Some great stuff has come as a result of that interview.  A while back SNL did a spoof of it.  The last 90 seconds is hilarious!

I can’t emphasize enough how great, as a piano player, this will be. While I haven’t heard the sounds that come with it, or felt the keyboard under my fingers, I’m still very interested in getting one when it comes out.

I imagine the action will be very soft, probably organ-like even. But I can deal with that, as long as the sounds include a realistic piano, and good electric keyboard sounds, like a good rhodes, clav, etc.

The next question is, how much is it? I need to know how much to save up.

The first CD was meant as a gift to a girl I had a crush on for a long time. I was trying to think of a good way to tell her, and recording a CD seemed a decent choice. Hindsight, however, leads me to wish I had never given it to her. I recorded it, waited a month, then gave it to her, completely surprising her. She couldn’t believe it. Obviously, my feelings were unwelcome. She developed a severe animosity towards me that lasted for an entire year, until she actually listened to the CD. Once she listened to it, she completely changed her attitude towards me. She started being nice for a change. I can’t beleive she waited a year to listen to it. We ended up parting ways; nothing happened.

All the songs on the first CD are solo piano/keyboard, and really, not very good. I still had much to learn back then. It also includes the only composition I’ve ever been all that proud of, called “Longing”. I wrote it several months before recording the first CD, as an assignment for a composition class, thinking of her.

The second CD was recorded with a couple of guys I worked with before I moved. We made the CD hoping to use it to get some work around town. As the leader of the group it was my responsibility to submit the CD to clubs, restaurants, etc. But I became distracted during that time. I wish I had done more with them, as the group sounded fairly decent.

So he made me some CDs of songs they play to listen to and learn, and he said he’ll call me when the band is ready to rehearse with me. I’m really looking forward to it. I could make some extra money playing in this band around town. I’ve never played R&B before, and as it turns out, it is actually really fun. The songs are simple, and can be opened up for improvisation. I think I’m going to enjoy it.

So I concluded I needed to bring my keyboard there to play from now on. But I didn’t want to pack up this huge keyboard I own and haul it in my tiny car every week. So I asked him if I could leave my keyboard there over the summer. He said sure, and reassured me it would be safe. So that worked out.

But I was left with a problem. If I suddenly felt the urge to play at home, I’d be out of luck. So last week I started scouring ebay for a keyboard I’d always wanted: the Rhodes electric piano. I found a good deal on a Mark I in a nearby city. I bid on it, and ended up winning the auction Saturday afternoon. I won’t say what I paid for it… let’s just say it’s the biggest single purchase I’ve made since I moved last year.

I picked it up Sunday afternoon and immediately took it home to hook it up and play with it. At first I was very disapointed, because several keys didn’t sound when pressed, and others sounded, but stuck, so they wouldn’t stop when I lifted my finger off the key. I took a look under the hood and saw a very complex-looking set of tines, tonebars, hammers, and dampers. So I went to the web for help. I found some very good references on Rhodes maintenance. After about an hour I had all the keys working and the few that stuck no longer did so. I’m assuming the keyboard didn’t play perfectly at first because of something that shifted inside when I transported it back to my place, 90 minutes away.

When I got it working, happy for the moment, I spent a long time playing it, enjoying the gorgeous, mellow tones it produced. The piano needs to be voiced. By that, I mean the tone and volume of each note needs to be adjusted for consistency. I’ll spend some time doing that tonight. I also want to dust and clean the inside. I have the whole evening to work on it.

The model I bought was made between 1969 and 1975. I looked up the history of this type of piano and based on the details I found out after opening the case up to examine the internals, I would date this piano between 1974 and 1975. I probably paid about what it’s worth… maybe slightly under its exact value.

The last owner didn’t have the pedal that goes with it. But he came up with an ingenious device that replaces the pedal. He made it from some scrap wood and various metal pieces from his garage. It functions exactly like a normal sustain pedal on any other piano. It doesn’t look all that great, but actually works quite well. I’ll need to oil it up to stop it from squeaking when I’m using it. I was grateful for his generosity in including the home-made pedal with my purchase.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with it. I had no idea how these pianos worked exactly. The design is quite ingenious. I don’t even need to plug it in! The pickups are passive, like most electric guitars. I simply plug the keyboard into my amplifier, and it sounds great. I was very pleased, playing it last night.

The concert itself went surprisingly well. The band sounded pretty rusty on Wednesday, but pulled through with only minor hiccups on Saturday. Pressure from the director and the need to not look foolish in front of your peers always proves to be a potent combination at the last minute for most musicians. We must have played 10 tunes, or so it seemed. I’d never played a concert that long with the same band.

I talked with several of the musicians afterwards, and I asked around, saying I was interested in finding a group to play with regularly over the summer. I gave some guys my number, and I’m hoping something will work out. The leader of the band told me about an agent that booked solo gigs for piano players like me. I hope to get his number soon and see what works out. I could certainly use the extra money.

The band director, who plays saxophone, played at a local club afterwards that night. I went and checked it out, interested in how he played. It was an R&B group, but still fun. I recognized a small majority of the tunes. They even played one of my favorites.

It was a surprisingly eventful weekend, which is a welcome change of events.

So that explains the first word. The second is a little weirder. When I was in highschool, I was playing several classical pieces that were really very difficult. Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu“, Lizst’s “Love Dream (Liebestraum) in Ab”, and Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in C# minor – The Bells of Moscow”. These pieces simply cannot be read off the page. They must be practiced, and practiced again, and memorized. But you don’t memorize the notes: your muscles memorize the exact position and movements of your hands. So the mind is free to wander or concentrate, or whatever. Several times, I remember just sitting back and watching myself playing, and thinking, “Wow! Am I really playing this?” “Is this really me?” So wow became a personal descriptor of my own playing. Arrogant, I know. But it stuck with me.

When it came time to think of my first online moniker, I put the two together, and there you have it: PianoWow.

I haven’t mentioned playing the piano in my blog recently because I simply haven’t been doing much playing. But yesterday I got a call from a professor at a local community college, and he needed a pianist. I happily agreed, eager to start playing again. I’ll be sure to fill you in as to how it goes. I’m picking up the charts tonight, and the rehearsal is tomorrow night. Concert is Saturday. Fun stuff!