Rex

[beads]

Got an Easttop from Danny G a few weeks ago. Like it a lot.
Quick number here:
https://soundcloud.com/tremolo-rex/somewhere-my-love

[wolfman]

 

[SlideMeister]

Sounds a lot like mine

[Gene Oh]

Sounds beautiful! I think your Chrom skill is getting better and better very fast.
Stay heathy, Rex.
Gene

[beads]

Ave Maria by Schubert in Bb. From the sheet music over at Flutetunes.com. Backing track came from YouTube. No effects.

[beads]

Backing track for above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW5E4MJ9ewE

[Danny G]

My compliments, very well played

[Jimmy Halfnote]

 Well done, you seem to have adapted quickly to your new harmonica...also a nice change to have no effects,thanks.

                                                                      jh.

[beads]

Merry Christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYapd1bNDPs

[wolfman]

 Thanks for posting Rex.
Have a great Holyday.

 Roman

[SlideMeister]

Yeah, gotta admit, that's a very a nice job, but I see you've progressed to the point where you're fair game for some constructive criticism:

Okay ready? Here it comes! Ha Ha!
You're very methodical (and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that) just now, it's time to get "sloppy." IOW, you can start to relax a bit. I mean "sloppy" is what it'll probably feel like to you as you play, but don't worry, you'll start to "breathe" sooner than you think. You're gunna round the sharp corners off and start making real listenable stuff to be enjoyed by ANYONE who happens to hear you play.  (and THAT, Beads, is what it's all about)

You play as though you're scared to death to make a mistake, and that's what's making you sound a little too mechanical, so, start trying to shake that off a little at a time

[beads]

Thanks for the feedback, Age. Understood and appreciated. I'll work on it.

[streetlegal]

Merry Christmas to you too beads .

One thing I recommend - and I use it myself - is to get a drone to sound your tonic note continuously in the background as you are playing.

You can download them as mp3 files or you can use the ones that are posted on youtube. Or if you have a keyboard you can just put a weight on one of the keys to give you a continuous tone. So if you are playing a tune in C you need a C drone or if you are playing in F you need an F drone.

Drones are good for a number of reasons - first with that background going on quietly under your playing, you will feel supported. Second you will find yourself listening more closely for the harmony that each note produces when sounded against the tonic, so you will feel and enjoy each note more. Drones are really the poor man's backing group, but they produce a completely dependable and uncluttered sound. You're never alone with a drone .

[Scotty]

Thanks for the feedback, Age. Understood and appreciated. I'll work on it.

I loved your quiet rendition - and just wanted to make one small suggestion: do exactly what you did here, but try closing
your eyes instead. Don't record yourself, just play it again with the same backing and see if you haven't retained every
single note --focusing on hearing it just as you've already played. I bet you have and it'll force you to forget about the
camera and everything else, only the beauty of the music. After a few rounds of this it'll be far easier to 'breathe' - as Age
suggested.

scotty
PS: I LOVE streetlegal's idea of weighing down a 'drone' piano key (on my keyboards). Have wondered how to combine my
keyboards with my chromatic playing other than one hand on each and this is a great idea.

[Gnarly He Man]

PS: I LOVE streetlegal's idea of weighing down a 'drone' piano key (on my keyboards). Have wondered how to combine my
keyboards with my chromatic playing other than one hand on each and this is a great idea.

Sustain pedal?

[Scotty]

my keyboard is an older one --didn't come with a pedal. Gotta do everything with the keys and 'effects'. Maybe I could
buy one to retrofit, but simply haven't had the time to explore - since I can't get upstairs (where it's located) since Luka's
arrival with his intense separation anxiety. Today he hugged and didn't want to let go of the 'poop and scoop' guy (who
comes once a week). The previous guy was very brusque and insisted upon the dogs being inside the house. This sweet
young man loves both of our dogs and always takes a few minutes to talk to and cuddle with them, and enjoys letting
them accompany him while he removes their 'leavings'.  Luka LOVES him--I have a feeling he might be very similar to his
previous 'owner' who abandoned him.  :'(

scotty

[Gnarly He Man]

What kind is it?

[beads]

Instead of weighing a key for background you can use an "ambient pad". You can download them in all keys from many sites and can also find them on YouTube. I have a friend who uses them sometimes.

[Gnarly He Man]

Or use a looper!
Loopy Pro just released for iOS, it’s $30– free seven day trial, I am waiting to start that until I have more free time.
Holidays, you know…

Edit—tried to find the price of Loopy HD, didn’t find out what that was, but downloaded and tried a free loop application called Loop On.
Pretty easy and it’s free!

[Scotty]

Having the keyboard already, it seems logical just to use the keyboard. It's easy to weigh down a key since they're touch-
sensitive - far more than pianos.

scotty

[Scotty]

What kind is it?

It's one of the higher-end Casio's (or was) - begins with a W (I just went up there but needed a flashlight to find the model no.
Just spent some time playing Silent Night and Oh Holy Night. Sounded pretty good if I do say so.

 I now remember looking online - a few years back, to see if I could add a pedal and think there were some available online which could fit. I did buy a much nicer stand for it (and a fantastic carry-case) but haven't played much lately. It has all the bells and whistles and was quite expensive at the time. Wanted to try out a keyboard to see if I'd like it as much as a 'real' piano. I
do, but have never upgraded. Once we get the work finished in this house (a long time in the planning), I do hope to upgrade
to a Roland(?) perhaps - but will probably still keep this one since I love the 'brite piano' sound and 'tenor sax' which are mostly what I use. It does store some music but tbh I've never really focused on learning everything it could do since I just play it as I
would a regular piano - except with some background accompaniments, lol. Have never really had the time to spend on it since it's not down here where I could play it more often. (You'd have to understand the setup of our house to really get it).
scotty

[beads]

We have a Casio CTX-511. It has 61 keys and a boat load of sounds. I think it is over 25 years old but everything works fine.  Our granddaughter has taken some online lessons with it. We only keep it around in case she decides to pursue piano lessons.

[streetlegal]

Keyboards (even the small children's ones) have a lot of different voice options - for instance pipe organ or cello - which will produce a continuous drone sound. For a weight I use a pair of pliers on the key of my choice. With two weights you can get an octave drone .

MP3 drones are also ideal if you are playing through an amp, as most amps will allow you to plug your player in. So then you can have your background drone fully integrated into your speaker.

[Scotty]

We have a Casio CTX-511. It has 61 keys and a boat load of sounds. I think it is over 25 years old but everything works fine.  Our granddaughter has taken some online lessons with it. We only keep it around in case she decides to pursue piano lessons.

I had an earlier model I gave away to a friend with a young daughter, which is why I can't remember which model No. this one
is. That one was pretty nice as well. I need to go back upstairs with a flashlight since Fred replaced the hi-hats with much lower
wattage lights which don't allow me to read by. SO frustrating, since it's also my music room (besides his office). I think since I mentioned that I prefer playing with my eyes closed, he thought keeping the lights dim would not be a problem.  The stairs
have also been difficult since I injured my hip. I do have my booklet somewhere down here (I think, lol) and there really was far too much to learn about all of the 'voices' I put that aside in favour of the chromatic harmonica. It's simply fun to play as a piano, but also nice to have the option of the extra sounds and beats which I choose at random without really knowing what I'm doing. Even a 'slow rock ballad' can work for some fun Christmas ballads, btw.

scotty

[beads]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-h_NQibyoQ

[wolfman]

 Very nice Rex.Thanks for posting.
 Hope you had a great day.

  Roman

[beads]

Thanks Roman. We have had a wonderful holiday season. My first since retirement.  It was nice spending time with so many family members this year instead of working overtime. I  hope you had happy holidays also.

[wolfman]

 Yes we did.Thanks for asking.

  Roman

[SlideMeister]

are you playing that from a chart, or from your head?

[beads]

are you playing that from a chart, or from your head?

By ear. It may not be accurate. Not even sure what key this is. Just having fun on Christmas.