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Serious acoustic musical instruments have a very very long life, excepting accidents or mistreatment. Software is subject to all sorts of variables and vulnerabilities. Ironically high quality acoustic instruments have never been cheaper...if performance is your meter. That said, the price of admission to serious professional orchestration seems to be in the hands of a few software companies. Haydn had to pay a heavy price for Porpora (personal slavery), but I guess it was cheaper than moving to Naples. He certainly never regretted it. 10K is not what it used to be anyway, right? The Meistersingers would have scoffed at the petty dues of today's software guilds. That's what my VSL rep said, anyway (And, it's only since about 2007 we really can learn about Porpora's priceless intellectual property and how he got it, thanks to Gjerdingen, Sanguinetti, and their like).

I'm waiting for the Alesis A6 clone....Multi-timbral Analog polysynth.. you all know. Prices up to near 5k now, though a few at 3.5 pop up. Very unique in many ways. I only have 1 retro, the DM12, Juno "clone". Of course it's a Juno + as they threw the kitchen sink at it in the effects and the arp. I think I paid 550 new, during a strange price dip. I have not turned it on in quite a awhile as I'm in an acoustic + Hammond phase, but it was a great buy for me, as by then there were incredible tutorials on the DM12. I really learned the classic synth basics, in a fun, painless manner. Then when I found a Virus TI, it was much easier to get a handle on it. That thing is sick, and incredibly versatile. It's a great guitar amp, believe it or not. Well, since the maker is now called "Kemper" it's believable, though of course that beast is yet another species of synth. But Behringer does not seem to have hurt used prices too much....though they've been killed by the Chip shortages on a lot of their stuff. At some point the new variety in chip design options will come back in a good way....one can hope anyway. Those intel laptop chips were never optimal for DAWs as they are sequential operators, or so I read. The GPUs have far more potential apparently, and the new custom design options...well we might actually get a genuine workstation which samples, records, synths, sequences and takes in the rest of the band without dependencies on Apple etc. I use apple of course, but I have to keep all sorts of OSs so my faves like the Virus TI will still work right. Update? Run, hide.....G knows what'll stop working. I'm been sorely tempted by the model D, and the 2600....

After I watched Tim's video (and read the comments explaining the "crashing" was loose power cord, not firmware), I went back and watched the Sonicstate Video. Tim was very interested with the pressure glide....as set at 1 semitone. He had not yet figured out how to turn the knob on that, which is shown really clearly at Sonicstate. But Tim's focus on it helped me understand the presentation at Sonicstate better. The portamento is usually at your fingertips, one knob will effect to pressure glide range which goes from a semitone to ? At least an octave, but I think 2 or more. Or Off. Here is nice quick one, ripping around a bit: I do get to break in a new (to me) exotic controller this eve, the Yamaha WX-5 wind controller and it's VL70m sound engine (turbo), circa early 2K. They both arrived with beautiful printed manuals previous owners kept pristine. Ahh those were the days.... And I saw another new Osmose-like "game changer" I hadn't heard of: the Emeo. It's almost as hard to get, too Like Osmose, it's a $300 pre-order, refundable. Delivery in late Feb....could be delayed....hey that never happens, right? Yes, I did it again. LOL Only because the Sax guys are as nuts about the Emeo as the Keyboard players (who actually tried one) are about the Osmose.

another nice demo: the crashing issue turned out to be a loose power supply, see comments.

It's interesting the ii-V-I is the old cadence which weathered the "music theory" storms of the 19th century and is now considered so fundamental. But it was one of many, and since 2007 much has been learned about the others. You might like this: And he has an invaluable free "Compendium" which is pretty cool. https://derekremes.com/wp-content/uploads/compendium_english.pdf On the full interviews playlist of that channel you'll find many long interviews with those leading the revival of historically informed improvisation...not to replace Jazz or Popular techniques, but to show how those virtuosos back in the day learned and played. Improvisation was fundamental. What was the equivalent of learning the ii-V-I voicings in 1800? EVERYONE learned the "Rule of the Octave", a silly name for a fundamental series of chords over each scale tone. In Remes Compendium you see it broken down. I can now play it in 24 keys, but not very fast LOL The minors are a bit tricky. The name "Rule of the Octave" was coined long after the progression developed. It was shared, master to master to pupils, across Europe and the New World. It's actually reference of ways to change keys and/or figure out which key you are in! Half the chords are very familiar. The other half are not, which makes it interesting. The figured-bass terminology is pretty simple once you get used to it. What passes for Music Theory today really nobody used before late 1900s except to sell books. Learning how Bach thought about chords is pretty interesting. You get a very good idea in the interview above.

Somewhere between 0 and 5000. It all depends on the hardware. Synths became a "thing" before presets.

I've decided to forget trying to make my own sounds from scratch at first, because I don't want to devote the time needed to learn the interface...which in my case means practice time. Having watched the board in use now as we will get it, 500 presets each with unique options and characteristics. That's plenty. The first thing I'll learn after how to get those going is how to hook it up to control other stuff, hardware and software. The Eagan matrix is impressive and over time I do want to learn it. But the mechanical advancement of the keyboard and the increased complexity of expression it can send from fingers is the big news really. Those advancements will expose the Eagan Matrix as never before....if these guys can keep going. Somebody over at GS was nice enough to post this playlist for noobs like me to learn it: It's a very coherent presentation.

Nice summary of "gestures". EE has dropped a bunch of vids in last 24 hours next to this one.

and.... As hardware controller:

Pretty nice demo: My eta is Feb.....I bought a WX5 and VL-70m turbo to hold me over after somebody put this up in the Osmose thread on GS: start at 8:05 How do I feel after years of Osmose anticipation? Our last serious keyboard upgrade was in 1705 with the forte action. It's a pretty blunt axe, but the polyphony has made up for dismal single note expression. Asuming electricity remains available...Osmose and the boards it inspires are going to change the conception of keyboards going forward, every bit as much as the forte action...or black keys did in their day. Listen close....maybe you agree. It won't kill the piano...afterall, the harpsichord has a serious comeback at the moment, but it's a new species with new powers of exponential order, I believe. Who knows, maybe we'll get something acoustic informed by the Osmose. That would be nice. Maybe somebody in Recanati is paying attention....

https://a.co/d/ea1PNh2 Simple USBC adapter with audio USB3 and HDMI out, power in. I agree it would be nice to have ports on board, and it's an arrogant design. But laptops are useless for musicians who read music and play with varied setups. A 12.9 iPad can rest on any music stand, or your upright piano. You have the foot bluetooth thingy to change pages. These are in wide use for good reason. Professional church organists, conservatory students, Jam session addicts, they love the iPads, not the laptops. In the studio and for DAWs the laptops are better.

You are right they are, but that's because they've had little love to remedy the issues. A standalone rig which does not demand you stare at a screen and move a mouse, and does not constantly get "updated"....there's a market.

I've been using a 12.9 2nd gen pro, which I love because it's easy to read music and plays VSTs etc pretty well. But know that the 5th and 6th gen 12.9" pros are in another league for chips. M1 an 2 chips like laptops and 8 GB ram. That's WAY more processing power than anything earlier, including my current rig. You would just get the USB-C connector to add midi and audio out. BT midi....you don't hear great things. 256 GB would be fine, maybe 128 would work. You can find 5th gen 12.9s for around $800 NIB. That would last a long time. PS each model ipad has a unique "generation" path. 6th is latest for the 12.9 pro.

It's actually happening. EU has the first 500 units and is shipping to some preorders. First USA container hasn't yet made it. They want everyone who did pre-order to log into their website and verify they are correctly identified as being in EU or Americas, if not to email support. When pre-orders are ready to ship emails go out and the website shows the Osmose can be added to cart and paid for. I think my balance is 1079 euros or $$, shown on the site. Should be very interesting. I'm hoping to see some good videos up by the time mine arrives. LOL

The laptop killed the workstation....but the not the "workstation". The term remains in wide use, applied to all sorts of rigs which have their strengths, but basically need a laptop or ipad to be a real workstation. Those that come closest have pretty dated chips and interface, which can be quirky...very long boot times etc. A whole generation of engineers retired, and software DAWs were aquired by major players like Yamaha, which profit more by having you subscribng to their software than the huge expense of bringing their products to a stand alone state which is actually easy to use. I have a MOXF, which I like, but it takes alot of time which might be better spent learning a common DAW to get a productive handle on the features, like it's sequencer etc. Multi-channel synths were also hit hard by the DAWs. A few are left. It's a shame because many of us crave a reliable stand alone workstation that does not need a laptop and can be the center of a multi-channel midi rig. Dawless is a "thing" now on the synth scene. Bandwidth is a real issue these days for...humans. But the tech industry "needs" to monetise our attention. Yet playing music needs immersion and shedding, and the constant beeps and updates from all manner of needy "aids" and the learning curve of the latest software or classic midi project get in the way, big time, I find. Real playing is an athletic endeavor which is also very healthy, if you don't get hurt. Last few years I'm loving acoustic instruments. I use the tech to listen, and organise my learning and library. But gigging keyboard players these days mostly need to know their DAWs and alot more. Composers need to know Dorico or something like it really well, and if doing film work, etc, they have to REALLY know their DAW. Even the academics and historic organ guys are increasingly tied to laptops...hauptwerk is incredible, but....time intensive to get going properly. Best of luck, I agree the PC4 might be a good choice, let us know what happens. Youtube is your friend these days.

I know.....those who can...do, right? But this is pretty impressive, and a very interesting person: "Noam Sivan was a Director of Improvisation at the Curtis Institute of Music and a faculty member at the Juilliard School. Currently he is Professor of Piano Improvisation at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, where he will open in October 2020 a Master’s degree in classical piano improvisation, one of the first such programs worldwide" What do you think?

I've been looking for a good harpsichord for several years. I stumbled on to this one as I like his IOS organs. I'm using it on my 2nd gen Ipad Pro via DIN midi. It's tuned meantone, so layering is rather sour, LOL, but standalone, to my ears, it sounds fantastic, well worth the price. Must be the samples. If you go for it, get the ET/MT bundle, same price as either. The ET is nice as well, but not quite as seductive. http://polaron.de/Zell/index_en.xml He has a macOS version I have not tried, but should be pretty good. I very much enjoy his organ bundles also. A little harpsichord inspiration (works as link to YT) Wonderful in-depth interview with that performer, from Naples.

Haha....very interesting, I do wonder if Yamaha picks up on posts like this. I know many here love the Montage and MODX. Many good things about them, but when I broke it all down, I choose the old MOXF. No regrets. I know there are a number of features MODX has it does not. But I like all those buttons, over the touch screen. The Organs are not state of the art, but as I've playing them lately, better than I'd first thought. Basically there is not a lot of competition...these are the same players as 10 years ago, no? The laptop DAW has taken pressure off for innovation? The new bits are "features" in a world of decreasing overall capability. The machines that can do the most without a DAW are using very old hardware. Yamaha bought a DAW and maybe does not want to compete against it. I have a feeling there are less engineers working on "stand alone", and instead pushing various niches, as NORD has done so well. Meanwhile the one new keyboard I really forward to is stuck in quarantine....somewhere in China.... It's not on this list. Starts with O. :)

Regarding USB3: the last of the pre-retina laptops (2012 I think) have USB3. If that bandwidth is something you will use in USB form, no question, you want it. But if you are picky you can get it on those cheaper, thicker MBPs. For example: https://www.macofalltrades.com/apple-macbook-pro-13-inch-glossy-2-9ghz-core-i7-mid-2012-md102ll-a-good-condition/#tech-specs That's a 2012 13" for 279.00. 8GB of Ram might be OK, but can go to 16. HD is mechanical needs a SSD: 500GB 54USD: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-500GB-NAND-Internal/dp/B0786QNS9B/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=500gb+ssd&qid=1644219733&sr=8-3 Also something to note: it has a 750GB sata drive and DVD. The DVD Drive can be removed (and still used with the right cable via USB), and an SSD can be installed in it's place. There is a special holder that fits in the DVD drive place, for less than 20USD, you will need to look it up, but I've done it several times. So you could leave the 750 in place and add the SSD, and specify the boot drive OR you could mount 2 SSDs internally, one with Monterey (or at least Big Sur) which I think that supports, and one with Mojave, and boot to either. Latest Logic on one and the older Logic on the other. Or whatever software applies in your world. The 13s are compact, and no dongles....expect for HDMI, but ethernet is right there. Though it's a 2-core because it's a 13 (15" is 4-core), that would be a pretty nice portable lap for music...you do have to be careful about the condition, ask. "Good" may be fine or not so fine LOL. As to the absent minijack TOSLINK on new ones, apparently this $9.99 thingy will output digital via toslink, which it receives from USB (need a dongle for 2015 and newer--they are cheap now) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KW2YEI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1 It goes BOTH ways! No Drivers. Check reviews. I ordered one LOL. Anyway, caveat emptor, do your homework, please don't bill me if I missed something, but you get an idea of various possibilities.

+1 The advantage of aug and # or V+ is they is specific. Here is a pretty dang good article on the subject of "ALT" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_chord The thread is testimony that "theory" is this case is a naming convention, which at best describes a voicing. A real "theory" would explain "why" LOL. Even the real theorists often cannot agree on naming chords using "roman numerals", which reflects the origins of "functional harmony" and "Stufentheorie", an effort to dumb down Bach's figured bass notation of chords. Most classical players today just read the notes, which would have astonished all keyboard players in 1800, when all serious musicans were master improvisors, like good Jazz players today. But they had a way to describe chords which was more precise, so you didn't see threads like this......which would have been coffee house brawls LOL. They fought over the "rules" for sure, and what new moves were cool, but never over a simple description. Only in the last 15 years have theorists and musicologists actually cracked the codes of "classical" music and fully grasped the weakness of the simpler "theories" which are still taught now. That took so long because the smart people thought "tonal music" was dead. Turns out in 2022: 12 tone, serial music, and "free jazz" are on life support, while various flavors of harmony dominate diverse genres. Monteverdi, Palestrina et al, they were no fools Short term "musica practica" it's ii-V-Is with assorted hashtags. If you have been around Jazz and inhaled, it works. The good died young back in the day, here is Naples trained Pergolesi, in his twenties, fully on harmonic fire: What did Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner have in common? Their favorite musicians were Italian

I've been dealing quite a bit lately with various macs, as a number of my clients have upgraded. While I usually run "DAWLESS", I like to have a "Logic" rig which cannot be newer that Mojave with breaking things, and a "Mainstage Rig" which could be newer. A few observtions: the Pre-Retina laptops (2010-12). These are superior to any Apple Laptop up to (2018) IMHO for a DAW......IF you drop in a SSD and MAX out the RAM to 16GB. If your computer does not have a SSD, it should. These are cheap, and nothing remotely improves performance like going from mechanical HD to SSD. It's like 6x increase. A ressurection. When you take RAM from 4 to 16 that is big too, but nothing like a SSD. Many of the 15" models (2010-12) MPB have i7 processors. Both i5 and i7 have 4 cores on the 15s. The 13's no matter the processer have only two cores, but with SSD and 16 gb Ram, they run well. These are flat out faster than the silver retinas, because the screens on those rigs are hungry. But there is a bigger difference which makes the 2010-12 laptops better than all but the latest: digital toslink. With the right cable, you have pure digital out (from headphone mini-jack) to the DAC of your choice, or to an external sampler etc. The TOSLINK can also be converted to Digital Coax. I've compared directly, and the older MBPs with a decent DAC sound much nicer, to my ears, which are not young. Those MBPs are cheap and easy to work on. NEXT: beware a new MAC. Few pros are running monterey for music. In fact the majortiy are still on Mojave. That's because something in their studio or road rig won't work with anything newer. This is changing. If you just want the latest logic, even that is still buggy on monterey, and not expected to be fully up to speed till mid-feb. Every new MAC comes with Monterey. It's actually pretty slik, and runs fine with basic stuff on the 5 or 6 laptops I've setup in the last few months. I have retro-installed an older OS on MACs in the past, but that possiblity is not a given. Everybody always says you can't, but it's not always the case. Research. NEXT the hardware is changing fast. The latest 16" acutally have the old style magnetic power cords, a CF reader, HDMI on board.....USB3 was too much crow I guess. Also that stupid "bar" above the keyboard is gone and we are back to the old style TYG. There are 13s and 14s and they each are different. There is no upgrading anything on these (post-2015) computers...certainly not the RAM. The 2013-15 Retinas are pretty easy to upgrade the drives to larger, but it's not cheap, even DIY. If you have any of these, keep a sharp eye on the battery. I have seen many, many swell with bad battery. Often the system report claims they are great, though the bottom plate is about to burst. Again the old ones are the sweetest, easy battery swap, but if you are ready to scrap glue and move carefully all the batteries can be DIY replaced for at most about $70. Watch several videos, and have the exact size drivers, and a thin plastic scraper at hand. Always drain the battery totally. Only order batteries from ebay sellers with "568 sold" under the listing. Any other source is suspect, and many have bought dead batteries. They can be sent back, but not your time. Battery check: look "edge on" across the trackpad to key edges and screen. Any hump, you need a battery. IE if the trackpad area has a higher elevation than the edges, by the speakers. It should be dead flat edge to edge. Look carefully at the seams around the whole bottom. Any signs of "splitting" you need a battery. The new 16s are heavy with a stronger case, I think because the nice light 15s (circa 2017-19) cannot contain their lithium The "Apple Silicon" seems fine with basic apps. But if you have any old stuff you need to research. It may not work. I think the digital output is back on some models. Good Luck For Windows laptops, lately I get my people the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, which you could mistake for a MBP. Very nice build and reasonable price. However, MBP graphics are stronger and have other hardware advantages. For a DAW I don't know what I would get in a windows rig. But there are many good specialty makers with unique features. I would try to find one with a digital audio output.

That was my call What does it mean? In the "Old school" you would take note of that #5, and suspect it is a leading tone for a modulation, or tonicization to E. E major or minor? The coming accidentals would make that clear, but if you were improvising/composing, then that choice would be informed by the original key. In 1800 the key signatures, at least in a hymn or dance, usually did not change, but they modulated to relative major/minor, V(usually with maj 3rd in a minor key), III and often VI, in a short space. A key skill for pros was to recognise those modualtions, because each key had it's own set of standard choices in any given situation IE bass stepping or bass leaping to "x" scale degree. These "rules" did not exclude fully diminished chords, and many chords we might struggle to name, but it was not random. Our "Chord Theory" where we use "Gm7#5" was made up from whole cloth because the "real way" of learning involved a lot of time and immersion. You could not drop it in a text book and present to 20 people, or even clearly present it in a "method" for popular sales. Yet there was very high demand for just such methods, starting especially mid-19th century. Hence "functional harmony" breaks down if applied to one of Bach's 371 Chorales. And youtube is full of musicans trying to name a chord that sounds good in some movement.....in effect looking to mark their own "rules", some which are really old but largely forgotten. Here is the most famous music theorist of the 21st century, who has helped some musicians remember some nearly forgotten fundamentals of "tonal music": Many young players are nuts about him, and the new "Italian Revival" his work has sparked.

As noted, La Paloma is considered an interaction of "contra-danse" and west african music traditions. Here are two incredible recent lectures about Contra-danse, then and now, and how black muscians got involved very very early. These are not short, but really interesting. Above is the general history of the form right up to "techno contra-danse"! Below is the now legendary scholar Phil Jamison examining how blacks in north america became the "go-to" pros when you wanted to throw a real contra-danse event, long before the USA, and how especially in southern forms, they changed the music. Yraider's Habaneras caught fire as the Waltz and Polka momentarily eclipsed the Contra-danse, and they present a more stark mix of the old with an incredibly bold, often layered syncopation which perhaps explains how fresh and connected to popular music they remain. That first video documents the remarkable comeback of Contra-danse in America. I was one of those in the early 60's who was exposed at a young age to the great revival. While I defected to rock 'n roll coverband dancing at drinking age, maybe my love for that pursuit in my twenties was prepared do-si-do

Don't forget the pedals! I'm lucky to own a RT-3, which has the full church organ pedal set. You might not use them at first. But many roads trace back to great church music, of all stripes, Bach's chorales have been studied by keyboard players since he was around himself, and to this day are unmatched for harmonic complexity in short form. They are arranged to be sung, and are not that easy to play, but organists will usually play the bass on the pedals. Seems impossible at first but you keep at it and slowly it comes, and with great effect on a real hammond. Obviously they are not practical to take to a gig. Mozart and Beethoven were dragging their fortes to cutting contests over the VIenna cobblestones, as a matter of course. Our keyboards do that well, but in both cases if you have some space, the real thing is inspiring and often simpler to use

By 1870 the song was widely available in this form http://bdh-rd.bne.es/viewer.vm?id=0000162175&page=1 And here is how that might of sounded: This is an authentic arrangement of the time. For comparision of other songs before and after, also sung "as bought", and with similar interesting photographs and art, I made a playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFU1KtRRAXrYzu_nj-YaU_Q9PpsRVc2Qy La Paloma appears in many guises from the dawn of recording: 1903: 1905 Mexico: 1908 John Philip Sousa Conducts His Own Marches And Other Favorites 1909: The song was recorded by many opera singers very early in the recording era. Next we'll see where the dove landed in early Jazz