Well, we pulled the trigger on the electric piano a little while ago. Here it is:
It was on sale at the mega music store here, Music Hug, which brought it down to a similar price we could buy it in the states, so we were pretty happy about that. Then just a bit of a cab fare to get the beast home and Bob’s your uncle. It has a lot of different sounds and all that stuff and something called a Session Partner that lets you play along with a bunch of canned tracks, but we’ve pretty much ignored that stuff and went straight to banging away with the default piano setting. Even got a little pedal down there. It sounds pretty decent to our untrained ears and the key action seems realistic. You get a heavier feel on the bass notes than on the higher ones.
Chizzy plans on learning to play it correctly with sheet music and all that cleft and time stuff. I plan on just trying to teach myself without ever understanding a thing about reading sheet music. I figure it worked for guitar so it should work for piano too. For two days I just stared at it wondering how the hell your right hand can play something while your left hand is playing something else. After I gave up thinking about it, I sat down and gave it a try. I am big into Keane at the moment so I had a tune of theirs (Bedshaped) going through my head that I thought would be cool to play. So, I found the riff and put my right hand to work. Then I added the chords with my left hand after I got that down and… it seems to have worked.
I never had recording equipment when I was learning to play guitar, but I wish I did so I could have immortalized Brian Wilson from Barenaked Ladies as the first song I ever learned to play. This isn’t really the whole song, just an intro, but it is the first bit of piano I ever learned that involved two hands so that is what you get.
Nobody is forcing you to visit this site.
Ben Folds, I'm coming after you next. Coldplay, you aren't safe either.
Hopefully you can one day hear Chizzy hammer out a few tunes. Still looking for a singer.
Nice work - does the keyboard have the ability to interface to your computer for mixing? Keane - is that the group that sings "You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful... it's true." I remember that from Lugano.
Chizzy, December 20, 2005 08:42 PM:Haha, J, you are funny. That's James Blunt you're thinking of.
Nice work Bryan! Did you download that from the Keane site? Just kidding... I heard it in person and was very impressed. I, on the other hand, haven't learned much at all yet.
Bryan, December 20, 2005 11:08 PM:Yeah, that I didn't record that with a microphone. It is straight line into my little MBOX buddy. I was actually screaming at the top of my lungs as I played that. It's how I learned.
IGNACIO, December 22, 2005 07:46 AM:Nice start. You pick it up quick. I've been bugging Kat to get a keyboard also. I still have your Leroy song and plan to add some bass crap for a remix...no promises though.
Wheelson, December 22, 2005 08:28 PM:My favorite Keane song! Nice. Dude, when you get that rocking solo at the end, that'll be super sweet. I found a sweet Keyboard Magazine article that has some interesting info about their kit. Your blog wouldn't let me post it though, so I'll try emailing it.
Bryan, December 22, 2005 11:00 PM:Yeah, I'd like to read about that, Wheelson. I had to end up blocking any text that looks even remotely like a URL because of all the spam I was getting. I knew I could count on you appreciating a bit of Keane.
Burner, February 9, 2006 10:29 PM:you're like the idiot from Shine!!! no, but seriously - you're insane. When I first read the "we" part I was wondering if you were talking about a new euro buddy - I bet Cheryl's playing it all the time....