Good Morning Everyone,
We lost power last night for a long period of time and got out the old oil lights that don't get much use in this day and age. How cozy and quiet and peaceful it was. I am thinking I might just go pull the electric main every once in awhile to let our world run down. Our little dog Rocky who is an 8 year old un-neutered Pomeranian male got a little confused and seem to be scared too. He has never known the power to fail in his life. We had forgot what it was like. I liked it. It took me back to those cozy evenings of the early 30's after the chores were done and the Coleman lantern was extinguished and only the oil lamps were left on. Do any of you remember those days?
What is your favorite memories of those early days in your life before Technics Keyboards?
My first keyboard was a Hohner Clavinet D6, I bought around 1970. I still have it and it works great without power, other then a 9 volt battery. It has strings in it, and I have often used it as a keyboard guitar on recordings as it does have an out on it. Uncle Dave told me it is currently worth $1000.00. Amazing!
This topic is open and invites response from all the old timers and younguns too about your good old days. What did you do before you became addicted to Keyboards and Computers?
Best to all you wonderful friends.
Bebop

Hi there, BEBOP,

I don't go back quite that far but I remember when Disney Land first opened. LOL

For me TV has always been around as were electric lights in the house. But I am one of those strange people who like an occasional power outage for the same reasons.

I few years back I was having a dinner party with a few friends when the power went out and stayed out for about 5 hours. It was delightful. Fortunately the food was cooked so it made for a nice quite evening with friends and no TV, radio or telephones.

That may be one reason I keep the PSR-500 around since is will run on C cells but then if the power is out why break the silence.

Heather

In those pre-electronic days all I needed was a candle to illuminate the music for the acoustic piano.

In the late 80's on retirement we moved to live in the mountains of North Wales, and in the depth of winter we had a power failure which lasted five days. For the first couple of days snow piled into the freezer and fridge kept the food safe, but with inoperative water pumps for the central heating it was defintiely not comfortable - or cozy. I was told that loss of power was common in this part of the world so I bought a generator which brought some relief for the next 3 days. Since then, over the following 15 years we've had about 3 power failures, none of which lasted more than a couple of hours.... I sometimes think of other things I could have bought instead of that generator. Also thought of selling it but I know darn well that if it goes we'll be getting power failures lasting for weeks. I should really remember to run it at last every month but I keep forgetting and it goes for a year or two without being tested. On one occaision it wouldn't start and I found that mice had chewed the carburetor filter to bits and it took hours to clean out. On the advice of my local garage - and they tell me this is official advice given by Mercedes (!), I've spread cat hair on the carb (and round the HT leads on the car) and no problems with mice since. All this remindes me that I really should do an oil change some time....

Ogre

Hi Bill,

What a nice topic! Very welcome, too!

I look back on my life and divide it into three stages: growing up; the working years; and finally, the retirement years.

My "growing up" years began in December 1929. Those were the days before TV, stereos, calculators, computers, jet airplanes, keyboards, Nintendo, skateboards, air conditioned cars, 33 rpm vinyls, 45 rpm vinyls, 8-track cassettes, stereo cassettes, CD's, Disneyland, MGM Studios, Universal Studios, supermarkets, shopping malls, cell phones, and a whole host of other modern day gadgets, services, and innovations. They were also the days when: pop singers had a voice; pop music had a melody; parents took responsibility for their children; patience and tolerance were the norm in personal relationships; God and prayer were still in our schools as well as national and local governments; you didn't sue your neighbor if your child stubbed his/her toe on the neighbor's driveway; people took pride in the way they dressed and were courteous when driving a car; local mayors took pride in displaying a beautiful nativity scene on the steps of the city hall at Christmastime. I could go on and on. What was I doing during this period? Learning from my father how to work and take pride in my workmanship; going to school to receive a good education; delivering newspapers before and after school to earn enough money to buy my first trombone; playing games in the street with my friends until 10 or 11 o'clock at night without fear of being mugged, raped, abducted or murdered. Yes, life BEFORE my keyboard was wonderful!

During my "working years" I travelled the world. Travelling was without a doubt the finest education I could have hoped for in terms of how to become a better, more tolerant, more caring human being. Yes, life was good BEFORE my keyboard.

My "retirement years" have arrived. I am doing my best to make the most of those years. My attitude is that learning does not stop at retirement. Life is a natural progression from growing up years through working years and on into retirement years. It is seamless. I began my life getting an education and have continued learning throughout my life. Buying a keyboard and taking lessons is a continuation of the learning habit. Yes, life is good AFTER buying my keyboard.

I wish everyone on our forum happy playing and success in whatever each of you choose to do with your lives.

Warmest Regards, Chuck

I grew up in the 60s ( I'm 49 now ) in Crawley New Town ( 30 miles south of London ). In those days the street lights went out at midnight and I can remember the black-outs we had during the "big freeze up" in 62 / 63. Dad had a harmonium that you had to pedal to get the bellows to work. Alright nostalgia isnt what it used to be, but there was very little street crime and complaints about noisy neighbours were a fraction of what there are now. I dont live there any more but my mother still does. Its got all night street lights and security camearas everywhere. It is a much more dangerous place to walk around at night and disputes about neighbours noise have now reached the stage where people are knifing and shooting each other. Power outtages have a lot of downsides but at least it give total strangers a reason to talk to each other and the racket from next doors home cinema sound system is temporarily stilled. Perhaps I'm showing my age but the benefits of good music played at a volume that doesnt cause offence to others must be universal, irrespective on whether its played on an instrument that consumes electricity or not.

One thing I remember (1929/30) was the crystal set placed in the cut glass bowl and the amazing sounds of radio.

Fran in Florida

I bet many of us had crystal sets.
Mine was hooked up to the steel springs of my bed and gave me a large ground plane.
I could sometimes get Chicago and New York where the big bands were playing live in the Ballrooms. This would come in on skip if the cloud conditions were right. I grew up at Anacortes, on an island 100 miles north of Seattle in the San Juan Islands just shy of the Canadian border. Where was your home town.
Bebop

Hi Fran and Bebop,

I never had a crystal set. I did become an amateur radio operator in the late 50's while stationed at Tyndall AFB near Panama City, Florida (your neck of the woods, Fran). My call sign was K4UDF. I was mobile. No base station. Had a Gonset Super 12 Converter and Hallicrafters HT-17 Transmitter feeding a 10 meter whip antenna. It was a tiny bit bigger than a crystal set. Ha Ha. Had great fun with it. Probably would have had fun with a crystal set, too. The three of us remember the days when radio reigned supreme. Those were great days. Fibber McGee & Molly, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, Inner Sanctum, Duffy's Tavern, The Green Hornet, The Great Gildersleeve, Bulldog Drummond, Can You Top This, The Jack Benny Program, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, The Aldrich Family, The Cisco Kid, The Bob Hope Show, The Charlie McCarthy Show, Captain Midnight and so many others. Do those names bring back fond memories? I have cassettes of those shows and listen to them every once in a while. I enjoy them as much today as I did as a teenager, especially the commercials for Oxydol, Chesterfields, Camels, Wrigley's Chewing Gum etc. Great stuff!

You asked about home towns, Bebop. Mine was Bell, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Great thread, Bebop. I love to talk about the early days because they were so much fun. Let's hope others will chime in and tell us about their lives. This worldwide KN family we have becomes even more interesting and family oriented when we write about ourselves and thereby share ourselves with our friends.

Best Wishes to All, Chuck

Wow! This thread sure brings back happy memories. In 1941 when I was about 13 I made a crystal set. A sheet of wood board about 10inches square, three wood screws holding the crystal, a toilet roll inner cylinder holder with a few turns of copper wire forming the coil, and a few turns of fuse wire wrapped round a matchstick as the catswhisker. Like Bebop, the bed springs acted as an aerial. Reception was crystal clear - no interference, and hidden under the bedclothes wearing earphones happy hours listening to music.
That was also a time when, despite the blackout (in the UK) never a threat of violence in the streets.

In many ways life was a lot happier in those days - before the era of pop idol music which nowdays assails our ears.

Ogre

Great posts people, I too, hope others will share more of themselves in this topic or start a similar one.
As a kid, I hated practicing that piano everyday for hours, even though I loved music, but not the kind in my lessons.
I was an avid reader and read everything I could get hold of. I liked to stay home from school and read but after awhile, I had enough of Ma Perkins, Our Gal Sunday, and all the rest of those early day time radio soaps. I quit skipping school, hustled up a trumpet and got in the sixth grade bandd with it
Bebop

Hi Bebop,

Ah yes! Ma Perkins. That name brings back beautiful memories. Our next door neighbors were from Europe - the husband from Germany, the wife and wife's mother from Denmark. Their only child, Robert, was a playmate in those days. He and I would build roads, bridges, and tunnels in my mom's flowerbeds and play cars. In the afternoon, Grandma Keim, Robert's grandmother, would call us into the kitchen for a big glass of cold milk and epelskeivers - a Danish pastry. Yummy yummy! And what was playing on the radio? Ma Perkins of course.

By the way, if anyone is interested in having cassettes (maybe CD's are available now?) of the old radio shows, here is the address of where I obtained mine probably 10 years ago perhaps? Don't even know if they are still in business.

Radio Spirits Inc.
P.O. Box 2141
Schiller Park, Illinois 60176
1-800-729-4587

That's it from me for the moment. I'm off to listen to Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. I need a good laugh.

Chuck

I was born in Merchantville, New Jersey and spent most of my early years in southern New Jersey before starting a career (23yrs) in the Air Force.

We had an old piano and mother wanted me to take lessons. I took about three but found that practicing scales was not as much fun as chasing girls. Wish today I had learned those scales and the proper fingering.

It appears that the interest in music starts at an early age and is inspired by many different things, including crystal sets Sure enjoy reading these posts from members of my musical family.

Fran in Florida

Hi All,

I too had a crystal set in the early 50's. But I didn't have it long because I found that by plugging the antenna wire into the electric plug I got such great reception I figured I'd plug in the ground wire as well. Boy did that thing smell bad as it fried.

LOL
Heather