Docbop

When you want to work on being creative you limit the tools you work with. Some do it in practice calling it restrictive practice. Great painters when feeling creativity not there would paint with just one color. Many song writers write on what is not there main instrument, so they avoid the common lines and subconscious limitations they would do on their main instrument. When you limit what you work with you expand your creativity.

What one person thinks is loud many more think is normal so you're never going to please everyone. If it's too loud for you you need to move away from the sound source, but don't dictate to everyone else if they are enjoying things. All people are different and we all experience hearing loss as we get older to different degrees. You have to do what's right for you. Growing up playing in bands and working in audio I like things at what I think is a "comfortablely loud" level, but I have been in about three situation where I thought the level was way too loud. Everyone around me seems to me enjoying it so I just moved to the back of the room or one case just left, but I didn't try to say "turn it down for me".

To me it's the same as bands that have additional musician off stage or behind the curtain. I remember the first time I heard of it when I met the guy who played bass with one of the big folk acts, but the folk act was a trio with no bass. He played behind the stage curtain with a microphone in his upright bass. Then I worked the Yes tour back in the 70's we toured with their studio console and multiple tape deck to play string and other parts. Yes was amazing doing that way before there was computers it was all guys punching play when the tape the parts were needed. Then working in the rehearsal studio and seeing big bands come in with a handful of keyboard players, but see then live and maybe only one keyboardist on stage the rest off stage. As far as I'm concerned that's no different than pre-recorded tracks. Dam I know sound companies that pump audience clapping and etc into PA between songs. In the end a musician played the parts so a musician still played it. It's all just a show these days computer controlled lights, audio, background tracks, video. Everyone on stage is just a puppet now. Guess that's why I'm a Jazz fan still small groups playing live and responding to each other.

I've been using the Gator table stand for years. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PlatformStdF--gator-frameworks-gfw-utility-tbl-heavy-duty-keyboard-table

I think my RD-2000 (maybe my Kronos) did that. I'd be at my computer across the room working and hear a big click, it was the auto off turning off the keyboard. It did have option in the system setting for how long to wait to turn off so I just took the longest time available.

Most of the digital timers I've seen have a AA battery or a disc battery like in watches, those batteries are in all sorts of things that are on 24/7/365 and no problem. Only batteries I know that can be an issue are lithium batteries is smartphones and that is when they are being charged. If you worried about those thing there are a whole lot of things in your life you need to get rid of because they all have batteries in them.

I don't think people are looking at this as a great Beatles song, it was one of many songs John wrote probably daily like songwriters do. That's why I would of liked it as just John and the piano as one of his works in progress. What does makes it important and meaningful is it the official finish line for the Beatles. That's what brought a tear to my eye listening to it and all my Beatle memories.

I don't think it was love letter from John to Paul I think it was about the Beatles finally coming to an end. They wanted to make it a final Beatles song, but I wish they would of just used the tech to get good track of John's vocal and the piano and just be a good recording of John by himself.

No trick or treater this year not even the families with kids going to the other families with kids apartments. A couple apartments did put up some Halloween decorations. Went to pay my rent and they complex manager had a lifesize Michael Myers in a chair in the corner so you don't see it at first, that was funny.

I haven't seen a trick or treater in close to 15-20 years. When I still had my house in LA I'd see the parents with little kids take there kids out, but only to houses they knew who also had little kids, Older kids most had or went to parties. Moving out to the desert living in a large apartment complex I thought I'd get trick or treaters from the complex but no like in LA parents with little kids went only to neighbors they are friends with and other go to parties. Then the assh0l3 in apartment complex next door will set off fireworks and trigger car alarms. Kind of miss the old Halloweens before world got so crazy. Usually go trick or treating for awhile, then go to the local park they'd have small carnival with games and food. They would grease up the flag pole and put a twenty dollar bill on top, twenty was a lot of money then. So lots of greasy guys from trying to climb the pole. Then the weird one they would get a car from the junkyard and for ten cents you could take three swings with a sledge hammer and beat up the car. After that then home for some late night trick or treating. Different time.

Going back and listening to some Soulquarians music the parents of Neo Soul by Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo when they all did albums at the same time in the same studio and all worked on each others albums. J Dilla, James Poyser and D'Angelo on keys, Questlove drums, Pino Palladino bass, Roy Hargrove trumpet, and others playing and producing.

I don't follow sports much anymore and baseball was one of the first sports I lost interest in, but I thought it was still the big sport in the US. I read an article yesterday on how small the television viewing audience has shrunk. It said baseball and car racing have only a 7% of the sports television market. That eSports has twice the audience of baseball, football then basketball are the top two. I guess in the digital world where even short Pop songs get shortened by radio to keep the audience attention baseball is becoming a boomer thing.

In roadie days I had a guitar trunk case for all the guitars and bassesin their case, but none were on top of each other they were all side by side. I wouldn't stack keyboards on top of each other, but if I had to I would get some thick foam and once in the case and close keep the case up on it side so keyboards are on their sides next to each other. Knobs on keyboard don't take much to break one off from my experience need to be real careful stacking them.

Acoustic Amp offices and factory was a couple miles from where I lived in Venice, we'd drive by and see stacks of new amps waiting to be boxed up and shipped. As a guitar player I hated Acoustic amp WAY to bright. I remember going to see Albert King play at the Palladium in Hollywood. Albert always played with a bright tone and that night he had two Acoustic amp with those big horns in the top of the cabs, on my ears were splitting hearing one of my heros. Finally I move to the back of the room to get away from that ear splitting horn in the amps. As a bass played I loved Acoustic amps what a punchy sound. I saw the doors a few times in their early days and don't remember much about their gear other than they were pretty lean and mean on stage. Robbie just one amp maybe an Acoustic I don't remember. Ray seemed to only have the Rhodes bass amp and maybe one of those Gibson keyboards you guys are talking about, but just the two keyboards. Door were great live Morrison was a good front man and brought his lyrics to life. As you can tell I wasn't that big of a gear head.

I never heard Donny do "Heard it..." so I tried to look it up and a lot of people recorded "Grapevine" but don't find any of Donny doing it. Now Donny did do Marvins What's Goin' On.

At this point with his lack of Tech skills we have no idea what could be going on with that computer. Back in the days when I did tech support for developer tools I had to work the install calls now and then the hardest part was getting people to tell you everything going on with their computer. You'd ask them questions about their config and what things they've tried and it was all everything is perfect. Fifteen wasted minutes they'd finally well I do <fill in the blank> and also have <fill in the blank> running, I didn't think it would matter. So my guess there could be a lot of config issues on his system.

I'd say you could replace Piano on that chart with the name of that young hottie you took home after the gig. Your brain and everything else is going to be working and stimulated the same ways. Don't forget to hydrate afterwards.

I think the biggest thing is realizing that only the TOP artists are making the big bucks. I worked with a lot and around a lot of big name musicians and most of them lived well, but not rich. As one of the studio guitarist said.... Just because you record for the biggest people in the music business mean you make a lot of money yourself. The one that always amazed me talking to him was a really busy studio percussionist who start just playing congas in a rock band. This guy was a junkie at one point and ended up where he had more money than most the artist he played congas for in the studio. I was at a session of his and noticed between takes he was always on the telephone, talking to him later he told me he was talking to his financial manager. He said one thing I learn really early playing in bands was get a good financial manager and especially if you do a lot of drugs like I did. He got another call from his finance guy and the guys was telling him some houses they could by cheap, cost to fix them up maybe put a pool in then sell and the profit. This was before the term house flipping and a junkie conga player was worth a fortune by having someone to not only invested his money put the guy on a drug budget so he did over do it. So learn early to deal with the money side of music and how to make it last or better yet grow it.

From Marketing POV leaves them a feature to add later to keep sales going on months from now. It was common in all companies I worked for Marketing would hold back on features to have something to pitch as products age.

Windows and music/audio software used to be a nightmare to configure, what I understand it easier now, but still you need some tech skill to resolve issues. Once you get your computer back having ???? fixed before spending a lot of money on another piano package there is a free one you might want to download and get working. That will be an inexpensive and hopefully easy way to get some piano and other keyboard sounds on your computer. Also it has on screen a tiny keyboard so you can test even without a controller connected. The software is StudioLogic Numa Player and they have versions for Windows, Mac, and iOS. I put it on my computer because it gave me a chance to see what the StudioLogic interface is like. It comes with some basic sounds, not their good stuff it is free, but you'll get a couple APs, some EPs, and other KB family instruments and strings. The software has some basic effects and you can create programs if you want. I got the Mac version but the Window I would assume would be just as easy to install and use. Here's the link if you want to try a free piano and get it working on your computer before spending more on another high end piano package. https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/numaplayer/

Reminds me of Jazz guitar legend Joe Pass. He started playing guitar for enjoyment but his father pressured him all the time to play and for friends and family. His father always telling him to play more, meaning more fills and faster being a good son he did. Eventually Pass got tired of the pressure from his dad to play and left home. Pass got typically low paying jobs because he didn't know how to do anything but play guitar so he went back to playing. Year went by he tried to stop playing and thought moving to West Coast would help. Again no skills he ended up back play guitar again. Then he turned to drugs and stopped playing and strung out. He eventually ended up in Synanon rehab center in Santa Monica. Synanon had a big band, back when I was into surfing we would go down to the Synanon building and you could see big band rehearse. Synanon counselor convinced Pass getting clean and playing because he wanted was his best way out. Pass got clean, played in the Synanon band, and when he left other helped him get work playing on TV shows and that led to studio work. Joe got back into Jazz and the rest is history.

From what I've seen of young players I change it to.... thinking about practice and noodling for hours and calling practice.

I kind of started as the weird guy who had a tape recorder and would tape my friends gigs and do sound. So I was playing and recording and that led to a lot music things going multiple directions. Which is great for having a tons of stories to tell, but not for "making it" in any one path. Even my right turn into computers came from working in the music school, but at least that paid better in the years to follow. But I alway found my way back to music in some form, music is where my heart is.

Weird the path I took splits into two choices Stage Pianos and Stage Keyboards. The Stage Keyboard had the YC and CK the Stage Piano had the text I posted. Well good to see the CP is still with us. I tried to see if I could delete the thread but can't, maybe a one of the website managers can delete the thread.

I was just over on the Yamaha website been thinking about ditching my Nord and going with a Yamaha or StudioLogic. On the Yamaha site the CP page is empty it says "We can't find products matching the selection." I remember hearing someone say Yamaha wasn't putting any effort into the CP for update that all focus was on the YC. Then they come out with the CK entry level stage piano. I wonder is CP is being EOL'd, the CP and YC are very similar???