Forum Introductions

Introduce yourself, show your set up, discuss tips, ask questions, and more!
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sw1tch73ch
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Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:23 pm

Forum Introductions

Post by sw1tch73ch » Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:40 am

I scrolled through the General Chat topics and didn't find any thing where we would introduce ourselves. So I'm starting this topic. If there is already such a topic, point me there!

With any social structure the success often depends on community support and friendships built there. So I'd like to propose we introduce ourselves as it relates to using Playground Sessions and our piano education. I suggest we state our goals for this platform, our background music education and experience, and anything else that seems relevant.

To start, then, I am John Sandlin. My user handle sw1tch73ch is a long standing ID i've used online for literally decades. In the late 1980's and early 1990s, just before and as the Internet was entering the public arena, I was SwitchTech on the Delphi On-Line service. Since there is a company that is called Switchtech and has an internet domain by that name, I changed mine up to differentiate myself from them. Probably like many here I have long been into using computers to work with music. I bought my first MIDI capable keyboard, a tiny Yamaha PSS-480, around 1989 or 1990, along with a MIDI interface (a clone of the then famous Roland MPU-401). That MIDI interface came with Twelve Tones Systems, Inc. Cakewalk. At this point, I was hooked.

Before all that, long, long ago, I took accordion lessons. I wasn't a large person then and so the thing weighed a significant proportion of my own weight. I distinctly remember learning and practicing "Never On A Sunday" and never really getting it right. I gave up on the accordion and tried to learn piano. At least I didn't have to carry a piano on my body. I don't recall taking any official piano lessons, but I had Hal Leonard student books that I got from somewhere (so I suspect an actual piano teacher was involved). I have to confess I did not get very far with those lessons. I think my family moved around that time. Over the years I'd practice on the upright piano my folks had, not necessarily developing any good habits.

I've tried a handful of computer based learning systems and found only one program I really liked, but then it stopped working as I upgraded operating systems. It was designed for Windows 95. I discovered it just before I upgraded to Windows XP. I've been watching for something decent ever since then (early 2000's). I bought many boxes of software in this pursuit. Now we have Playground Sessions and this looks like a winner.

I have a Yamaha YPG-635 (the same as a DGX-630) with a small Intel NUC (a really tiny computer) connected via USB with Playground Sessions installed on it. My goal is to reach a level where I can play my favorite songs for personal pleasure. I want to be able to play songs purely as piano pieces and also sometimes with the built in accompaniment of the digital piano.

So what about you all? Any goals of going pro playing classical music at Carnegie Hall? Maybe you want to play Happy Birthday and Christmas Carols for your kids and grand kids. Maybe you want to play keyboards with a band. I'm curious about this group of people I'm learning piano with.
== Just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing, playing, playing! ==

-- jbs --

davidsides
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Re: Forum Introductions

Post by davidsides » Tue Nov 08, 2016 12:45 pm

Great idea!

I actually just created a forum for this very thing. Please add your post there:
http://forums.playgroundsessions.com/vi ... 55&t=10753

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