If I'm being honest....personally John as long as I know you I get it as far as the "Piano bug" we all get sidetracked........but I think you best music came from an arranger KB especially KORG PA units, ...why you drifted I don't know?....but I hope you get the "Arranger bug" back and do what you do best with those amazing 60 songs etc,...I wish you luck and all the best in music.

dp

Hi Donny,

Allow me to first express my gratitude for your kind words towards my musical achievements in the past, quite correctly as you put it yourself brought about predominantly on Korg PA arrangers. However there is no point in looking back and due to both health issues and other matters I am/was looking for a new challenge.

The piano is one of them and an important one also due to the fact that I have discovered the sheer beauty of virtually any song when sung and accompanied by only ( a decent) piano. Two outstanding examples of what I mean in the links below.....

As you know I finished my first piano album by way of tribute to my wife but I will endeavour to complete a second album this year that will include both arranger keyboard, guitar and piano as well as guest performances, in all a challenging project.

In another thread Bachus remarked about the September update for the Korg PA4X. As you may know I purchased the PA4X twice and sold it again as many times. If they do not get back to the old Performance system in which a Performance was indeed a complete registration as it was on ANY previous Korg model and as it is on ANY other make of keyboard I will never consider it again. ( the Italians really messed that one up for me......)

As regards my quest for a decent and at the same time affordable piano sound I have come a long way. Just to discover how commercialised this field is and how subjective. We all recall the thousands of threads here on the merits or shortcomings of yet another top arranger keyboard and the endless debates whether the piano on the Tyros 5 (etc) was any better than on the Tyros 4, Korg ,etc.

At least it seems that most folks agree these days that the PA4X is sonically as well as technically the most versatile and worthwhile arranger keyboard to have with Tyros 5 and Ketron SD7/9 as close runner ups. So be it. For now I make do with my PA800, ketron SD1plus and Yamaha P80 as well as a budget Martin acoustic guitar.

At present I am in the process of recording an old Suzi Quattro song with a lady singer and only the piano by way of accompaniment and it gives me tremendous joy as well as it being a great challenge.
Oh yes, the links I was referring to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q03E7oTc5qo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz7BGlgb5Do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-cTZWUfoQ

regards,
John

John well said and I truly respect your thoughts on the subject,.....as for myself, "piano alone" after a while gets a bit boring as it always sounds pretty much the same, guess I like more versatility in my music in many different ways & genres which in turn keeps it interesting to me if I play alone or with others. Playing piano correctly can be a beautiful thing when both hands are trained to do it right otherwise a weak left hand can make it sound a bit sour and underprivileged to the ear in many ways harmonically and melodically...
I wish you luck in this phase of your journey...enjoy and keep us posted.

John, the beaty is often in simplicity..

Given a great voice and a piano almost allways makes a song shine...

The same often goes for a great (acoustic) guitar player with a superb voice...


Now i dont sing, but most of the time these days i use the arranger as a simple backing (drum, bass, guitar variation 1) behind a piano (sometimes with a string or pad). The chord sequencer of the pa4x is also very helpfull ..

Another thing is having 4 guitar patterns on the multipads... and having a drum and bass... then you can just vary the guitar in the backing...

Not having a long korg pa history, i do love how the pa4x works where it comes to having sepperate keyboardsets ...

John, I'm sure you don't consider yourself "sidetracked" in your musical endeavors by a (temporary???) "piano bug", nor do I think Donny meant anything negative - just a case of ummm, unfortunate phrasing. Since you're not a true (sole income source) 'Professional', your PERSONAL enjoyment, satisfaction, and sense of accomplishment are far more important than anyone else's purely subjective opinion of the quality of your work. To take on such a challenging task as mastering something as difficult as acoustic piano at this stage of your life, is to be much admired, and in my opinion, should be encouraged, not discouraged. Your 'mix it up' approach of combining solo piano, arranger kb, and guest artists, sounds like it could produce a nice diversity of music performances (and a lot of fun as well). As Donny says, "good luck on this phase of your journey".

chas

Thank you Chas for your uplifting words and I am sure Donny meant well. He has a point in fact about the left hand but then again practice makes perfect and initially I found one is inclined to play too many notes with the left hand ( missing the arranger) whereas often here goes the saying Less is More.

And as you pointed out yourself the challenge at my age is fairly respectable hence that I defintely will hang on to my keyboard skills. This morning I was practising two of the three songs mentioned in the links in my previous post with a lady singer and me on the piano and it gave me great joy and fullfilment.

In time I will record this stuff and hopefully include it on a CD, which as you know will be freely available to anyone interested. (As is my current piano CD of which I posted a download link previously but if anyone gets curious I will upload it again..)

Although a cold day the sun was shining today, today being the King's birthday here in Holland and a festive day. I just finished a small solo performance in the garden on the acoustic guitar which goes to show how variety is and remains the spice of life !!!!

regards
John