I asked this before but...

How do you or do you address that by talking about or explaining MIDI?

I think when the public sees your keyboard playing without you, in the background, you've shown them that you don't even have to be near the keyboard. Why then would they think your actually playing unless you sound better ....or worse than the keyboard alone.
In my opinion once you walk away and leave your keyboard playing, you've raised doubts.

Correctomundo!

Ian


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Remember to leave good news alone.

Aloha,

Your story sounds a bit like mine, without all the accomplishments .

First, I'm a businessman, making money to pay for the nice things we have.

Secondly, I'm a wanna-be musician, based on prior years of playing keyboards in many venues.

Third, I spent an entire summer putting together songs, promos, etc, with intent on supplementing my income, while having fun.

So, I finally got booked, played a 3 hour coffee house job for $50.

End result? - Next day put all my gear on eBay and went back to being a hobbiest

Conclusion - The dream and addictive draw NEVER ends. I find myself wanting to repeat this scenario again and even now, have another keyboard, mic, etc - uh oh.

For me, there are not enough hours in the day to compile the necessary goods to take to the public. But my dream will never die and as long as I remember to NOT QUIT MY DAYTIME JOB, I'll be OK.


zuki

Tom, I just read your 2 articles... excellent advice on a very important subject often overlooked. Thanks for sharing.

Glenn

Donny just about hit the nail on the head about a DJ mentality that's out there.

We live in a time of instant gratification with just about anything and everything 'on demand'. So people think you can just press a button and play.

In large part some of the reasons for this can be levelled at midifiles which are essentially 'press a button and play', and, as mikeathome1 mentioned, starting a midifile and walking away from the keyboard is gonna kill your credibility stone dead. I can only suppose this is done for those types of acts that like to wander around schmoozing with the audience with a radio mike. That's fine in itself, but fer crying out loud don't do it with a keyboard. If you're a karaoke act, then use a bloody karaoke machine.

Add to this the average sales guy in a mall music store who bashes out a one-finger version of In The Mood upwards of 30 times on a Saturday afternoon and you have a combination of some very powerful factors why arranger keyboardists just can't get no respect,

I've had, and no doubt so have many other forum folks too, people come up and actually say that I only press a button and play something, whereupon I say to them, okay YOU press a button and play ME something. Usually it never fails to bring on a sheepish grin from them and they walk quietly away. I'd like to have added 'with a new respect for what we do', but no, they're just walking away back into that instant-everything society.

As UD would say . . . arrrrrrgh!!!!

Well said, Renig!

Russ

I see, even on TV, more and more acts, even big acts using backing tracks. Like you said if you're gonna go that way admit it leave the keyboard home and keep some credibility at least for your vocal ability.

If you want to provide music during breaks, stay away from midi files. It really does raise the issue of playing credibility.

On many of my breaks,I play MP3's of well recognized originals with vocals. If they hear Frank Sinatra, Gretchen Wilson, Elvis or Pavarotti for that matter...they know its RECORDED.

Break music is not always appropriate or wanted. But, if it is appropriate, stay away from midi or run the risk of being considered a DJ rather than a musician.

Eddie

Precisely, Eddie. In breaks, I use a small walkman CD player plugged into the line-ins on my PA and play an appropriate selection.