Poor poly-instrumentalist fancies a whole orchestra backs him

[Dr.Riton]

What money can buy... I'm almost famous now! A whole orchestra finally recognized my talent and is willingly supporting my unconventional improvisations, unstopably beating through novel harmonic progressions, and tirelessly helping deliver to the world an entirely new brand of subtly disparaging contra-rythmic explorations.
Their name ? The PSRs770.
At the grim prospect of being slightly outnumbered by a younger, hardly-fancier ensemble, they accepted a reasonable cachet to accompany me along what I'm sure will be years of worldwide entertainment.
I could somewhat play, although poorly, some violin, and some piano. I did take a year of trumpet, too, and loved it, especially with accompaniment tools like irealpro, but it's a bit too physically challenging; it's all about producing a nice sound. Other instruments I cannot play include trombone, guitar, clarinet. I enjoy some synth (waldorf blofeld) together with expressive keyboards, sequencers, although see it as a lonely musical pleasure.

After minutes playing with the PSRs770, randomly selecting a big-band rythm and picking some sax ensemble and trumpet, I couldn't help it : I was Quincy Jones conducting a shiny brass ensemble with Miles Davis reaching for new feelings in old tunes at Montreux... Of course that needed a bit of work and rehearsal after rehearsal the rythm was becoming better, the harmonic progressions landing somewhere, and the music I happen to love emerges, magically, and with tears in my eyes. For hours.

The public may not be ready for that kind of entertainment. Only your mother loves you that much, and will support your most repetitive experiments. Yet I must confess a prejudice: arranger keyboards restrict the field of possible music. What I'm discovering is that it essentially eliminates note combinations that are not music, and discovered how much creative control remains in your hands.

The PSRs770 was initially intended for my son. Why, sorry sonny! I get to be the star.

PS: many thanks to the community here for their messages about the 770, which helped trigger the purchase before it became too late. Saved me about 400€!

[Toril S]

Have fun😀😀😀

[Roger Brenizer]

Hi Dr.Riton,

Welcome to the forum and thank you for becoming a member.  Thank you for your most entertaining post, also.  I'm sure you're going to learn a great deal about your new PSR-S770 keyboard here on the forum and will experience many pleasurable hours playing it.

You'll want to be sure to visit the Home page and check out some of the tutorials you will find links to there.  This link will take you to the Home page of the website: http://psrtutorial.com/

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You'll also gain access to an Excel Song Index database, made available to supporting members by our good friend Peter (XeeniX), which presently contains 48,000 plus song titles in over 700 indexed books.  This index is updated often.

In lieu of making a donation only, you may also order any of the websites resources, which can be found at the following link:

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Joe Waters updated "Supporting the PSR Tutorial", on August 27, 2017, which can be found here:

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Finally, if you would like to be included in our PSR Tutorial Member Map that will allow you to place your Pin on the map, which will disclose your location to other forum members, you'll find information at the following link:

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We're so glad you've decided to become a member and very happy you've decided to become a part of this great forum family.  If you have any questions, then please just ask.  There are many members here that are always very willing to help you.

[panos]

Dr Riton,
that was such a cool and enjoyable post to read.

As for the arranger you are talking about,
tell that to those who complain about the sounds of even better keyboards.

No, we cannot have all the members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra every time we switch on our keyboard
(too many wages,who can afford to pay them all anyway:P )
but still we have so many orchestras for all kinds of music just to be controlled and directed by our left (bad) hand.
Wellcome my friend and have fun 

[Toril S]

Yes, welcome, my friend, and it was a very enjoyable post! That was what made me buy a keyboard. All that sound out of just one instrument, a full orchestra at your fingertips! I have a sense of wonder every time I sit down at my keyboard. And as for the bad left hand, that goes for me too. i never was a good piano player, but who cares when that magnificent orchestra backs you up

[whataguy]

What's up with this rash of members joining this forum and do NOT give any information about themselves? Are you people terrorist spies trying to infiltrate an organization of damn fine people that'll pour their musical hearts out to you? You can know everything about us and we know nothing about you. You think maybe you're age is an issue, I and a bunch of our members are way older than you. You may be my neighbor and I wouldn't even know, and 'm dying to be near to someone that shares my interest in music. Maybe we should only allow you limited access if you give only limited info. C'mon, we're all family here and we won't yell at you if you mess up! Sorry for the rant but the damn Red Wings are losing again so I'm going back to playing my FOR SALE T5 at a stupid low price 'cause I want a Genos.  Don in MI

[alanclare]

Don

I think we get a clue as to Dr. Riton's age in (and I quote):

"The PSRs770 was initially intended for my son. Why, sorry sonny! I get to be the star."

I don't think that I'd be buying my 50-year old son an expensive bit of gear like a Yamaha arranger. With the money he's on, he's more likely to be buying me one.

Welcome Dr. Riton. We look forward to more of the same from you.

Alan

[whataguy]

Thank you Alan, I'm still confused with the secrecy. Maybe that's why my parents always kept the bedroom door closed D.

[DonM]

How refreshing to see such command of the English language! 
I imagine humility, rather than sinister motives, would play a part in his not including more personal details. 
Welcome to the forum Doc!

[Dr.Riton]

Dear whataguy, Alan is on the right track. Take it as a guessing game.

Where I live, Friendships build over time, and superficial display of friendship is not a sign of good education. Sorry if that hurts your feelings, but at least that may adress the neighbourhood anxiety.

If you have authority to set limited forum access, please do to your liking! it's perfectly fine, easy to do with phpbb forums like this one, and sometimes needed; I do it myself on a music forum I master.

Should the anonymity of the internet not be your thing, nor the various persona each of us from the rash adopt here and there, please just ignore us; I would take no offense, and enjoy the day anyways. Otherwise, with time, you may come to appreciate this creature of mine that Dr.Riton might become.  But please never fool yourself into believing this is me, just as I will not believe that whataguy is that set of posts of yours. That's how some people end up thinking of internet trolls as real-life people, you know ? 

So, where can I listen to your music?

[whataguy]

Try the Performer Page for music from several years ago which has greatly improved thanks to the help I've received from the beautiful people of this forum. Feel free to believe that I am what me posts suggest. Never changes, the same today as yesterday and plan on it for tomorrow, it's called being real. Don in MI

[Dr.Riton]

OK, we have very different views as to what being sincere and being real may mean.
Nevertheless I like your big-band pieces much, as well as the sonic variety/experiment in Bei mir bist Du schön. The violin sounds surprisingly good for a synth. The latin stuff is yummy too. Thanks for sharing!

[Toril S]

The guys talking music now😀 You will become friends😀

[whataguy]

Thanks for the kind words DL even though those offerings are from 3-4 years ago, with the help of the fine people of this forum by the aid and examples I have improved greatly. However, what I have not improved on is the quality of my performance when the recorder goes on, I freeze up. Again thank you, you have given me the inspiration to post some new stuff. Don in MI

[whataguy]

Hey Toril S. You are totally right. I try to live by Roger B.'s motto MIML. Don in MI

[MarcusAhlback]

Haha, awesome presentation!
Welcome my friend.

Best regards Marcus

[Lofty(dave)]

In Reply To Whataguys question why don't members tell more about themselves .

Well here goes hope its not too boreing .I started with a piano in 1954 which cost my mum £5 had piano lessons past first exam with London college of music .moved on to 120 5voice hohner accordion in around 1960 moved onto organs Tamaha b20r up sticks and moved to Wales in 1972 .and there was a period when I was without organ 1984 was given by my late dad in law a Lowery tg98 .moved again to Derbyshire with my shire horse and 10 seater carriage business lived in a caravan so organ went keyboards from then on Yamaha p.s.r 620- 740 -- 9000- ty1 -2--4 straight exchance to my existing s970 of which I am really enjoying would really love the Genos but sadly funds wont allow it and now at just over 80yrs of age unless I won the lottery one can dream . but saying that im getting some beautifull sounds out of my s970 thanks to the u.s.b sticks I have purchased . I go twice a year to The seaside town of Skeggness to a weekend with all my keyboard friends and have a really good time with listening and participateing looking forward to hearing the genoses that some of the members have got I am now back in Wales and my keyboard setup in the corner of the sitting room wearing my headphones and realy l in heaven each time I play Cheers Lofty ( Dave )

[Dr.Riton]

Three weeks in...

More and more surprised at how much i enjoy this.

I really wasn't too much of a believer in arranger keyboards myself, with memories of very mechanical and repetitive, low-quality sound. And concerned with the lack of creativity that may result from using canned music. I was so clueless.

Again this was originally intended for my 12-y old. I'm surprised to see how as a pianist, and has stuck to his piano ways, and is exploring this intrument in very different ways i do. Well he has not even cared to open the user's manual either, which may be related  He probably is a bit overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities and has not the rigor needed to make his way through it.
My 9-y old, who otherwise plays cello, has listened to a couple tricks i told her, and enjoys playing every tune she can with a saxophone and the 3 chords i taught her...

Thanks to the simplified 'AI' fingering at left hand, i have made tremendous progress. That function is excellent for (late) beginners, that have a hard time with the dexterity and automatic positioning of finger needed for accompaniment. Not only it makes possible and extremely rewarding what used to be super painful, but it does also helps to memorize the chords, and then port back these learnings to the piano.

So, what about the music i play ? So far, I'm using  alot the jazz/big band styles, brass and woodwind, and a bit of guitar (they sound really nice). Playing the 1st page of Strauss's Blue Danube in a mixed classical/jazz ways was my first challenge. There are still some glitches here and there, but it's getting in.
I then (re-)created a brass tune based on the intro of one of the Beetles hits, with big band style, and i love that energy.
(experiencing posting issues beyond this point, so the rest is below)

[Dr.Riton]

(Continued) 
Joplin's Summertime has been my best piece so far. Jazz balad, sax on R1 and guitar on R2, Am-E7-Am-Dm... Very sweet. You can put so much in this lullaby. I even started singing on the accompaniment, which i had not done before. The inItial high-E is fine, but the A above (ornament) is vocally challenging. Spent most of the evening on building a James Bond theme as basis for impro - recorded my first multipad!