Tony, Most of the regulars here ARE professional players/entertainers, most have, at one time or another, have either been in a band, or in many instances, had their own band(s). Diki seems to enjoy knocking the NH circuit guys, intimating they couldn't get a job with what he refers to as a REAL band. Hey' it's just Diki being Diki. These guys are working 5 to 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and most, including myself, are completely booked for 2014 and part of 2015. They're in high demand for weddings, private parties, and some still occasionally play the club and bar circuit, often filling in for someone who has other commitments, equipment failures, or is seriously ill.

There are players on this forum that ARE professionally trained musicians, but they don't feel a compelling need to brag about it. There are forum members here that have MORE technical expertise about the inner workings of arranger keyboards than anyone could imagine in their wildest dreams, again people that don't try to dazzle anyone with their level of expertise.

But if you need help with a problem, they're the first ones to provide assistance. Those are the folks that I look up to and highly respect on this and other similar forums. And, ironically, many of them play the NH circuit - it's where the money is, at least in this part of the world. From my perspective, they ARE professionals in every sense of the word. Not only are they skilled musician/entertainers, but additionally, they are skilled businessmen and women as well.

I guess in Holland and northern Europe every entertainer is a highly skilled, and trained musician/entertainer. I wouldn't know because it has been more than a half-century since I was there. Sure, I went to clubs and bars in that part of the world that featured musical entertainment, but I just don't recall them being any better, or worse, than entertainers in any other part of the world. In fact, some of the best I've encountered lately have been at Mexican seaside resorts. They were indeed incredible entertainers.

Cheers,

Gary



Cheers,

Gary