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"E Melodic minor in this context tends to evoke a minormajor7 vibe (Hitchcock, 007, Pink Panther etc). It's great if that's what we want to convey. A less "spicy" alternative would be E Dorian." Strictly or pedantically speaking, playing E dorian over a true Em is "wrong". E dorian is the appropriate "blowing" scale for Em7. Em6 (Em-maj7) is a different chord, and has a different harmonic function in a progression. The scale "suggested" by the Em6 chord is E melodic minor or E harmonic minor. This is the "right" scale to play over a minor chord (in classical theory). Tastes change, and most guitarist know nothing about classical theory anyways and routinely play those minor pentatonic scales regardless of the chord. So the E dorian sound now appears alongside every E minor chord. "G in the ACEG voicing is an interesting choice." I have had a couple of jazz teachers tell me the proper voicing for an F#m7b5 chord is A-C-E-G#, making an F#m7b5 9th chord. I myself hate this sound. In the context of a minor ii-V-i in E, the G# is the major third of E, and playing that G# ruins my sense of the minor quality of the progression (ii-V-i in E). So I drop the G# to G, to make a b9th, making the voicing diatonic and keeping the minor quality of the ii-V-i. This is what works for me, and how I play a minor ii-V-i, but will probably be considered "wrong" in some circles. I invited interested readers to try out both voicings of the F#m7b5 and decide for themselves.

Note Well: the tonic for Autumn Leaves is minor (Em when playing in the key of G). So that final 2-5-1 of both the A and B section is F#m7b5 (F# half-diminished) to B7 to Em. You can bring this minor flavor out nicely by playing an E melodic minor scale when blowing over these changes. And doing so provides a nice contrast to the major tonality of the Am-D7-G-etc. that begins the verse (where blowing with a G major scale is appropriate). I don't know enough about Nashville numbering to tell you how to chart this using a Nashville system. My fav voicings for F#m7b5 are F#-E-A (10th); F#-A-C-E; A-C-E-G; C-E-F#-A. Try them out (in the context of the 2-5-1 in which the F#m7b5 appears) and tell us which YOU think works best

Wha...wa....wait. Do we also get a drummer and bass player playing only the notes we tell them to play - like in the Lachey Doley video? Or are we expected to simultaneously play the bassline - which some here in this community can do (and apparently Lachey Doley cannot or will not do)? Is it a fair to compare my playing alone against another playing in the context of a band that has played together for a number of years? I enjoy LD style - he's a keyboardist playing the blues after all - but I have a lot more respect for organ players who play the melody, bass, rhythmic comping, and solos.

Ummm.....you are the one playing keys - and presumably manipulating drawbars. Where do you want to put it? I am thinking of selling my XK3: two sets of drawbars plus waterfall-style 60-note full sized organ-friendly keyboard. You might enjoy your virtual organ experience controlling it from a clone keyboard.

Gee: I've been gassing for a Voyager for a long time. Rabid - did you have a bad experience with your Voyager?

Wear ear protection. Ask politely and repeatedly. Yes, too often the best play is to retire and find other better music collaborators.

Strong work! I support your mission for better playing, better and less negative posts.

So I have been told that jazz organists do not "kick bass" per se, but rather the bassline is played in the LH, not the foot pedals. This video seems (to me) to confirm this. What are others hearing/seeing? Not sure about Barbara Dennerlein: the videos I've seen of her show her left foot bouncing around like crazy.

Synclavier - but I have since gone back to sleep with the appearance of digital-audio workstations, virtual instruments, and network orchestral libraries.

I lived in NY City for many years and got to hear a lot of "street drummers" in the parks and subways. I heard some really great drummers playing only Hat, Kick, and Snare. One guy did an act by himself, in the Harlem (125th St.) station, singing reggae and playing with just his minimal kit. I was impressed with the range of sounds he could get, striking drum surface and sides, as well as his stands. It looked to me like his kick was actually a floor tom set up sideways with a foot pedal attacked. He used like both a kick and a tom using only his foot pedal. I always wanted to join in on keys (which I couldn't do because I need electricity). I found these drummers very inspirational. (I hated the "drummers" who would show up with a bunch of 5 gallon tubs for drums. It sounded horrible, they knew very little about how to be musical, and it was a sonic shit-show.)

Pianist Dave Frank says something similar: (I paraphrase) playing improvisational piano will include mistakes. Sometimes the improvisation is beautiful, and sometimes it is ugly. Our job as improvising pianists is to embrace the process, accept the mistakes along with the great moments. When I want to hear perfection, I study Bach. In order to improvise, I have to let go of my desire for perfection.

Here's a thought: just as you have struggled in ways your friend is ignorant about, your friend may also have struggles you know nothing about. There is a saying going around about how everyone we meet is involved in a great struggle, and too often we have no idea what others are going thru, and so it behooves us to be kind to each other. In my experience, I can tell you I have avoided (or mitigated) lots of interpersonal trouble with three magic words "Yes, you're right" (OK 4 words). When not offered as snark or with hostility, I have found these words to be helpful in smoothing over the bumps that come up on the road of friendship. I also suggest it is very possible to continue a friendship even if you are not involved in a project with your friend. I hope you can find some peace.

I'm sorry you got cheated. Keep this adage in mind: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." This saying reminds us that yes people will try to cheat you, and if you get taken, the fault is on the cheater, not you - so stop blaming yourself. But now that you have been reminded, do review your security measures and adjust as needed. Because if you don't, you will find yourself cheated again. And the second time is your fault.

This sorta seems like a "coals to Newcastle" question. You have an RD-2000; a very capable midi controller. I can understand feeling confused about how to use the RD-2000 in this way. What you are suggesting is indeed pretty complex. And yet those same complexities will exist if/when you get a standalone unit. I caution that the standalone unit you seek may also be confusing to use. And instead of dealing with two devices, with a standalone unit, you will be dealing with three devices - an increase in the complexity. How many unique "songs" do you need to set up for your gigs?

Thanks for the review. This is very helpful. I often look at this kind of teaching resources and wonder if I will find it useful. You have provided exactly the kind of info I look for.

So I am convinced this is a two-way street. I have played with plenty of bass players - not all, but plenty - who play louder at every solo, no matter whose solo it is. I myself find it very unhelpful to start my keys solo having to outshout the rhythm section. As a keyboardist, I work hard at developing the chops to back up all kinds of instrumentalists and styles. I have yet to play with a bass player who knows how to properly back up Stride-style piano. Or for that matter, boogie-woogie playing. Hell, too many bass players can't even play their way thru a standard Fakebook chart. Respect the keyboard players' lane: I will be playing that bassline on Flashlight and I Wish, etc.

Thank you for the offer - sign me up.

Valerie by the Zutons - I give points for keyboard playing done well enough so I can identify the material played. Well Done. Myself: I prefer the first (Left side) audio sample. The organ sounded fuller and more bold to my ears.

1) Jury-rig a padded box using bubble-wrap and old cardboard. 2) Sell it where you are and buy a new one at your destination. 3) Build a protective shipping package out of plywood. 4) Buy a hard-shell case. 5) Do nothing, hope for the best, and ask the shippers to re-imburse you for any damage to the unit. 5) Drive it yourself to the destination. I built my own hardshell case out of plywood and foam rubber sheets. It cost me about $150 for materials, and of course my own time. I used this case to gig my RD-2000. It definitely added to the weight when moving the RD2000, but it was solid as a rock and the RD2000 never suffered any damage while gigging. The jury-rigged bubble-wrap and old cardboard might do the trick, particularly if you mark the package prominently as fragile, and tell the movers you want it on top and not under other things.

Thank you all who wrote in. This is a great discussion. First off, my playing abilities are such that pretty much every idea - of what to practice, how to practice, and how not to practice - are valid and relevant to my situation. So all these suggestions are wonderful and helpful. Equally true and valid is that my time and the amount of dollars I can allocate for musical education are limited. And my original post was not only about what inspires me to play and what discourages me about playing, but also about how best to use this (or any) teacher, and getting the most musical mileage I can with the resources I have. I took lessons for a number of years with Dave Frank. I found his teaching to be wonderfully inspiring, and I never felt around him that I shouldn't be working on a piece of music - even when I played Bach Inventions for him. But he almost never talked (to me) about technique or the physical aspect of playing the piano. In part, I am inspired by Kenny Werner's book Effortless Mastery, in which he suggests that a piano player can best grow and move forward by first clearly recognizing and accepting their deficiencies, and this will be an uncomfortable process.

I was overjoyed to find a piano teacher in my area: finally a learned resource to answer my questions about classical pieces I am playing. And yet, after playing and discussing some of the pieces I have previously enjoyed playing, I find myself dreading and loathing to try and play those pieces. An example: I have been struggling to play Bach's 3-part Invention in Cm. In two places, the piece requires a trill in the RH while the RH plays a melody under the trill. I played this for my teacher, and we talked about these two difficult sections. My teacher showed my how he developed his trilling abilities, and how that might be applied to this specific situation. My ability to play a trill is rudimentary at best, and I fully agree my playing would benefit from the exercises he suggested, and I fully intended to work towards that goal. I am guessing it will take me six or more months to work on his suggested exercises and put the results to use in even a simple piece. And I am left feeling that I no longer want to play that Cm Invention because of the currently problems I have with it. Yes, the teacher provided useful instruction, but I am a long ways away from being able to address the difficulties I have with the piece, and I'm not really interested in playing it with all my existing deficiencies. A similar thing happened with two other pieces I have been working on: I play a piece for the teacher, he make suggestions, I cannot accomplish his suggestions, and then I lose interest in playing a piece of music I have previously enjoyed, because I am not seeing a way to improve the playing of that piece without a months-long period of rudimentary exercise. We have talked about a fourth piece of music, and right now I am thinking I should break off those discussions so that I don't lose my motivation to play that fourth piece. Part of me thinks I should stop working with this teacher; part of me thinks I should continue working with this teacher but only on technical issues and avoid seeking his suggestions on specific pieces of music, and part of me thinks this is my own dysfunctional mental response to the difficulties of playing piano, and I should get over it and continue the instruction. It is difficult to find a good teacher, and that is also effecting my decision making. Your thoughts?

"I'm not good enough to play a grand piano"......is kinda like saying "my taste buds are not refined enough for butter so I cook with margarine". One cooks with butter because it makes everything taste better, regardless of how refined your palate is. Similarly, a grand piano will make my playing experience better, even when banging out 96 Tears. And you know, you see very grand pianos in homes where no one knows how to plays piano.

IMO - at that age (5 years) the main and important purpose of "music lessons" should be that playing an instrument is something that people can do and is fun. It sounds like your daughter is already there, so any lesson should reinforce that. At this age, seeing or hearing you play will be a big motivator for her. And time you spend with her in fun musical activities (playing an instrument, singing, dancing, banging on pots and pans) will also encourage her. IMO those activities right now are more important than formal music lessons (learning scales or reading music notes on a page, and such)

The Behringer P16M has no way to input signals except via the Cat5e cable - it will only work with a digital mixer that outputs via Cat5e. This is a convenient solution (and I was surprised at the relatively inexpensive price) only if the band has already made a large investment in a digital PA. Given that the option of simply using your native hearing during shows and rehearsal is hearing loss, some other solution is needed. I myself have been using ear plugs and monitoring with a powered speaker. But that solution is dictated more by the band's PA: I would prefer to use IEM, but the band does not mic the instruments, just the vocals. It is possible I would hear the instruments bleeding thru the vocal mics, but I wouldn't be able to mix any of it to my taste. So I'm going with a floor monitor and ear protection. Your solution will depend on such factors: what you can tolerate or make work for you; what equipment you can buy; what equipment your band uses. So it may not be possible to have a "simple" solution. In my experience, playing live on stage is always a challenge, and involves compromises that may be uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift's back-up band will tell you the same. Getting used to these uncomfortable compromises is part of the job.

"But Woodstock is and, in the context of my response, was being held up as a reflection of a generation's values. It has received far more credit than it warrants. The larger picture evinces otherwise." "Also there was a major Soul Festival in NYC. Quest Love got produced and it's on Hulu. Check it out if you guys can there is performances that in some cases surpass those at Wooodstock." Hello!?!?!? Woodstock is "legendary" in part because white American media did not put much value on all the legendary music made by black performers, including those performing in NY in Aug. 1969. Two Thumps Up for Summer of Soul (on Hulu, Disney+, Prime, and a few others). You get stand-out performances by a very young Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips, 5th Dimension, Nina Simone, Staple Singers, Sly ATFS, BB King, Mahalia Jackson, and more.