opus 72. Like Schumann's Träumerei (From "Scenes of Childhood"), though labeled a children's piece, its simple surface is underpinned by much musical sophistication and great beauty. Thanks again, Octa - I'll finally be getting a good night's sleep tonight!

Hello, Can anyone identify this piece? My son played it many years ago; at the time, his teacher gave him the photocopy attached here, with no other information. Hoping someone will recognize it, it's been driving us crazy for years. In many ways, the piece reminds me of Ennio Morricone's classic theme from Cinema Paradiso - also a piano-centric piece in the same key, Eb Major. HELP!!

That's not an "original" Proteus 1, which came out in 1989. I have a Proteus 1 XR, which had expanded memory for storing patches. The body and buttons are gray, with a few black buttons as well. There are tons of pictures and info online about the Proteus family of instruments.

I live in NYC, but I own a Hammond BV organ (with foot pedals) and a Leslie 147 that live in my parents' basement in suburban Boston - about 7 miles from Boston. I purchased the Hammond and Leslie from a friend in 1983! My parents are quite elderly, and with the future in mind, we're in the process of thinning out 60 years of accumulated possessions. Though I had long planned to have the organ refurbished, I don't think that will realistically happen at this point. So - any recommendations for an organ service (repairs/restoration/sales) in the area that will come to their house, and be potentially interested in purchasing the organ for restoration and/or parts? I found Boss Organ online; it seems promising, but the owner/operator is on vacation till after Labor Day. Boss seems to be the best bet in the Boston area, although I found a few other companies specializing in church/pipe organs. Does anyone have any hot, or under-the-radar tips for what I'm looking for? Perhaps someone located a little further out who might do sweeps through the area? Thanks in advance!

Her's one of Miles' quotes about Oscar: "Oscar makes me sick because he copies everybody. He even had to learn how to play the blues." The 2nd sentence is the real killer. I know what Miles is trying to express, but that's pretty cold. My take on Oscar is: Love him or hate him, as a pianist you've gotta respect his command of the instrument. He's so much more multi-faceted than all of the glib dismissals give him credit for. Yeah he shows his ridiculous chops off a lot, has his favorite pet licks (who doesn't), etc. But his mastery of pedaling, voicings, touch, time and overall brilliant pianism cannot be denied. Sure, his feel isn't laid-back like, say, Sonny Clark's - but that's not what Oscar is shooting for. His time is rock-solid, and when he goes into steamroller mode, few can match his drive. 2 examples - first, early-ish Oscar live, ratcheting things up chorus by chorus in C Jam Blues. This is a well-known clip: There's also a version without the transcription. Ray Brown! The solo intro is nice (though not my favorite), but when the trio kicks in (around 2:34), the fun really begins. The 2nd "clip" is an entire album, posted on YouTube as individual tracks, with a playlist - Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson. This record might change your opinion about Oscar. For starters, THERE ARE NO PIANO SOLOS ON THE ENTIRE ALBUM. Yep. It's all Louis - singing, and playing all the solos! This is Oscar demonstrating a rare and tasty sideman vibe. Beautiful intros/endings, comping and fills. The knock on Oscar is that he's a busy and obtrusive in a rhythm section. There's never any doubt that it's Oscar, but he plays some beautifully light fills, and plays an admirably relaxed and restrained role throughout. He's a master accompanist, when he chooses to be. As usual, Louis is the embodiment of perfection. The record also boasts a great selection of tunes, if you're looking to expand your repertoire. Definitely a desert island disc for me!

I seem to recall that Oscar took umbrage that Hank Jones (and, I believe other specific pianists for whom Oscar had the utmost respect) wasn't given adequate recognition in either Doerschuk's book, 88: The Giants of Jazz Piano, or perhaps in an article he wrote. I think Oscar mentioned Jimmy Jones also. P.S. I just checked, and Hank Jones is named as one of the "88" in Doerschuk's book, but his chapter is only a few pages long (as are those of most the other pianists profiled). We all know that Oscar could be a little touchy, but you've gotta agree that his great admiration and respect for Hank - a master if there ever was one - was right on the money!

I downloaded this before, but couldn't get it to work. Any specific or non-intuitive advice on downloading to Mac/loading into MODX? I'm well-versed in both, but no dice last time I tried this product. Thanks!

Well, the two previous replies kinda stole my thunder, but..... Eat. Listen To Music. Repeat frequently in any order desired! ENJOY!!

Hoping for some help here, as it's really not my area of expertise! My son is playing a theatrical production this week. I just bought him a Boss FS-5U to advance patches during the show, and he's having trouble getting it to work. He's using a MODX8 strictly as a controller, with a Mainstage Concert consisting entirely of patches programmed by KeyboardTEK, rented for the production. Everything works fine when using the MODX8 and Mainstage only. And, the FS-5U works fine to advance the MODX's internal sounds. However, adding the FS-5U to advance the patches in Mainstage isn't working. My son is very tech-savvy; we're sure he's overlooking something simple, but so far he hasn't figured it out. Any advice? Thanks very much!

Yes, just read about Jeff. I didn't know him personally either, but had many friends who did. Very talented guy. Sadly, I also just learned that NYC-area percussionist Fred Walcott died. Great guy and musician. As Satchel Paige said - "Don't look back - something might be gaining on you!"

Not only those 3, but that's the legendary Jerry Dodgion on alto sax. Sadly, Jerry passed away very recently. I was fortunate to have played with him a couple of times; not only was he a great player, but he was a really nice guy. Check out his resume/discography - he had a remarkable career during the era of prolific recording and live performances!

Calling Theo - we need a translator! 🤡

I share everyone's pain! I really wish I could turn a pedal 90° and be "done," but in my experience, both large piano-style pedals and small square pedals will not stay put on a smooth surface, no matter how they're oriented. YMMV, and I certainly don't doubt those who say it works for them. Like some others have mentioned, my solution is to use black gaffer's tape. A few pieces will do it, and years of practice have taught me the best taping strategies for pedals of varying sizes and designs. Here in NYC, I get special compact rolls of gaffer's tape at a great place called Set Shop, which sells supplies for stage/TV/film sets. Here's a link to the product I use - 2" x 10 yards. https://setshop.com/pro-gaffers-tape-black-2-x-10-yds/ It's a bit pricey, but a roll lasts a long time, and fits handily in the pocket of any keyboard gig bag. I've not found a similar size elsewhere. I keep a roll in each of my bags (7 or 8 of them floating around my apartment at the moment)! Help!

Can anybody recommend a MODX/Montage patch that nails (or comes close to) the iconic Oberheim on "1999?" Thanks!

I don’t know, but that’s the exact harmonic progression the singer I worked with the other night implied while scatting over an F blues.

I completely agree with all who've said that the bandleader should have ironed this out with the client at the time of booking the gig, and - what no one has mentioned yet - had whatever was agreed upon IN WRITING, IN THE CONTRACT. Uh, there was a contract, wasn't there? If there wasn't, that's an even bigger problem, of course. Having one in place - WITH A DEPOSIT - is not optional, it's an absolute MUST, especially when you're in the position of employing other musicians. It protects both sides, of course, and a client should never object to signing one for that very reason. Big red flag if they do. Nor should a musician head out to a gig without knowing that there's a contract in place to protect their commitment to the gig. Reading between the lines here, Tom, I'm guessing that the musicians' fees might be an issue. If a leader is going to be irresponsible enough to not have everything clarified and contracted in advance, and then compounds things by walking off the gig, that's not the sidemen's problem. If he's refusing to pay the band on top of everything else, that crosses an unforgivable line. At the very least, the musicians should be paid a kill fee of 50%, WHICH A DEPOSIT WOULD COVER. But, I'd argue that they deserve 100% as they held a weekend date at a busy time of year, were prepared to play outdoors in serious heat, and were disrespected by the bandleader's rash decision to walk off the gig. All completely unnecessary, and grounds for crossing this leader off of their list, or at least ensuring that things are handled professionally in the future. Big apologies if I'm misreading the money situation, but I've been there before, and it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. A bandleader's gig is to service the client AND EQUALLY, to protect and respect his musicians. They're the ones enabling him to make a living. Disclaimer: NYC guy here. We don't shy away from these confrontations when they arise, and fight like hell to be treated appropriately! (Fortunately, most situations are handled with the utmost professionalism, however.)

I have empty factory synth boxes in excellent condition for a MODX7, MODX8 and Kurzweil SP6. All styrofoam inserts, etc., are intact. Come to think of it, I probably have other synth boxes in storage as well. I seem to remember some discussions (here?) and/or postings on various websites offering such boxes for sale. I suppose they'd come in handy for those planning to ship/store keyboards, etc. A quick check earlier today of eBay, Reverb, and the Keyboard Corner's Garage Sale/KC Classifieds turned up nothing, however. Any opinions on the subject? Do the boxes have any value? Any idea what a ballpark figure would be, and where to sell them online? Thanks much!

Sorry I missed all the activity since I last posted! First of all, so glad that you weighed in, Steve (Nathan)! You and others here have certainly convinced me to soften my stance a bit regarding the labeling of minor keys in the Nashville Number System. As I made clear in my post, I've studied the system extensively (both out of fascination and for practical professional reasons), but have very little practical experience using it in real-world conditions, unlike you guys, who are immersed in it daily! Obviously, your opinion holds far more weight than mine. It's also ironic that you played on the song (chart) I posted to bolster my argument - "Before He Cheats." Too funny! You were wondering where the chart came from, Steve - it's from Hal Leonard's "The Nashville Number System Fakebook," written by Trevor de Clercq. I think he's more of an academician than a studio/live player - in the book's bio, it says that he's a member of the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University where he coordinates the musicianship curriculum and teaches courses in digital audio technology - and he holds a Ph.D. in music theory from Eastman. Impressive credentials, but not necessarily one of the cats, eh? ;-D As many mentioned, point well taken that many songs with minor verses have Major choruses, which can create a mess if charting it in the opening's minor key. I do, however, agree with those who feel that if a song is truly, strongly in a minor key - such as Before He Cheats, Jolene, Ain't No Sunshine, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, etc. it makes more sense to chart it based on that minor key, and not the relative major. Someone used the exact example I was thinking of to show when the reverse approach would make sense to me. In Fly Me To The Moon (unfortunately, not a country tune), the song starts on the 6 chord (Am7), followed by the 2 (Dm7), the 5 (G7), and the 1 chord (Cmaj7). Of course the song is strongly in C Major, but it takes 4 bars to get there, via a very simple harmonic progression. Although it starts with the Am7, at no time do you ever hear the song as being in anything other than C Major. Perhaps it's a bad example because of the genre, the song's familiarity, etc. So, in those situations where using a 1 minor makes the most sense, I'm definitely onboard with that. As Steve said in his original post, "But occasionally the minor chord is so dominant that it works better to call it a 1 minor, just to make the chart simpler." Yep! But in other situations, relative major it is! Steve, we all have great respect for your work; thanks for laying down the law! (One other book that I'll mention if anyone's interested, is Chas Williams' "The Nashville Number System." Besides a detailed explanation of the system, an interesting feature is the inclusion of many charts handwritten by Nashville studio A-Listers. On any given song there are a few charts by different players, so you can see how the guys who MAKE the records' individual styles come into play when writing charts for the same songs. Only drawback is that there aren't any of Steve's charts in the book!) Both of the books that I mentioned in this post also have apps available, and there are many other books/apps/YouTube videos out there if you want to take a deep dive. Or, you could do it the Steve Nathan way - move to Nashville and spend decades working with the best in the business. You won't need no stinkin' books! ;D

Hey, folks - Lifetime east-coaster here, based in NYC for a LONG time. I am FAR from the world's greatest authority on the Nashville Number System, but I'm fascinated with all things theoretical - as anyone who's endured my long posts will know! The Nashville Number System is something I've taken a deep dive into, not only for my own interest, but also because a few years back, I was hired to prepare a few Nashville Number charts for a band backing Brent Mason in Nashville. As far as I know, no blood was spilled on that gig, so I'm gonna be brave enough to dip my toe in these waters..... Again, full disclaimer - I cannot BEGIN to compare the level of my experience with those who have used the Nashville system their entire careers, and have witnessed MANY others' takes on the system - good, bad, and otherwise. In Nashville, often each band member prepares their own number chart, and all have their own preferred conventions. And as a general rule, people can and will do whatever they want, if it works for them (as we recently discussed in a chord-labeling thread). So...I'm going to disagree with some of what I read in the previous posts. On the surface, it sounds counter-intuitive to use the degrees of the relative Major scale when charting a tune that is 100% in a minor key. I have no doubts that everyone who has experienced exactly that is speaking the truth. But really - does it make any sense AT ALL that a system that was designed to simplify charting and transposing would throw in the additional mental gymnastics of "thinking in a Major key while playing in a minor one?" Not to me, it doesn't. And then, throw on top of THAT, the further torture of perhaps trying the tune in a few different keys? Sure, many country tunes are pretty simple in terms of form and harmony. But many are not. And a top-level implementation of the number system can get VERY deep, with many other symbols at play, ways to indicate rhythmic hits, etc. So, I'm gonna say that if people are using a major framework for a minor tune, it's a bad idea, whether or not it's had success, or that's what someone has always done. MY OPINION here, YMMV. I wanted to attach a bit of "proof" (as if such a thing exists!), so below is a screenshot from Hal Leonard's "The Nashville Number System Fakebook." It's a nice book, with a very long section at the beginning explaining the system in great depth, followed by 200 well-known country tunes from all eras, rendered in beautiful computer-copied Nashville Number System notation. The first minor country tune I could think of was in the book, and is featured in the screenshot - Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." In F#m, and notated that way - not in A Major! (I thought of "Jolene" later, but turns out it's not in the book.) I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

P.S. Despite our long-wided diatribes about chord symbols, there's no need for them when you're Bernard Herrmann, and can spell out EXACTLY what you want to be played. Wow.

Well, I hate to be immodest, but I got it right! Here's Herrmann's autograph score - check out bars 4 and 5. Pretty cool how everything's written out, but the rhythm section and sax soloist make things feel so perfectly atmospheric.

Aha - we meet again! ;-D Surprised you never heard this theme, it's beyond classic. Then again it's one of my favorite movies, and Herrmann's entire score is a masterpiece. No surprise there. Famously, he died a few hours after the last recording session. Just for you, I threw on the headphones, and although I'm away from the piano, here's what I'm hearing: The strings play a 1/2 note D-natural on beat 1 (where the Gm7 chord happens), move to an Eb on beat 3, and hit an E-natural on beat 4, tying it into the next measure, where the Fmaj7 chord happens. At the same time, the piano is playing an almost chromatic line in the top notes of its voicings, starting on the Gm7 chord on the downbeat of the first bar. The top notes, with the corresponding piano voicings below them are: F (Gm7), F# (Gm (maj 7), G# (C7#5) A (C713b9 - i.e., A triad/C7. On the downbeat of the next bar, the piano plays a quiet lower register Fmaj9 chord, followed by a light fill. So great. But wait - I can do you one better - somewhere, I have a copy of Herrmann's handwritten score to the film. I'll dig it up and check my work! By the way, I'd love to know who the rhythm section is on the recording. I found an article online naming all the brass players, plus Emil Richards (what wasn't he on?) on percussion. Reezekeys, we should know each other - I'm in NYC also, and we have many acquaintances in common. One that springs immediately to mind is your bandmate, Cliff Lyons. More coming......