Here’s the painful difference between credit cards and cash:
I was able to buy the complete Jamstix suite via my credit card (which I pay off monthly save for the last month and this month due to the exorbitant cost of moving to a new house) since my billing cycle closes on June 10.
I found a baby grand piano in great condition on CraigsList for $100. (The sellers moved and found out they didn’t have the space for it so they had to sell ASAP.) I couldn’t afford the cost of the piano and the piano movers to get it transported to my house.
Don’t be despondent; a baby grand is almost never worth it. They’re not big enough to sound like a normal piano, they take up a lot of space, and cost a lot to maintain properly. Really, a baby grand is a piece of furniture before it is an instrument. Although, it does make a spectacular bonfire, as the strings pop!
Ok, this is my fault. You are all assuming I wanted it to record.
I wanted it to play. It has always been on my Bucket List; my wife has wanted one too (her stepfather has a white grand in his house); and my 3 year old has a huge music bug in her. She loves to play my keyboards (and has a blast with my VSTs), my guitars, and her junior drum kit.
So this was more for the family and less for recording.
There are good pianos and some that leave a lot to be desired. I happen to own a 5’8" Baldwin baby grand and it’s a good one. It also happens to serve as the foundation for my DAW. Just above the piano keyboard, I have a Korg M1 which serves as my main MIDI controller, along with a 20 inch monitor left over from a 2002 G5 whose mother board just lost its life last month after having functioned for 9.5 years… and even then, my computer system was not without its share of headaches regarding software, disk drives, RAM, and storage issues. All told, I’ve had this particular piano for almost 20 years with no problems and I don’t anticipate having to replace it. I’ve put more money into the purchase, repair and maintenance of electronic gear than I’ve ever had to spend on the piano. My piano sounds great, it’s the real deal, something which VSTi’s emulate. It’s solid compared to my electronic gear.
For me, the most important thing about my piano is that it keeps me, as an artist, more spontaneously connected to my ‘source,’ - my ‘muse’ - for more spontaneous musical expression than any of my electronics afford me. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate my DAW, and I can get creative with that too… but I don’t always have to power up all my gear when a musical idea comes along. I can just start by touching some piano keys. Last weekend, I did a gig in a casino grand ballroom with just piano and a mic. It was awesome.
Yeah, I realize that I’m blessed to have a good paying job that affords me the opportunity to occasionally splurge on myself. You have only heard about the 3 purchases I’ve made (Komplete 8, the Cubase 4.x to 6.x upgrade, and now Jamstix) but you have to realize that it is highly unusual for me to do that. The last significant purchase that was made that was not on a monthly payment plan (12 months same as cash, usually) was Battery 3 in late 2007.
If you have small kids in the house, then a piano is a must… later in life they will see one in different scenarios and gravitate towards it, which will be a great ice-breaker for them…
True story. Me at age 4 making out my Christmas list for Santa.
Me: “Mom? How do you spell piano?”
Mom: “I don’t know son. I’m sorry.”
Me: “But I want a piano for Christmas.”
Mom: “Why don’t you write down ‘musical instrument?’”
I got a guitar that year. Mom wasn’t stupid about instrument prices.
Well, I was just trying to make him feel good! Yours is a nice one! But one for $100 is probably not in the same category. I have a 5’8" Kawai that I bought about 10 years ago, and I think it sounds great; just have to watch the humidity in the room.
Also agree, piano in the house is great for the kids. And a guitar for Christmas is also nice!
Oh, and Larry, if you bought Komplete 8, try Studio Drummer. It’s hard on the CPU, but I think it sounds great. Much more realistic than the Battery kits, I think. Real step forward. That was the only reason I upgraded, actually.
Naw, you’re thinking something into it. I just wanted to be like in random-act-of-rudeness for a second so nothing personal. Keeps me all warm and fuzzy inside … that’s me!
