For two days I had two pianos in my living room that doesn't really fit two pianos. I had set up my digital one there rather than lug it back upstairs just to do a test. It had been sitting quietly in my front foyer waiting for its next excursion and I kind of quit noticing it... walking by it every day... but it had been 5 weeks and you know what that meant?
There was a log
house jam Friday night.
house jam Friday night.
I set it up Thursday because my friend, Sherpa, loaned me an amp to try. At our last log house jam, the piano was a little too quiet. It's not that it was too quiet for me because its speakers point towards me, but apparently the others thought they should hear it too. So I had this amp, a 10 year old Roland CM-30 cube monitor to try.
I have to tell you, having someone hand me an amp is much quicker than me looking for a solution. As a techie, I dive into reading reviews and recommendations, specs, trends, what to avoid, and I get pulled into a huge morass of data not intended for someone who only wants to play at an open mic. It was worse after I visited two stores.
At the first one, I remember thinking, wow, buying the piano really was just the start. I was given a tour of combo amps, powered speakers, monitors, and PA systems. Most of them were more than I needed and more than what I wanted to spend, and the stores didn't have a single keyboard amp in stock.
So there I was, barely able to move around in my piano-filled room but using the piano I would use that night with the loaner amp. I connected the amp and sound came out. Yay!
I really didn't have anything to compare it with but it sounded like my piano and the highs and lows were good. Some of the funky sounds I never use, like strings, were also good. I just wished I could trust my ears but I can't, so I went online to figure out if this amp, which turned out to be a monitor, was a good idea.
Keyboard Amplifiers
Keyboard amps are not like sexy electric guitar amps. The guitar players want those effects: distortion, reverb, echo, chorus, flange, phase, autowah. The keyboard players get what they want from their instrument and just want it coming out the amp and speakers the exact same way. Therefore the frequency range for a keyboard amp must be quite wide to get those sonorous lows and crystal clear highs, and more so to amplify synthesizer sounds.
Other Amplifiers
Bass amps are designed to reproduce those low bass sounds and they need a lot of power for the sounds to be heard when mixed with other instruments. The electric guitar amps, like I mentioned, are for the electric guitars and are packed with features. The acoustic guitars use an amp that's a little closer to the keyboard amp with a wider frequency range for the lows, highs, and harmonics of the acoustic guitars. And just like Goldilocks and the porridge, the keyboard amp is just right... except that they aren't as common.
PA Systems
It seems that a good substitute for a keyboard amp is a PA system. Since many amps have an input for a microphone, and keyboard amps have the wide frequency range, they're similar to low end PA systems. PAs have the same goal of amplifying sound without changing it in other ways.
If you're out playing at some venue, you might use their PA system but keep in mind that smaller venues might not have a dedicated sound man. For that reason alone, some keyboard players get their own small PA just so they have some local volume and equalizer control.
Monitors
Another option, and the one I ended up using, is a monitor. Like the keyboard amp and PA, monitors are also designed to reproduce the original sounds whether it's in a studio, or on stage as a live monitor. You are monitoring the actual sound so you can adjust it as necessary.
Confirmed. This monitor, at 30 Watts and most importantly for me, really light (12 lbs or 5.6 kg) was a pretty good one for my purposes. It has a surprisingly powerful sound for its size. So I'm all set with amplification.
After my last jam, my strategy
was to get some songs of my own
was to get some songs of my own
Learning to jam with others requires some ear training and that's my weakest skill. I reasoned that it would be easier for others to accompany me than for me to accompany them, so I learned one good song and practised a few others that I knew other people would know. I kept thinking how with 5 weeks notice, the jam still caught me by surprise.
The Jam
Sherpa picked me up and guess what? If you read about my last jam, you know how I really wanted to carry my own instrument, and I'm not that big. Well, the snow on my walkway was mostly gone so I could use the wheels on the bag, and Sherpa had eye surgery last week so he couldn't whisk my piano away on me. I wheeled it out to the car, and wrestled it into the back myself.
When we arrived at the log house, I struggled to get it back out of the car, then across the gravel, and then I was faced with about a million steps up to the deck. Okay, maybe it was 10 steps, but I was carrying 56 lbs (over 25 kg) and that bag stands as high as my nose. I made it!
Setting up the piano is getting quicker each time. It's only slow because the legs screw in. Then others people arrived and then the playing started, and with a little volume tweaking, miracle of miracles, I could hear the piano with the other instruments. I no longer wondered why I felt so lost the previous time. So at this jam, including musicians and onlookers (some of whom made fabulous munchies), there were 18 of us. We didn't quite all fit in the room playing at the same time so smaller groups took turns and we had some great singers.
I think it was after the 4th song that Sherpa, calling from across the room, asked if I wanted to play one and I shook my head no. Nothing like having a guy put you on the spot. I was thinking, "let me have a glass of wine first." I was still finding my legs, er, fingers, pleased that I was recognizing some chords. Just a bit later he asked again. Did he think I was shy? I might have given him one of those i-will-kill-you-looks. I hope not, but really, when I'm ready I can speak up. The bass player was standing nearby and he gave me some help with chord progressions. The newest guitar player was getting more help too. They're a pretty supportive group. A while later, Sherpa said "Under the Boardwalk" knowing I had practised it, and our host launched right into playing it before I knew the key. Imagine my surprise when I was offered a solo. My jaw must have hit my chest!
Anyway, I participated in this jam more than the last one, and someone who doesn't often get a chance to play piano, had a turn too. At the end of the night, I was coaxed into playing "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" and did a passable authentic version while others sang. Yes, most of us are over 50 so you have to expect some old classics.
I think my biggest take away from
this jam was that it's a process.
this jam was that it's a process.
I'm going to keep working on songs that people know and it will get easier each time. And I must work on singing more. My piano teacher tells me that it's tough to sing and play piano. He was surprised I could do it, but I don't stand a chance on bouncy or difficult songs. That's going to take some time. And I think it will be a few more of these jam sessions before I try an open mic.
Getting home, of course, was the reverse of getting there and I had help getting the piano down the stairs and back into the car. It's back sitting in my front foyer waiting for next time, probably in 5 weeks.
Here is how my year has gone, so far...
My 2018 Music Goal - Part I
My 2018 Music Goal - Part II
My 2018 Music Goal - Part III
My 2018 Music Goal - Log House Jam
As I have said every time, if you play the piano or keyboard, I would be grateful for any advice!
References
Roland CM-30 Cube Monitor
Guitar, Bass, and Keyboard Amplifier Buying Guide
Getting Your Amplification Right
Images
All photos are from my iPad. The piano keyboard is from Pixabay.
