A humble perspective . . .
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:33 am
I am 54 years old and have had a full and interesting life so far, encompassing the occasional highs and lows, but with most of my living occurring in the day-to-day grind of existence somewhere near the middle. From a relatively early age I have literally cherished prog rock — particularly for the keyboards. When my peers were consumed with pop radio, I played my Yes, Genesis and Floyd albums (and others) on my crappy little turntable until I actually wore them out and had to replace them. (I for one was ecstatic with the convenience and durability provided by the introduction of CDs) I do not apologize for my tastes in music and neither should anyone else have to defend their choices. “My” music has brought me great joy, satisfaction and comfort over the years, and if someone else with different musical tastes attains the same thrill from their chosen genre, well more power to them.
I was not a musician but lived in a fantasy of someday being one. My fingers merrily “played” the “keys” of any flat surface as I followed along with some intricate tune, happily imagining myself in the studio or up on a stage with one of my heroes, my gods — Wakeman, Wright, Banks and Emerson (among others). At age 40, flush with the cash of birthday offerings I headed out and bought a Casio “synth” and played it to my hearts content, reveling in the joy of making music and exploring the possibilities that modern keyboards offer. My initial purchase was soon followed by Alesis, Kurzweil, Novation and Korg products, and of course, stands, cables, mixers, amps, monitors, etc: I found myself in keyboard heaven. I am still not a “musician” but I love my rig and what I can do with it brings me untold hours of peace of mind and productive entertainment. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My only regret is that I didn’t buy that initial Casio or its equivalent years earlier.
So why the autobiography? As I grew, though not a musician, I loved the Moogs, Mellotrons, Sequential Circuits, Arps, Hammonds, etc. I knew them all and hunted for hints to their particulars in an age before the internet (in many respects life with the Web is soooo much easier). And now (deep breath) I own a Slim Phatty and have ordered a Voyager XL. I have followed the nuanced, passionate, insightful, joyful and sometimes angry debates that have flowed back and forth across the forums concerning the legitimacy of the XL and have come to my own conclusion. I now have the chance to possess my own piece of history from the beginning and I am not going to squander this opportunity. I have no doubt that in the future Voyagers and Phattys will surely generate the same intense passion and fervor of the beloved Model D and other legendary synths. And now I have the opportunity to cherish, pamper and most importantly, play these instruments straight out of the box until I no longer can. In my humble opinion, I believe that in 20 years the XL will be the instrument that legions will regret they did not purchase when they had the chance (then again I might be totally off the mark!). Are the XL’s prohibitively expensive and do they strain my budget? Of course! However, I have friends and acquaintances with vacation homes, motorcycles, boats, sports cars, horses, etc, and compared to what they pay for their pleasures, well I think I’m getting off relatively easy. So that’s my uncalled-for perspective and I want you all to know that that I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from what you have had to offer in the forums and genuinely look forward to your musings, advice and camaraderie in the future.
Respectfully,
chris
I was not a musician but lived in a fantasy of someday being one. My fingers merrily “played” the “keys” of any flat surface as I followed along with some intricate tune, happily imagining myself in the studio or up on a stage with one of my heroes, my gods — Wakeman, Wright, Banks and Emerson (among others). At age 40, flush with the cash of birthday offerings I headed out and bought a Casio “synth” and played it to my hearts content, reveling in the joy of making music and exploring the possibilities that modern keyboards offer. My initial purchase was soon followed by Alesis, Kurzweil, Novation and Korg products, and of course, stands, cables, mixers, amps, monitors, etc: I found myself in keyboard heaven. I am still not a “musician” but I love my rig and what I can do with it brings me untold hours of peace of mind and productive entertainment. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My only regret is that I didn’t buy that initial Casio or its equivalent years earlier.
So why the autobiography? As I grew, though not a musician, I loved the Moogs, Mellotrons, Sequential Circuits, Arps, Hammonds, etc. I knew them all and hunted for hints to their particulars in an age before the internet (in many respects life with the Web is soooo much easier). And now (deep breath) I own a Slim Phatty and have ordered a Voyager XL. I have followed the nuanced, passionate, insightful, joyful and sometimes angry debates that have flowed back and forth across the forums concerning the legitimacy of the XL and have come to my own conclusion. I now have the chance to possess my own piece of history from the beginning and I am not going to squander this opportunity. I have no doubt that in the future Voyagers and Phattys will surely generate the same intense passion and fervor of the beloved Model D and other legendary synths. And now I have the opportunity to cherish, pamper and most importantly, play these instruments straight out of the box until I no longer can. In my humble opinion, I believe that in 20 years the XL will be the instrument that legions will regret they did not purchase when they had the chance (then again I might be totally off the mark!). Are the XL’s prohibitively expensive and do they strain my budget? Of course! However, I have friends and acquaintances with vacation homes, motorcycles, boats, sports cars, horses, etc, and compared to what they pay for their pleasures, well I think I’m getting off relatively easy. So that’s my uncalled-for perspective and I want you all to know that that I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from what you have had to offer in the forums and genuinely look forward to your musings, advice and camaraderie in the future.
Respectfully,
chris
, but they usually shut up when i ask them why they spent over $1700 on just a guitar. 