Nothing really new is sparking interest...most units are just rehashed, remixed, and always leaving out something the end user he or she yearns for. Cabin fever sets in and you keep, deal with, workaround with what you already have, you keep searching, reconfiguring, buying, selling, wondering, trading, hoping, researching, listening to pros/cons from who knows who's rumors for the next greatest new Arranger that will come to market.....oh man, it's killing you inside, maybe it's the high prices, maybe you don't like the sound of what you have, or for one second you say to yourself maybe I should go totally VST computer based to make my music?....AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! as the cabin fever reaches a fever pitch WHAT AM I GONNA DO NEXT?!!! Then it hits you......you finally realize you have to either Wait for who knows how long or Keep what you have, or put all these ideas back in the tumbler for tomorrow and tumble it all up again...time after time, what to do?.......what to do? Then it hits you...does anyone really care or am I the only one?
oh wait......is that the UPS man at the door?.....sadly he passes up your house again and rides into the sunset..........when will it end?...
WHEN WILL IT END?????

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 04-07-2010).]

Great post Donny. I just ordered a Behringer Bass/Kbd EQ pedal. I had to have something... hope this beefs up my s910 piano without having to use a mixer. We'll see.

Donny, I'm going to respond (sincerely) although it will probably raise a storm of protest (or maybe just plain hatred).

It will NEVER end as long as one waits for SOMEONE ELSE'S creativity to provide the satisfaction they're looking for. What you're describing is classic boredom; boredom with the styles that just don't seem to spark the same excitement and enthusiasm that they used to. It's going to sound hugely annoying for me to say "that's why I play organ", still, I'm not bored, I'm not sitting around waiting for the next great set of sounds and styles to delude me into thinking that I'm putting out a better product on stage. I get the same kick out of sitting down to my organ now as I did 30-40 years ago. I love just having to learn the changes and then playing the tune exactly as I want to hear it. I have fun recording BS in my 'studio' and playing with all the incredible new electronics that have developed since I first sat down at a B3 so many years ago (before that, I drove my parents crazy with banging away for hours on the beautiful Chickering grand in our living room) but for me it was always the playing and I always enjoyed playing for and by myself as much as for other people. Bored? Really bored? Learn a couple of new tunes but learn them first on an acoustic piano (or synth in manual piano mode) and work out the arrangement on the piano and in your head before you ever crank up the old arranger. At least at some point in the process, the tune, the arrangement, the performance, was all yours. Plus, it allows you into the 'guts' of the song.

Now I'm not saying "sell your arranger and go back to actually playing". That would not be economically feasible for a lot of the working pro's here. I'm just saying, make it more about the music than about sitting around waiting on the next new (or rehashed) batch of technology to get your (musical) juices flowing again. JMO.

chas

PS: Pleas don't post an angry reply. As I said, it's JUST MY OPINION.


[This message has been edited by cgiles (edited 04-07-2010).]

Cass....that sounds very interesting please keep us informed on it when you try it out on your rig ok/

d.

Good posts by both Donny and Chas.

Boredom? Yep, it can sneak up on you.

What I do is try something different; usually I'll work on making styles....I'll dig around through some old fake books...I try using completely different styles for tunes, like a jazz waltz in place of a 4/4 jazz ballad, or vice versa.

Sometimes I get into doing some recording, either with the arranger and my CS01 synth plugged in the line-in, or maybe a piano improv, that I'll add some manual bass to, or even use the keys to play in the drum tracks.

I also walk about a mile or so a day...inclement weather has me walking in the Mall, but it's still getting out and being around people.

My restaurant gig of 12 or so years is finished...the place closed last month, so now I've decided to work on some recordings, and arrangements.

New gear won't fix it....I'm fine with just the PSR-910, a P-85 piano and my little CS01 synth...the Jupiter 8 is rented out to a studio for the next few months.

It's easy to slide into a slump, and sometimes difficult to get out...or even to realize you are in one.

One good thing is to talk about and express those feelings...just like Donny is doing.

Just my thoughts.

Ian

Chas......believe me Ive been playing professionally since I was 14 years old....For so many years playing keyboard, bass, guitar, drums, sax..was all I knew and being part of many band, doing thousands of shows with so many groups, which I always loved the camaraderie, creation process of arranging songs, and developing a certain sound, playing off each others talents on stage is unparalleled for 25 years on the road and something I really miss since due to economic times for the last 17 years that I've been a single act in order to survive in this wacky business. I understand your feeling and I can feel it in your writing that you are very passionate about playing music, your instrument, organ & keyboard playing & in many ways I wish times were different again like it was in the past. With all the choices out there it's easy to become a lazy musician. Man I remember sitting down at my B3 an throwing those toggle switches to start er' up and listening to the motors rotate would give me a major adrenalin boost rush my body. Watching a monster player like Tony Monaco or Joey D, or Mark Stein "Vanilla Fudge" play makes me go nuts also!!! WOW!! One instrument ....One man.... playing and making it an extension of his soul is what playing is all about, and I get that feeling no matter what instrument I hear someone playing being it a Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Oboe, Fiddle, Cornet, or a Tuba, if the love is put in to it, the love will flow thru it and out the other side!!. What's also sad is that audiences are starting to get a very apathetic attitude and couldn't care less how or why its happening due to the saturation of DJ's,KJ's, and every other kind of fake music there is out there and that's sad. So we curl up in our own slice of the pie and enjoy what WE like as WE still have that ability thank the lord...we can also share our feeling as we are doing here and share our music playing in ways unheard of 20 years ago via computer....
I used to be a buying gear nutcase but in the last few years I have really settled down and before I buy something I ask myself "DO I REALLY NEED THIS?" which most time, money no object, the answer is a resounding NO!! ....so where are we?.......what I need to earn on stage is one kind of gear.....what I love to play record etc in my home is a totally other scenario and gear but more toward what you have divulged in your post above ..I appreciate your passion and it hasn't gone unnoticed its very contagious and I caught some of it when I was reading your reply.
hang in there buddy...lock yourself in your studio crank up your C1 organ and let er rip!!!! We'll talk more......i hope others chime in also here.

d.

For some strange reason (probably my mind has gone to hell), I'm not bored, and I'm not looking for new gear. I'm happy as a clam, still playing nearly every day, and most of the time I try to learn at least one new song a week, which is always fun.

Cheers,

Gary

What you play ON is probably the least important thing for a musician to worry about. HOW WELL you play should probably be #1. WHAT you play maybe #2. WHO you play with, maybe #3 (for me, it's higher).

But the gear... We've all seen amazing players playing in amazing bands on really crappy gear. And it made our jaws drop..!

Start to think like that, and the postman coming to the door won't excite you in the least...

Diki....I agree to a point with you.....
but, #3 playing with others doesn't necessarily require an arranger KB and opens up a whole new world for the musician, more choices, more gear old or new to choose from to play with others.

I find this boredom thing strange...

I am not bored at all with what I have or the way I play...

Could I get "bored" with playing the same styles? Absolutely.....maybe I don't get bored this way...because... I don't rely on styles...I would rather play without the "auto play"...except as a drum machine...I have always enjoyed playing left hand bass, drums and what ever combination of accent sounds to use with piano or EP..

Secondly, I find it much better, to play over sequences (SMF) than playing with styles..It doesn't mean I would not use styles, just no where as often as most folks here...
As mentioned by Diki in another post..I find it much more fulfilling to play over SMF's...and as Diki mentioned..I believe the skill level is higher to play over sequences than styles (short clips of sequences)...The final comparison of performance is far superior to the customers that listen...You portray ..more like the record...and it can be personalized as you want by the way you play your parts..

If I had to sit through 4 hours listening to "arranger play" only....as an audience.....now you are talking "bored"..

60 or 70 arranger songs with out a break...puts me over the edge...

Try using MP3's and SMF's...play over them..you may find out what I am talking about...break out of the "arranger" mode...even if you turn off some arranger parts...The full blown style play..is over done..

Now!!!! When it comes to "new toys"...I need to play too..it is so boring ..not having new toys.. .....but not my trusted "go to" keyboard choice..