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Why is it easier to find rocking horse sh*t than it is to find synth players in north northumberland and the scottish borders?

Because everybody and their dog wants to be a guitar god. Believe me, Bro, it's the same on this side of The Pond.

yeah its not as popular coz the young kids dont see synthesizers being swung round peoples heads....i guess...

djmistat wrote:yeah its not as popular coz the young kids dont see synthesizers being swung round peoples heads....i guess...

They have never heard of Steinberg controllers? LOL

totally agree with you guys. Personally i think watching the likes of Jarre performing his live docklands performance in the 80s using a multi coloured light based keyboard generating sound according to his hand positions a lot more impressive and original, than a fender strat being swung around a couple of times before being embedded in an innocently bystanding marshal amp lol.
Also most people dont realise that music creation is similar to painting, if you only have a couple of colours then your final picture will be limited. The modern day synths have so many sounds {colours} to choose from or create, that your final work of art is limited only by the capacity of the imagination.

even more annoying are the people that dont class synthesizers and keyboards as musical instuments....

Ah well, if you will live in such inaccessible spots, what can you expect? Once you're north of Morpeth there's nothing but sheep, surely (I speak as a former Newcastle resident). Now if you were looking for a keyboard player in Cheshire, I'd be your man....

djmistat wrote:even more annoying are the people that dont class synthesizers and keyboards as musical instuments....

HA! I used to share a studio with a photographer, and one day as I was working on an electronic piece with my synth array all fired up, a symphony conductor who was getting his photo shot wandered in, looked around for a second and said "I can play all this....just show me where the 'on' button is". I ushered the asshole quickly back to the photo section.

I should have told him on the way that I was reading scores before he was able to hold his own mud.....but oh well, the things keyboardists have to put up with, huh?

Irminsul wrote:

djmistat wrote:even more annoying are the people that dont class synthesizers and keyboards as musical instuments....

HA! I used to share a studio with a photographer, and one day as I was working on an electronic piece with my synth array all fired up, a symphony conductor who was getting his photo shot wandered in, looked around for a second and said "I can play all this....just show me where the 'on' button is". I ushered the asshole quickly back to the photo section.

I should have told him on the way that I was reading scores before he was able to hold his own mud.....but oh well, the things keyboardists have to put up with, huh?

the on button...HA! couldnt have been much worse unless he'd have asked what "it" was and what "it" did...lol......
yeah, like the people who think because they can use an orchesteral or choir sample, and press and hold 2 keys for a minute at a time thinks that means theyre good.... hmmm.....

djmistat wrote:the on button...HA! couldnt have been much worse unless he'd have asked what "it" was and what "it" did...lol......
yeah, like the people who think because they can use an orchesteral or choir sample, and press and hold 2 keys for a minute at a time thinks that means theyre good.... hmmm.....

You know I put alot of this crap down to the fact that electronic music in general is still a relatively new music form. I mean the Moog wasn't even invented until the 60s. I don't think world music culture really quite knows where to put it yet. This causes confusion in the minds of people who are always seeking qualitative judgements as to whether some instrument or music form has any validity or not. I'd say give it a century before any sort of general acceptance sinks in.

The "two fingers" players are more empowered by the sound their synth is making instead of what they are actually doing to play it. That's why I like that quote from synth-new music veteran Brian Eno who says, when you see someone doing that kinda thing, and flipping through the presets, they are not searching for a sound, they are searching for an idea. Hence we are in an age with no shortage of great sounds - but coming up way short with new ideas.

I am not sure that the music culture will ever be able to catagorize the synth. A good stand alone example of up front synth might be Cars by Gary Numan. How about synth in a celtic catagory?
Over the years ive found nothing comes close to the amalgamation of synthesizers ( not using the naff embarrasing straight presets) and traditional instruments. A good friend of mine is a harp maker, he also makes hammer dulcimas, and hurdy gurdies (excuse spelling) amongst other things. The most evocative, haunting and synergistic sessions ive ever had is when this friend brings an array of these charismatic looking works of art to my small home studio for an all nighter with a couple of other musicians.
Hurdy miked up, sometimes a touch of delay. Fiddle, djembie even digi,
amongst other things. All complemented by an array of weird synth work,
(the only straight sound to come from my synths would only be a good bass sample if we had no basist). A good night would see us visiting the land of the celts interupted by a few spells of musical astronomy lol.
Anyways point is synth can complement most genres of music if allowed.

Micawber wrote:I am not sure that the music culture will ever be able to catagorize the synth. A good stand alone example of up front synth might be Cars by Gary Numan. How about synth in a celtic catagory?
Over the years ive found nothing comes close to the amalgamation of synthesizers ( not using the naff embarrasing straight presets) and traditional instruments. A good friend of mine is a harp maker, he also makes hammer dulcimas, and hurdy gurdies (excuse spelling) amongst other things. The most evocative, haunting and synergistic sessions ive ever had is when this friend brings an array of these charismatic looking works of art to my small home studio for an all nighter with a couple of other musicians.
Hurdy miked up, sometimes a touch of delay. Fiddle, djembie even digi,
amongst other things. All complemented by an array of weird synth work,
(the only straight sound to come from my synths would only be a good bass sample if we had no basist). A good night would see us visiting the land of the celts interupted by a few spells of musical astronomy lol.
Anyways point is synth can complement most genres of music if allowed.

I couldn't agree more. My whole performance kit involves keyboard and Celtic Harp. And man I can tell you I had more than one push pull with "traditionalists" who were more upset at the appearance of the two instruments together than the actual music they created. That's one reason I really don't play with traditionalists anymore. In a way, I think they are killing music instead of preserving it.

Same here, unless it is away from the norm i am not interested any more so many times i have bored myself sh*tless trying not to step on anyones toes (musically) whilst the guys around me are playing 12 bar all night. I did the 12 bar bit when i was a kid on guitar. It amused me then for about 6 weeks. Not any more. Music should evoke and stimulate not bore and be over familiar.
Many times i have been invited to play the local scottish border pubs. Now
sadly i always find myself refusing, the reason being the times that i did take up these offers i found as soon as i set up a couple of synths, some of the other musicians would make me feel about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut suit.
This i put down to the fact that synths are a threat, just like most things if its new fear it. Partly i understand the theory in this particular case, because synths are very powerfull and have a massive aray of sonic colours, therefore in the wrong hands a synth can walk all over all other instruments without letting them have a look in. That is how over the years when playing with others i am quite happy to stay back and create unique sounds to complement and enhance who ever needs to be in the spotlight at the time.
I get my own power trip from the fact of knowing that at my finger tips "I can if i want to" lol.

Synth players are not just a rare commodity up there, we're a bit of a dying breed everywhere!

Seems that guitars get the gurls and synth players, well,........

Micawber wrote:....
Many times i have been invited to play the local scottish border pubs. Now
sadly i always find myself refusing, the reason being the times that i did take up these offers i found as soon as i set up a couple of synths, some of the other musicians would make me feel about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut suit......

You know, the humor of that comment aside (yes I did see Jackass II) I have to say I'm very surprised that there would be such an attitude in the UK. I always thought they were more progressive and musically tolerant than here in the USA. Was I just dreaming?