Some Thoughts on My Yamaha PSR-E413 Keyboard

I haven't written much about this keyboard, although I've had it for a couple of months, and I really love it.

Just a bit of history: I have had a Yamaha PSR-9000Pro for a couple of years, and on it I started learning the difference between playing a piano, and playing a keyboard. As a classically trained pianist (degreed in music) I naively assumed that the crossover would be quick and easy. I had had a Casio WK1200 for years, but never really did anything with the buttons, and basically played it as I would a piano. So when I bought my 9000Pro, I assumed I would just do the same. But the next few months were an AMAZING journey into making digital music (mostly with help of my new friends at the YPKO fora)! One button, one function, at a time, and gradually I started really enjoying playing as part of an orchestra, or singing as part of a chorus. The arranging of instruments and styles and backings was a whole new adventure to me that opened musical doors I'd never even dreamed of passing through!

Taking the heavy, large, and cumbersome 9000Pro to church every Sunday, up and down stairs at both ends of the trip, in and out of the van...it was a bit much. So when my husband offered to buy me an E413 when he bought one for himself, I jumped at the chance. Sure, it is labelled as a beginner's keyboard, and didn't have nearly the functions of the 9000Pro, but certainly, I figured, it would be a lot lighter for transporting every week, and I would make it work.

What I wasn't expecting, though, was an instrument with an incredible amount of functionality and an amazing sound! For the price (around USD$200) it was an incredible buy! Still a learning curve, because there are many differences between it and its older "sibling"...but an amazing instrument just the same. I will have this for many years to come, as I've learned that it isn't "just" a beginning keyboard - not by a long shot! It definitely has a professional sound, and features that make it appropriate for any level of keyboard player to one degree or another!

All of this just to get to what I REALLY wanted to write about: some of the things I've learned about, that aren't necessarily covered in the manual. And, if you have a better way to do things than what I've worked out, please let me know ok?

#1 - One of the biggest things is using the fill function. On the 9000Pro I press the fill button and get a little fancy stuff wherever I need it. On the E413 I press the fill button and it not only plays the fill but also takes me to the other (there are only 2) variation. Sometimes I just want a fill within, say, a verse of a song, but don't really want to go to the other variation until I get to the chorus, as an example. How I solved this: I press the fill button twice in rapid succession. This actually starts the fill for the other variation, but then immediately continues back at the current one. It is smooth, a little inconvenient (especially when I accidentally press it 3 times), but it works. Actually I'm not sure if this is how it is supposed to be handled (it's not in the manual) or if it is a workaround, but either way, it usually works fine.

#2 - There are a very limited number of registrations available on the E413 compared to the 9000Pro. On the latter, I have a registration (or several, even) for each piece that I like to play, and plenty left for future use. On the E413 I would run out of registrations in the first week. So rather than make a reg for each song, I make a reg for each type of song. Usually I start with something from the Music Database that is similar to what I want. Then I make adjustments from there, and save it as a registration. (I'm in the process of making a chart of what each registration is since there's no way to name them that I know of.) There are 2 registration banks; I use the first bank for the songs I play at church, and the 2nd for songs I play for pleasure.

(Yes I do play the E413 for pleasure, as well as the 9000Pro. It depends what I feel like playing at any given time, but often I find myself having a hard time deciding which I want to sit down at when I'm in the mood to play!)

Some examples of church registrations (used for songs out of the hymnal) might have organ and chimes, or organ and brass, or piano and voices, or even piano and guitar. I pencil in the registration number right on the hymnal page for the songs I'm playing the following Sunday; eventually I'll have them all pencilled in I suppose. I typically don't use styles or rhythms for these, although I do often turn on the accompaniment.

For my personal registrations, bank 2, I have some set for rock songs, some for ballads, some in 3/4 time, etc. I may make some minor changes (such as tempo) after I choose one of my own registrations, but they at least give me a starting point.

#3 - This is regarding variations. There are only 2 for each style, and no multipads. I like more variety than that in my music, but haven't found the arpeggios to really be useful to me - maybe I just don't know how to use them. At any rate, I've found some other options for adding variety, and will use a standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus format to describe them.

For the first verse, I might play it using only the dual voice (I would have the harmony also on, even though it wouldn't play with the ACMP off.), with variation A. When I get to the chorus, I would use the main/auto fill button to go to variation B, plus turn the ACMP on which will also "trigger" the harmony function. For the 2nd verse I'd go back to var.A with the ACMP still on, and for the last chorus, I'd go var.B again but would give it a larger sound by playing the entire chords in my RH rather than just the melody with harmonies. Doing this with the harmony on gives a very rich and full sound that can be very grand.

Other ways that I add variety:
- before starting, I press the function button, then the up and down buttons so that it is set on Transpose. This is nice especially for long hymns with 4 or more verses, as it is one simple button push to raise the key a half-step at the beginning of the last - or 2nd to last, or most meaningful - verse.
- If I won't be transposing, but want to change registrations between verses (ie, starting with organ/piano dual voices and switching to organ/bells), I get set up for a single-press registration change by "pre-pressing" the memory and the new reg. number; then I play, and when I'm ready to change, I only have to press the appropriate bank button (1 or 2). Of course this only works once during a song but it is quite effective in church music.

One last thing: I like to have my keyboard split much higher than the default. So all of my registrations are saved with the upper voices set to -1 for the octave. This means that I'm playing an octave higher on the keyboard but it sounds like I'm playing the notes as written, and it leaves much more room for my left hand. Why do I need this? Well, often I play with the ACMP button off, and like to do fancy stuff spanning octaves with my left hand, and this gives me the space I need to do it without running out of keys at the bottom.

Again, if you have other ideas and methods for getting the most out of the E413 I hope that you will share them with me here! I know I've only begun to scratch the surface, and there are many functions that I've not even used yet. I hope to continue to learn as I go, and share what I'm learning for anyone else who may also be working on figuring things out!

The Sound of Windows Live Mail - CRASH!

If you have been following, I have struggled to find an email client that I can use with this Win7 starter edition on Nellie (my new netbook). The features I HAD to have:
- ability to manage multiple POP accounts
- ability to archive messages into multiple directories and subdirectories
- import/export capabilities cross-client
- no junk, bells, whistles, whirligigs or thingamajigs.
- NOT web-based; local storage

Seems like that would be a simple enough thing to accomplish, right? Of the email clients I tried, none did what I needed them to do, efficiently or simply. So I tried Windows Live Mail. While it is quite different and I'm still getting used to it, at least it does everything listed above...the one thing it DOESN'T do is stay up.

At least a dozen times during the day it crashed. And it usually takes with it whatever email I was in the process of transferring to the appropriate archive, or at least corrupts it so it's no longer readable. AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES A DAY! Yeah, really!

What to do now...I don't know. I've tried and deleted so many...but I can't keep losing emails left and right, or putting up with the frustration of yet another crash. (There have been times when it has literally crashed every 10 minutes!)

I need to figure something else out - yet again ...

A Day With My Beloved Husband!

I love spending time with my Petey :). Today was off to a leisurely start with a nice relaxed morning together at home. At around 12:30 we left for Gaylord to do our monthly Meijer/www.gfs.com "big shopping".

For this shopping sometimes we go to Gaylord, sometimes to Cadillac, sometimes to Mt. Pleasant, sometimes to Midland - they're all about an hour away from us, give or take. And when we want to spend a day, and also visit Oryana (one of my favorite places!), some thrift stores, and the largest Meijer in the state, we go to Traverse City which is about 70 miles of beautiful winding hilly roads and scenery away.

Anyway, today we picked Gaylord. And stopped at the truck stop just off the highway in Waters and had some excellent salads for lunch. In Gaylord we went to Meijer first, and I was quite disappointed because they didn't have everything I wanted, which is pretty unusual. Next stop their Sav-a-Lot - we have one here in Houghton Lake, but the one in Gaylord is bigger so I wanted to see what they had the we don't. Then to GFS for our frozen veggies among other things...then a stop at Glen's for the things that Meijer didn't have. The only thing I came home without, in the end, were shiritake noodles; some Meijer stores have them and some don't and I can't always remember which do. Or don't :).

It was a good day because I spent it with Pete. I love being with him, talking with him, listening to him, laughing with him...I love the whole package. And these occasional days that we can spend together, no matter what we're doing, are the jewels in my life.

Facebook Privacy

I love FB. I love that I can communicate and keep up with my friends and relatives, and share aspects of my life, all in one place.

But even though FB has up until now stressed that the privacy of its users was its top priority, that is no longer the case. You can get details in any number of websites so I don't need to go into it here too. I do, however, want to detail the steps I've taken to help keep MY words on MY wall to be seen only by MY friends of MY choosing.

(The #1 rule of the internet has always been that NOTHING IS PRIVATE on the 'net. And the 'net includes not just the web and forums = even private, password-protected ones - but email, IRC, usenet, etc. Anything you write, anywhere, that uses the 'net to take your words anywhere can never be guaranteed private. EVER! Remember that whenever your fingers are on your keyboard or you are speaking into your mic or broadcasting on your webcam.)

The first thing I did to try and protect myself was to tighten up all of my privacy settings, through Account/Privacy Settings and Account/Application Settings. Just root around in those areas until you've covered every possible category and subcategory, changing everything possible to "only friends" or even "only me" where applicable.

Next I deleted all of my profile information that FB had automatically linked to the pages it considered appropriate. This is done under Edit My Profile (under your profile pic on your profile page), Basic Information. FB warned me that those areas would be blank. Yeah, so? At least I'm no longer linked to pages I didn't choose to be linked to.

Then I deleted all of my likes and interests, since those are also automatically linked to pages outside of my own. I deleted every TV show, type of music, everything. It is fairly easy to do. To the right of each section is a clickable icon that takes you to the page; on each page you "unlike" it. Yes, it is time-consuming, but easy. Make sure you click on Show Other Pages when you get to the bottom, too. That's even easier, since it pops up a list of the remaining pages and you just have to go down the list and click to delete each one.

Perhaps the most important thing, since this now links us to sites OUTSIDE of FB, is to opt out (FB automatically opts you IN) to the Instant Personalization Pilot Program. I reached this via Privacy Settings/Applications and Websites. It's the last option at the bottom; click on Edit Setting to opt out. THEN, I went to http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=17103 and to each of the 3 (so far!) sites listed and had to opt out on each of THOSE! FB promises to add more sites, so I have set this link as my browser's homepage. Every day when I open it I will see if they have added any more, so I can opt out right away.

Since I'm doing housecleaning, I'm also leaving groups, although there haven't, AFAIK, been any privacy concerns with those yet. (If I missed something, please let me know ok?) I'm in hundreds of groups - they really build up after a while! So any that aren't personally important to me on a daily - or at least weekly - basis I am leaving.

If you have any questions about what I've done or why, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer the best I can. I'm not a FB geek by any means. I just want to be free to share my news and things with the people who are part of my life, not with everybody everywhere. And as long as I have some control over my ability to do that I will continue to use FB.

One last note: FB has promised over and over again that they won't charge its users for the service it provides...and certainly it shouldn't have to, with its massive user base it can pay for itself (and hopefully profit, as well anyone should who provides a great service!) from advertising - even targeted advertising. But when they start violating the trust of its users, most of whom signed on back in the "we value your privacy" days - which ended just a few short months ago! - that's when I will regretfully have to go elsewhere for my online social interactions. And that will be a really sad day for me.

Got a Referral...

...to a gastro guy. My doc had said a gastro surgeon, this guy doesn't have surgery listed on the website. So if I end up needing that, will I have to wait for yet another referral to yet another doctor?...at least we don't have socialized medicine yet, so my wait will be in terms of weeks rather than years...

Anyway, I see this guy on May 25th. Wonder what tests he'll want to do, and how long it will take to get them?

Meanwhile, I've tried the bland (read: carby!) diet that my doc suggested, and was sicker than sick. I'm back on my low carb regimen (the word "regimen" has a negative connotation, I think - and eating low carb is totally positive!), and back down to the pain/swelling levels I had before I tried the rice and white bland junk.

Got through the day yesterday without a single pain pill. Not because I didn't have pain of course, but because I really fear addiction. I was starting to choose relative comfort (meaning the pain/swelling/bloating wasn't bad enough to make me short of breath) over fear of addiction. But I think I'd rather deal with pain now than have to overcome an addiction later.

Just some of my thoughts on what's going on.

Today I'm doing some stuff in the kitchen which is one of my favorite things to do. Making some crackers, a jelly roll panful of Oopsie "bread" - focaccia style, will also do up some cookies. Maybe if the rain clears up, Pete will grill the steak for supper; we'll also have a salad on the side. If I have any energy, or can still move :), after all this I'll clean some cages - another favorite thing to do. Not the actual cleaning, which ok but of course kinda messy, but the playing-with-birds that happens at the same time.

So I'm still doing some things, taking breaks as needed to put my feet up (naturally helps) but doing as much as I can. I may be more comfortable in the chair with my feet up, but that just ain't livin'!

Next update as I have anything to report...

CAT Scan Results

It didn't show anything other than what I already knew, which is the hiatal hernia that I've had for years. Apparently it didn't even show the umbilical hernia, although it's easy to see and my doc palpated it easily during her exam Monday morning...it would be obvious to anybody but apparently not to a CAT scan machine - lol.

Talked to the nurse at my doctor's office, she said the next step will be the appointment with the surgeon, they're still "working on that referral". Hopefully he can figure it out...meanwhile I'm thinkin' that while I don't have an answer yet at least they didn't fine anything catastrophic like a big fat tumor (which was the original thought) or something! Yeah, there's always a bright side :).

Life and Health

You know, you're going through life, got some things wrong but who doesn't? Then get some health insurance to start working toward a healthier future, 1st thing is to go to the doc to get started on building said healthier future...but hear words you don't expect to hear.

I'll be very honest in my blog writings about what's going on with my health so if you don't want to read about it, that's fine and I understand :).

Have had some belly pain lately, swelling/bloating - won't go into all the details. But figured I'd ask the doc about it while I'm there. By the time I left her office I had orders for blood work (done right then and there) and a CAT scan ASAP which happened to be this morning, 48 hours after my appointment.

I asked her what are all the possible things that she thinks could be going on. She gave me a list of her "rule-outs" - ulcers, hernias (umbilical and/or hiatal), pancreatic, esophageal or other cancers (had a barret's esophagus dx several years ago). Said she would have thought I'd be getting sicker faster than I am (she sees me quite a bit for various chronic stuff I've got going on) were it pancreatic cancer, so that's a good thing at least.

So blood work came back all fine. YAY! Now will just see what CAT shows.

Chronic conditions include arthritis in the knees and spine (right knee is disintegrating/wobbling around and not very supportive, hence the walker to get around), the whole issue of nerve damage to digestive track/very weak peristalsis for the last few years, since a particularly nasty bout of food poisoning, and of course the prinzmetal's that was first diagnosed in 1997. Also I want to address this cataract that has my left eye pretty much blinded but still somehow manages to mess up distance perceptions and spatial relationships (why I run into, knock over, and trip on things constantly, and why I can't drive). Yeah, my right eye is ok but needs a new lens rx - no point in getting that until I get my left eye fixed. I manage but of course it affects my quality of life. All of the above does. Seems like everybody I talk to has chronic pain, so why bother to mention mine? Between knee and belly these days, I'm pretty much totally sedentary, even with the stronger pain med she's got me taking now. In the recliner, legs elevated to keep pressure off my belly (while I watch it swell and prepare to explode) is the limit of my activities these days...

So I'm hoping in the next year to get back on track with whatever I need to gain back whatever I've lost in the last several years without insurance. Once we deal with whatever is causing my current state. Which brings me back to the beginning: I didn't think I'd spend the start of my 53rd birthday getting a CAT scan...