cassdad
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Posts posted by cassdad
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On 9/2/2022 at 6:39 AM, Stokely said:
Gotcha, in my case it's the Omega Pro (18820), so not the same stand. I kind of wish I'd gone with the 18880 as it seems super simple and easy to collapse and carry. For some odd reason the 2nd tier for the 18820 have a really long bar that sticks out toward the player more than the first tier keyboard arms.
Here's the 2nd tier for the white stand I have: https://www.thomannmusic.com/km_18811_white.htm
You can see those bottom arms there. The extra length doesn't hold the stand on at all, but it might be done that way for some kind of weight balance reason. Anyway I'll check out my buddy's today and try folding it up. I fear it's going to go from "semi-flat" to "big awkward shape" much like my old 2-tier Z stand did.Move them in? It says the depth is 4-way adjustable. ????
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Thank you, forScore. For all those following the other thread…. just this short message:
forScore is Fixed. They just sent out update version 13.1.5 which fixed the MIDI PC and Sys Ex problems we were experiencing. Yay!!!
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Yup…. I just downloaded it…. new forScore update version 13.1.5 finally fixes back to fully working again! YAY!!!!!
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On 10/18/2022 at 6:19 PM, Polkahero said:
I was using forScore to bring up patches on my Yamaha MODX earlier this year but that function no longer works. Messaged forScore and haven't heard back as to why. Any ideas?
Yes, I can tell you exactly….. Like you, I was/am using forScore (in addition to viewing my charts / notation) for doing the Program Changes on my Yamaha MOXF8. The MOXF8 has several “modes” (e.g. Voice, Performance). In order to change between these “modes”, a MIDI System Exclusive message has to be received, then a normal MIDI Program Change message for the specific patch. I programmed both so that whenever I called up certain music charts, it would automatically send both the MIDI System Exclusive & MIDI Program Change messages. And for many months, it worked perfectly, flawlessly. Which really helped me especially for live gigs…… just pull up the music, and all the pertinent settings on my keyboard would be instantly changed as needed for that particular song. Truly a God-send.
Then, a few weeks ago, it just simply stopped working, as you cite. Turns out that forScore did 3 recent updates (culminating in the latest current version, 13.1.4). Lo and behold, in the updates, they broke the MIDI System Exclusive send function - ugh. I searched various forums and found several people (even one in Europe) who are also experiencing the exact same problem as a result of the recent forScore updates. Specifically (and I’ve so advised them), it now limits the send function to 8 hex numbers (and most Yamaha System Exclusive messages require more hex numbers than that).
forScore has responded that they “might” fix it in their next update. Ugh. I’m so disappointed, especially when it previously worked so perfectly well, and really immensely helped me (not to mention the hours of time I spent putting those MIDI PC changes and hex codes in each music score).
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Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I concur with the previous response posts here. I have the DXR-10’s, and they will work fine. The house PA where my band used to play has QSC 10’s…. they are adequate for most situations, unless your band is extremely loud (in which case you need way more than just 12’s).
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Personally, I like the acoustic piano Tyler used in the Howard Stern Birthday Bash.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=GilzbcZOcHU
And yes, I know my post here is not about the “RMI’. My point is that it’s not always about the sound. Sometimes the song itself is good enough that it stands if played via other instrumentation.
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3 hours ago, Delaware Dave said:
The topic isn't about whether to do the song in the original key or not. The question on the table is when a band WANTS to do the song in a different key that it is either written in (ex. the song is written in A but the singer can't sing it in A, but can in G#) then, as a player, do you learn the song in A and transpose down 1 step or do you learn the song in G#. What if you already learned the song in A by having played it in 10 other bands, do you relearn the song (and potentially a complicated lead) in G# or do you just hit the transpose button on your keyboard and comfortably play it in the key it is either written in or in a key you may have learned it in previously. What happens if you play an analog instrument like an acoustic piano, rhodes, wurli, clav, hammond, etc. where there is no transpose feature? These are the issue being asked for opinions.
So I ask you, you play a song in A, you're asked to audition for a band and they tell you that they do that song in G#. You play that song in a different band already and you learned it in A. The lead is complex but years of playing it you now got that lead down (in A). Do you go relearn the song in G# (and learn that complicated lead on the black keys) or do you transpose the keyboard and play it comfortably? 2nd question, which is the same as the first question but there are 6 songs like that rather than one, what's your answer?
I hit the button to transpose it. easy peasy.
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>>>>>WARNING: Controversial content follows: <<<<<<
OK, my 2 cents, which I’ve shared with many a musician (and some non-musicians):
1). My word for trying to exactly duplicate the “original” recording is: “Regurgitation”. Guess that adequately explains what I really think of that.
2). Also - if folks want to listen to regurgitation, they can (and do) simply hire a DJ. IMO, regurgitation defeats the purpose, and advantage, of live music. And that includes insisting on “the original key”. So let’s stop trying to put live music out of business, and play to live music’s strengths! Show them live can be better than the original recording.
3). As already noted in this thread, even the “original” artists often change the song key (and arrangement) when they play live. Again, don’t take away the advantage and excitement of live music!
4). On a more complex level: When the original artist writes / 1st records a song, it is optimized for THEIR voice, THEIR vocal range, THEIR instrumentation, licks, etc. In other words, the original artist / band is playing to THEIR OWN personal strengths. Not yours or mine. IMO, expecting anyone else to have all the same strengths is unrealistic, and a fools’ errand to try.
Yes, OK, capture the spirit, the flavor, the fun or whatever of the original song, but why not do it in a manner playing to our own strengths? Dare I say, maybe we as musicians could make the song EVEN BETTER if we played to our own strengths?!
My 2 cents. YMMV.
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18 hours ago, obxa said:
I've usually had good experience with the Forscore Dev responding in a few days.
I know this almost sounds comical to say; but have you tried completely rebooting (powering down and back up) the Ipad?
There's always some voodoo stuff happening with the IOS cache and midi stuff. I've had a similar prgrm change Midi issues with Forscore, and some of my other apps after doing updates.
I know no other way to clear it- but it's always worth a shot.
Also under Ipad settings, Scroll down to the apps ( you'll see all your installed apps below "TV provider"). Click Forscore- Then check if there are any access permissions - "allow Forscore to access...." that need to be re-enabled, (i.e local network, media, and background app-refresh). That one has screwed me up a couple of times. Forscore used to also have a "work around" button on various releases that may need to be enabled if you see it.
Thank you, Chris: Yes, I have repeatedly rebooted, and also checked the noted settings. No difference. Also, in the response I received today from forScore, they acknowledge the bug, saying they might fix it in the next release. I’ve asked for them to provide me a prior version so I can uninstall the current version, and install the old. - Keith
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UPDATE:
Here’s the latest: I just received the following response from forScore:
———————————————————————
“On Sun, Oct 2, 2022 at 6:12 AM forScore <support@forscoreapp.com> wrote:
Hi Keith Scott,
This is a bug with a recent update that should be dramatically improved, if not fixed completely, in our next update.Apple does not allow users to re-install older versions of app after updating to the current version.
Best,
Isaac W
forScore Customer Support”
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I have replied requesting them to please send me an old version so that I can uninstall the new version, and install the old one. I am waiting for their response.
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I am running forScore on a fairly new iPad Pro, also relying on it to send MIDI messages to my Yamaha MOXF8 during live performances. I send both MIDI Program Change and MIDI System Exclusive messages (embedded in each individual song file). The MIDI System Exclusive message changes the "Mode" (for those familiar with the MOXF - I use "Voice" or "Performance"), and then the MIDI Program Change message chooses the specific voice or patch.
Recently, forScore automatically performed at least 3 updates, finally resulting in the latest software version 13.1.4 Since these updates, it appears that forScore no longer sends MIDI System Exclusive messages. (It does continue to send MIDI Program Change messages.) I have tried contacting forScore via various methods, with no response to date from them. I resorted to the old Yamaha Motivator forum, and found a user in Sweden with a nearly identical setup to mine, and his has also now stopped transmitting MIDI System Exclusive messages (since the updates). [Link if it works: http://motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/482648 }
There have been no updates to the Yamaha MOXF, and forScore previously worked flawlessly. My live performances are based around this functionality for several reasons, so I am at a loss, hoping for some help:
1) Do any of you have any "pull" or a good contact at forScore who I can contact to get forScore to investigate / resolve the problem?
2) Do any of you know how to "roll back" the latest forScore updates so maybe I can regain the lost functionality?
3) Have any of you likewise experienced this problem, and maybe found a solution?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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You get full range, including highs, without any horn?
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I absolutely loved the original Roland Boss CE-1, used it on my stage Rhodes, and later on subsequent keyboards I used. One review of this classic: https://catalinbread.com/blogs/kulas-cabinet/boss-ce-1-chorus-ensemble
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On 8/12/2022 at 11:03 AM, TommyRude said:
Weighing pros and cons is a good thing to do. You've laid out some great details, but have you actually done some "weighing"? Make a list of all the pros and cons, and assign a value to each? You should be able to define a much more accurate value of all the bits and pieces, both individually and in aggregate.
One thing I don't think I picked up.... while you consider the potential mistake of stepping away from the cover stuff - - have you considered the cost of not stepping away and taking a shot? Add that to your list and measure it. Many years from now, when it will likely be too late, will you regret not taking a chance when you had the opportunity?
Wow, TommyRude: I think your last sentence is one of the wisest considerations I’ve heard in a long time (“Many years from now, when it will likely be too late, will you regret not taking a chance when you had the opportunity?”). Not trying to cry the blues, life’s been good to me. But speaking from experience and age, I must honestly confess that I wish I had taken a chance. I did not, and now regret it, and, arguably, it’s now too late. So for the younger musicians, my 2 cents is to “take the chance”. Heck, if it doesn’t work out, one can always return to playing the covers. Alternatively, try doing both if possible.
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8 hours ago, Bobadohshe said:
Would love to hear more of what you mean.
I mean that being able to play the same old songs repeatedly for years, yet still be able to play them well, and keep them “fresh” via creativity, or just doing them better and better, is an admirable trait / ability. For example, imagine those broadway actors who have to professionally deliver the same lines and acting night after night, sometimes for years (if it’s a very successful play). That’s a rare quality, but is essential for many genuine professionals. Sure it can get old. But a professional gets past that if there’s a way, via mental state, positive attitude, or ever greater attention to detail. Learning never stops, and even as well as we may have played, the professional keeps striving to do it even better. My 2 cents.
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7 hours ago, Bobadohshe said:
Just spent 30 minutes reading all the posts on this thread. I'm so grateful for this likeminded group of folks that understand how we keyboard players make our living.
This thread is very relevant to me in this very moment. Lately I have been thinking about what it would mean for me to leave the cover band world behind. I've been weighing pros and cons for both near term and short term.
My biggest issue to paraphrase Fleetwood Mac, is that I'm afraid of changing because I've built my life around it.
I am a member one of the best Top 40 bands in So Cal. The musicianship is high, the professionalism is first rate. Everybody is super versatile; we can do almost anything. I play around 90 gigs a year with them and it's probably 40% corporate events, 45% weddings, 15% parties or concerts in the park. Occasionally there are opportunities to do things like backing an artist (Jon Elefante from Kansas 2 years ago, Skip Martin from the Gap Band earlier this year). Once in awhile, we travel (Hawaii last Winter, Colorado next weekend). I like the music. I don't have a hatred of playing covers when the band is slamming and I am playing the greatest parts conceived of by the greatest players from the greatest bands in musical history. When I'm in my best place mentally, it's a thrill to play the piano part on 'September', it's a thrill to play the simple parts on 'Footloose' while I watch our bass player shred Nathan East's incredible bass lines. I relish the challenge of programming parts and conceptualizing how I will cover it all with 2 hands, and take great pride and satisfaction when I pull it off well. Not only that, but as someone else mentioned in this thread, I am energized by playing with other people. I used to think playing solo piano would be my main fulfillment and bread source, but I actually get really dark doing too much of that. It's more fun to share energy with good musicians and have something be more than the sum of its parts.
But DAMN, it sure keeps me from doing lots of other things. And as much as I like the people in the band, there are personal and musical itches that don't get scratched. There is very little wiggle room for creative fulfillment. Nor should there be - this is a product, not a creative endeavor (our few arranged cover youtube videos as the rare exception). Moreover, everyone in the band is getting older and I feel the general energy the band gives off from the stage shifting that way. I don't see any feasible 10 year plan for the business and how it will work when most of the band is in their 60s/70s. And I also observe an insidious lack of connection to the youngest audiences at weddings. We might as well be a DJ playing at some of these weddings. But the boomer parents love us. I don't know if that is a function of the band being older and giving off old vibes or of younger people not valuing live performance in the same way. Will that grow worse and worse every year? And the job DOES get old. The schlep, the routine, missing weekends with my family. But doesn't every job at times?
But I'm also pretty happy with my life. I think. I have 2 kids and I can spend a lot of time with them. I have a portion of my life that is taken up with the sports organist thing (maybe 35 gigs a year), a bigger portion taken up by the Top 40 gigs (90 gigs a year), a steady church gig, and then in the cracks I stick in session work, (very fulfilling stuff for me) and misc jazz hits / duos / one offs with singers in places where people can drink and have fun. I live in San Diego and get to breeze around town (most gigs are 20 minutes away, many are 10 min away, some are 40 min away) going to high paying gigs. And with this recipe I can actually make a living and pay a mortgage in this town and have a family. I'm scared to death of jeopardizing that. But I'm also scared of STAGNATION. And missing out on other things I have always wanted to do. More original stuff. More jazz. Playing classical music. Scoring/producing/writing. Maybe giving presentations to young people about a career in music. A Youtube channel about being a performing keyboardist or navigating a career in music. And practicing and becoming a better musician.
So in short, while it sounds like a bold and energizing move, I think leaving behind the cover band thing might mean giving up much more than I bargained for, both monetarily and musically.
Don’t be afraid of “stagnation”….. the ability to successfully handle it is what separates the boys from the men, what separates a true professional. IMHO.
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As I’ve repeatedly stated to my fellow “musicians” (3-chord self-taught garage band players) - If they want to hear “the record” - get a DJ or put a dollar in the juke box. I think trying to sound EXACTLY like the record is a fool’s errand. Live music should be so much more than that. Just my opinion.
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Wow. I want one for my solo playing!
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Investigating potential in-ear-monitors (IEMs) for use for myself to hear my keyboard in a very loud band on-stage environment.
I came across a cheap pair of BLUETOOTH earphones, where at the end of the product description, there was a “Note” to the effect: “Not for use for musical instruments due to a 40ms latency”. (A 40 ms delay from key press to ear sound would drive me nuts.)
Further searching shows that almost all “in-ear-monitors” for musician instrument use were wired and referred to as IEM, whereas mostly those using bluetooth (5.2, whatever that is) were referred to as “earphones” or “ear buds”.
Which begs the question: Does BLUETOOTH have an inherent processing latency making them not suitable for use with say, playing a piano? I would expect wired IEMs to have zero latency, pretty closely followed by those getting a signal via radio waves (like those frequencies used for professional wireless microphones).
Any personal thoughts / experiences / knowledge to share?
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I think the early Rhodes had 2 great ideas that I thought worked rock solidly, and have yet to be beat:
1). My original Rhodes “suitcase”, where 1/2 the keyboard sat on the edge of the thick amp/speaker cabinet, with legs that extended out for the other (keyboard side) 1/2. (And we need an amp/speakers anyways, so I think it was a creative idea which answered the need, while taking up absolutely no extra space beyond the keyboard itself!)
2). The legs for my Rhodes Stage…. which screwed right into the keyboard itself, with 2 bars that went from the front legs to the bottom center of the keyboard (if memory serves).
I remember both these methods resulting in a rock solid playing surface. Yup, they were both unacceptably heavy keyboards, but I still think both were great stand/amp ideas which I wish still existed today.
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1 hour ago, analogika said:
One thing that really annoys me is that I haven't found any software solution that lets me freely combine notation and text.
E.g. write out
a hookline,
an A Theme, and
a B Theme, all with melody and chord changes.
Then free space to write as text
"A Theme (sin rep)"
"B Theme (organ solo)""A Theme (with drum breaks)"
Then another line of notation and chords for the C part
Etc.
The way I work now is to take a sheet music lined blank PDF and write it out by hand on the iPad, directly in the Files app.
I'd really like to be able to just MIDI-record some of the more complex stuff for speed and combine computer notation with the above free layout.
Nothing seems to be able to do this, unless I arrange screen-shot notation and text with a layout program like Pages.
Right, that’s what I mostly do…. For example, let’s say I want to notate (transcribe) the main riff/hook of a song. I just play it into Logic Pro via MIDI and record it….. then take a screen shot of the notation, and then paste that into Pages or any word processing program….. then I can write out say, verse and chorus chords….. then save the resultant document in Forscore, and then I have everything I need for that song. YMMV.
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I tried several before buying, most are “boomy”….. i have been very happy with the Bose Soundlink - very balanced and clear sound for its size. YMMV.
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1 hour ago, RABid said:
I will say lead guitar because that is the part that people most recognize and remember note by note from their favorite songs. Get a guitarists that cannot play those iconic solos, or chooses to play them differently and you will suffer.
On the other hand, the most valuable player is a keyboardist that can and will cover everything necessary that the band does not have. Horn parts, sax solos, flute, harmonica, can all be covered by a good keyboardist. Extrapolating from that, if you have a keyboardist that refuses to play anything but true keyboard parts, it is time to look for a more bandcentric member.
I get your point, certainly. However, I personally tire of just "regurgitating the record". IMO, if they want to hear a song exactly like the record, hire a DJ. Live music can be so much more than playing every part exactly as the artist recorded it at one point in time. (And mostly, even the original artist changes it up a bit when they've played it live for the hundredth time!). Just my 2 cents.
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Thank you both very much - some great suggestions, very helpful!
Powered speakers or Monitors for home use?
in The Keyboard Corner
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Looked up the weight just for the heck of it = about 100 pounds each! wow.