Scott ... "it's all good" ...
As the 'author' of a thread, none of us likes to see it take a different track ...

Hi Nick,
that's it. Bob & Oli. Wonder I never ran into you. I used to spend hours there. Bob used to love playing the Technics arranger piano's
He'd happily play away for an hour or 2 , I was quite happy listening. He was brilliant on Full Piano Keyboard mode.
According to him, nothing else tracked the complex chord changes he used for songs as the Technics did.
Sadly the last time I saw him back in 2004, his hands were shaking really badly. Don't think he knew what was wrong at the time, but unfortunately I think his playing days were nearing to an end.

Yeh, actually I was pretty lucky getting the PA3X. We now live an hour out of Newcastle. Billy Hydes happened to have one in stock.
I somehow don't think Korg Arrangers would be a big seller out this way. I bought the PA 800 from them last time, & I would say it had been sitting for at least a year. Probably happy to sell it so quickly.

If I'd gone to Turramurra ( my old hangout) I think their stocks aren't due till sometime this month. Fortunately Billy's were happy to price match, plus I've had it for about 3 weeks now.

Really looks like you had a great time with Scott. The U.S. is wonderful. My son's going back for another trip next year.

Hi Rikki:
As a former Technics KN5000 owner, I totally concur with what Bob said. I loved how my KN5000 tracked even the more exotic complex chords correctly and so smoothly.
When I switched to Yamaha (following Technics regrettable demise), in order to still play the more complex chords,
I subsequently had to switch to playing in split mode, assigning both left & right voice to the same piano voice,
but with the chord recognition only recognized from what's played with the LH,
freeing the RH to play chord scale notes & alterations (#9,b9,#11, etc) & passing tones without it negatively affecting the auto chord recognition,
of which Yamaha's 'full keyboard' mode often results in.
Over the years I've learned to accept that limitation, but I still miss Technics' superior full keyboard chord recognition.

I really love my Tyros 4, but one IMPORTANT advantage that the Korg PA3X has over Tyros 4, especially for us piano players,
is its far superior 'full keyboard' chord recognition, which I feel runs a 'very close' 2nd to Technics.

Rikki, I'm really looking forward to learning more from you about your PA3X as you discover and report to us about its many features.
I'm especially interested in hearing more about the "Songbook", new "TC Helicon Vocal Harmonizer" and as you probably predicted, it's new "Chord Sequencer" feature.

When Nick and I met last weekend, we noticed how people in Australian & California West Coast both seem to share a similar casual relaxed lifestyle.
Whenever I can make it down to Australia, I'd love to hook up with both you and Nick.

hi Scott,
Bob was truly amazing, you'd swear he was playing along to a midifile rather than in arranger mode, but he wasn't. He used to put in all these amazing little runs , without messing up the chords. He used to demo the technics piano against the yammie, to show the difference in the chord recognition. The yammie really couldn't handle the chords as well in full keyboard mode.

I suppose you would have had to have changed your playing technique, going from full piano mode to having the split.

The bit of piano playing I did do, doesn't really suit arranger playing at all. I luved playing left hand arpeggio's ( Richard Clayderman was it & a bit when I decided I'd like to play )
Spent months learning to read bass cleff notes so I could play. Might have been easier if I'd known what a chord was haahaa
So, the bit of piano I had learnt didn't really help much with arranger keyboards.

To be quite honest, I've gotten sidetracked again. I've been busy converting a few of the bread & butter yammie styles I use across to the korg. I did them for the PA800, but since I've now got 4 variations instead of 2 & XG drumkits to boot, I decided to redo them.

Unfortunately the TC Helicon is a total waste on me.

The chord sequencer is something I will work out, and I'm looking forward to trying out the onboard mp3 recorder. I've never had one.
I've just updated my BIAB again, and there's some good real track jazz styles that I'd like to use for "music minus one" (I think you called it?) Not sure if the styles are new, or I just hadn't noticed them before, but it adds to the possibities.

WEll, Nick & I both live within a 100 miles or so of each other. Sydney is certainly more interesting than the tiny coastal town where I now live, but hubby & I certainly don't mind travelling distances to catch up with friends and family. We quite often do a 200 mile round trip , just to catch up with the kids for lunch ( which btw, happen to live in Sydney) haahaa.

Pity we wouldn't get to meet your little 2 legged feathered friend, she'd probably scare little Charlie to death, we don't call him Charlie Chicken for nothing, he's even terrified of our little yellow budgie haahaa.

You both look like kids!

I think I was that young once.

Has anyone been to Paris ? ... Scott , that was a joke

I'm at least an inch taller and older than Nick.

Danny, sorry, missed it. That one flew over my head.


Anyone else catch it?

You talked about the thread taking a different direction from the original post. Talking about Paris would have been another twist away from the topic.

You know what they say, if you have to explain the joke, it ain't funny.

Oui . . . pardon my French Ms. Hilton

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