Hello Fellow Musicians!

I go by the handle Captain Pinky as I'm planning on writing some "Trop Rock" tunes but my real name is Ellen. I am the daughter of Bob88. He was fairly active on these forums until a few years ago. He spoke often about how helpful everyone here was. I'm sorry to share that he passed away in August of 2023 after a brief illness at the age of 83. He was an elementary music teacher in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada for over 3 decades and was an integral member of the local music community. Our family and friends miss him dearly but are so grateful for the musical legacy he leaves behind. He was a virtuoso. No exaggeration. The fact that he was still creating music in his early '80s was incredible. He recorded several albums over the years that we now cherish more than ever. Always remember that's the beauty of music! It is an eternal gift.

I was blessed to inherit his Yamaha Genos keyboard. I took a 17-hour road trip with my brother to bring it from the east coast to Ontario last year.

It sat untouched in my home office for 12 months. I am a singer, pianist and guitarist myself so I was familiar with his previous keyboards but for some reason felt this one was sacred. I knew he loved his Tyros and that his new Genos gave him some issues that were well lamented here! LOL! I didn't want to touch it, lose any of his stored settings or recordings.

Yesterday, I finally mustered up the courage, hooked it up and started tinkering on it. Wow! What fun memories and joy playing it has brought in just a few hours! My only wish is that Dad could be with me showing me the ropes. I know he's happy that it has sparked creativity again.

My main instrument is my voice. I have an opera performance degree from McGill University (Dad was adamant about classical training!) but lean more towards pop and jazz genres as well as my above mentioned new interest in Trop Rock. I studied piano starting at the age of 6 and like crunchy chords and unique melodies.

I used to gig around Toronto performing what I called "Blues-Infused, Folk-Pop" originals and dabbled at musical theatre and television. My husband and I are launching a new YouTube channel about our international travels and I'm tremendously excited about using the Genos to create the soundtrack!

Despite my father's influence, I never really took it upon myself to learn much about Midi and sequencing so this forum will be a lifeline to me! I'm an Apple/Mac person so I'm familiar with Garage Band but have an inkling I'm going to need to figure out new editing software for the Genos! It continues to amaze me how much my Dad learned in his senior years. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Thank you all in advance for your input and expertise! I look forward to collaborating with this fun community!

Cheers!
Captain Pinky

Hello,

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Very interesting read, indeed.

Looking forward to hearing your music

Best regards

Ron,

Fellow Ontarian

Thank you for the warm welcome, Ronbo!

Hello Capt Pinky

Welcome to the forum. You will want to check the PSRTutorial web site for lessons and even more free styles for your keyboard.
 
Lessons: https://psrtutorial.com/lessons/index.html

Styles: https://psrtutorial.com/sty/index.html

I had to look up what "Trop Rock" was. LOL

I do several such songs for my gigs. All the styles are ones I put together using parts of various Yamaha styles.

If you are look for examples of what your keyboard is capable of doing check them out.

"Cheeseburger In Paradise" Jimmy Buffett cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbNmBhDPDck&list=RDnbNmBhDPDck&start_radio=1

"It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" Alan Jackson cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E01zPZZbHcE&list=RDE01zPZZbHcE&start_radio=1

"Chicken Fried" Zac Brown cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-PUwIqMSL4&list=RDT-PUwIqMSL4&start_radio=1

"Toes" Zac Brown cover
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Cheers
Drake

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and links, Drake! Those are some wonderful "Trop Rock" covers! Well done!

@Captain Pinky
Welcome to the PSR Tutorial Forum, Ellen! And thank you for the detailed words about yourself.


All the best from Germany,
Chris

Danke shoen, Chris!

I believe you helped my dad with some of his questions back in the day. I know he appreciated this community very much! I look forward to learning from everyone!

@Captain Pinky,

Welcome to the PSR Tutorial Forum!

Best regards,
Alex

Welcome to the forums!

Mark

Hallo Ellen! I give you a warm welcome from Trnodheim, Norway.
The Genos is a wonderful keyboard. Have fun. Sad to hear of your dad's passing, now the music lives on.
I see you are a singer, then you will appreciate the harmony function on the Genos. I look forward to hearing you. All the best from Toril.

Thank you so much, Toril, Alex and Mark! I'm loving the welcoming vibes here!

And yes Toril, my mic is hooked up and I'm having fun with the vocals! The Genos is incredible! I've already composed the theme song for our YouTube vlog on it! This instrument is an absolute delight!

Cheers!

Welcome Ellen from Baysville Muskoka. Have a  PSRsx900.    You got LUCKY-   Just turned 91-  Norm (Okeedokee)

Thank you Norm! Muskoka is a beautiful region of our province! Congrats on your 91st birthday! I truly believe music keeps us feeling young!

Dear Ellen,

what a brilliant person you are! It was interesting to red your post, with so many details.

I'm sure you will enjoy a lot this Forum. After more than 20 years playing Korg arrangers I moved to Yamaha, and was a completely new world to me, as the two systems follow different methods. But I was lucky to join the Forum, and that made my learning of Yamaha structure much easier and faster.

So, welcome to the Forum!

Ciao,

Angelo, from Roma, Italy

Ciao Angelo!

Thank you for your kind note. You live in a beautiful city and country. We visited Rome in 2022 and loved it! I studied opera in university and I really enjoyed learning Italian arias.

Grazie!
Ellen

Welcome Ellen, I'm sorry to hear about your dad, our Yamaha buddy, but it's really lovely that you are carrying his torch. I hope you don't have too many causes to need the forum but that you will pop in with progress reports!

From Philadelphia PA. that was a nice story and welcome to the forum.