[RIP Joey DeFrancesco]

I heard this fantastic recording and thought I’d add it to the Joey D tribute… 

 

 

 

[Jesús Molina - Wow!]

8 minutes ago, Floyd Tatum said:

He should do a double career:  one as a pop singer, the other as a jazz player.   He seems to enjoy both, and he could make more money as a pop singer, probably.   🙂 I don't think anyone else has ever done that.

George Benson was pretty successful as both!

[Jesús Molina - Wow!]

Another cool video for Nord. The great band is also featured. 
 

 

[Yamaha CP88 and 73 - Deserve their own thread]

I like the concept of the layout of my CP73, but I think it could have been executed better. When I look up at the control area, there is a sea of buttons and switches, which requires some hunting around for the right control. There’s not enough delineation between sections. And what little there is, like the shades of black and dark grey, gets lost in less than ideal lighting. I’ve been wanting to use thin, white pin stripping tape to delineate the sections, but haven’t gotten to it yet. 

[i-VI]

On 4/9/2024 at 1:33 AM, MathOfInsects said:

I usually refer to the INTERVALS, rather than the scale degrees, to be extra clear. (So Cm-Eb-Ab-G would be i, bIII, bVI, V.) It's not quite proper but it's also IMO the way least likely to raise questions.

I write it this way too, though thought of the accidentals as relative to the major scale starting on the same note (so C major in this case). It works out the same, but I like the idea of thinking about it as intervals, which is cleaner. 

[Greg Phillinganes - the clav on I Keep Forgettin']

On 2/22/2024 at 3:54 PM, Mitch Towne said:

I’d pay good money to just sit and call out tunes and let Greg play the hell out of them. 

Indeed! He not only kills on every keyboard part, he does some pretty convincing (and entertaining) singing. 

[DP with a really light action?]

3 hours ago, RandyFF said:

That said, the ES120 and 520 have the same basic keybed.  As good as the action on the 110 is I'd never buy it again.  The UI is really bad, no screen, no nothin', barely any registration memories or room for recording.  And the speakers are dogs compared to the ES520/920.  Downward firing, nothing compared to the sweet fullness of the 520/920.

 

So: if you want that fast flying action, be sure and get it in an ES520!  I would gladly buy the 520 over my 920 because of the great action!  [not that the 920 isn't good, it's actually probably preferred by most people, it more closely resembles a grand piano action]

Yes, I went through a similar thought process and ultimately chose the 520. It also provides more control over effects than the 120. And although the 920 has some additional advantages, like readily available EQ, I didn’t want the increased weight (~38 lbs vs 520’s 32 lbs). The 520 is in the sweet spot. And I think its action is really quite good, especially compared to other similarly-sized keyboards, like the P-125. 

[DP with a really light action?]

58 minutes ago, Justin Havu said:

If I wind up giving a Kawai a try, I might go for the 520.  While not having MIDI out wouldn't really be a deal-breaker, it'd be nice to have if I ever needed it.

I have the ES 520. It does have 5-pin MIDI in and out. And the action is quite nice. 

[probs a bit OT, but keytar player -v- guitar player as a solo with trax/drm machine...]

30 minutes ago, miden said:

 

So you'd be one of the "knockers" then

Nah… just couldn’t resist the setup … 

🙂

[probs a bit OT, but keytar player -v- guitar player as a solo with trax/drm machine...]

Perhaps the answer may be embedded in the question…

 

1 hour ago, miden said:

a keys player does it using a keytar device

😁

[The Anti-Keyboardists]

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

Regardless, I'd imagine the gig pays very well.

 

Otherwise, I'll never see the point of KB players joining bands that really don't want them and/or where they mainly serve as window dressing.😎

Likewise, I don’t understand why a number of bands even want keyboard players when they bury the keys deep in the mix (they say the keys are “too loud” merely because they can hear them!). 

[If you could rewind the time... What would you change?]

I wish I stayed away from the exceedingly loud bands. Or at least used excellent ear protection at all times with them, even though that resulted in significantly muffled sound. This would likely have spared me from tinnitus. There’s nothing at all I can do now to make up for that. 

[I want a new Jazz book.]

Sher Music has a good collection of Jazz Method Books with some novel approaches. A couple of these books have been mentioned above. 

[OT: How do you listen to music?]

The only time I really have a chance to just listen is while driving. Commercial, over-the-air radio was unbearable.  I ended up signing up for satellite radio, and for the most part it works quite well. Great variety of old and new stuff. 

 

 

[Can we talk about retirement?]

I can see retirement (from a technical job not related to music) on the horizon, and one of the major things I look forward to doing is continuously improving my ability to play jazz. 
 

I’ve played piano on and off for much of my life, though unfortunately never had a lot of time to do so. For over a decade I’ve been playing keys in blues and classic rock bands. It’s been fun, but the insane volumes combined with the never-ending fight to be heard finally forced me out of that world.

 

I’m somewhere between a beginner and intermediate jazz player, and look forward to (hopefully) a few decades of significantly improving my skills and making music. 

[Best way to record living room worship session?]

I have a Tascam (DR-40, I think) which has stereo mics as well as 2 XLR/line inputs, which should work for this application. 

[Nord Stage 4 Announced]

Nord just released this good tutorial. 
 

 

[Semi-OT: Anybody plays regularly at your local Hard Rock Cafe? How is it on other countries?]

21 hours ago, To B3 said:

electronic drums …, all in ears monitoring, no amps on stage,

Sounds like rock band heaven!

[Table-style keyboard stand suggestions]

4 hours ago, sunspot said:

I agree, and that's a real shame, because making it shorter would require major surgery, a chop and 1. re-weld or 2. bolts and metal inserts/outside plates.  Frustrating, because the picture makes it look like there is 3-4 inches of stand between the bottom accordion screw hole and the leg base.

Yeah, it’s hard to believe they didn’t account for such an obvious use.  And to get something similar but 3 inches shorter, one has to go to the K&M 18880 at ~$240!

[Table-style keyboard stand suggestions]

12 hours ago, El Lobo said:

I now use the Knox stand which is lightweight, stable, easy and fast set up and take down. Also inexpensive.

This stand does look great, and I’d like to get it myself.  But the min height appears to be 27.5 inches, which would put the keys a little high when playing sitting down. 

[When will Yamaha Sack its Entire UI Staff?]

11 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

But it's taken them, like, 50 years.

Unfortunately, most companies, like most people, don’t change unless circumstances require it. Thank god for the innovators!

[Steinway Disney 100 Edition]

3 hours ago, Dave Ferris said:

Times are not tough. If you had the money, you'd be hard pressed to have a large selection of new Ds to choose from because they are in such high demand. Bs are more readily available.

Sorry, I should have included a smiley face!  My point was just this:

 

3 hours ago, Dave Ferris said:

That said, this is plain stupid.

 

[Steinway Disney 100 Edition]

Times must be tough for Steinway if they have to resort to this!

[OT: the all things not Taylor Swift thread]

2 hours ago, bill5 said:

...leaves?

Sorry, too abstract…🙂

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/27/entertainment/taylor-swift-seismic-activity/index.html

[OT: the all things not Taylor Swift thread]

I remember a 2.3 magnitude earthquake in Seattle near the end of July that was caused by ….

 

…. oops, never mind