This past weekend, I played my first solo piano gig in over a year.
It was an odd feeling, given how many decades I've been performing.
I do not have a burning desire to just go out and gig. It's not about the Benjamins. It's definitely not about the ego. It is a little bit about wondering if the performance mindset will still kick into gear when necessary and I'm happy to report that the pilot light is still lit.
For over a year now I've been playing in my house, performing my one-man show in my one-seat theater. It is primarily with headphones on with my beautiful Korg SV2 digital stage piano that recreates the sound of a six-foot Italian grand. The headphones allow me to play at 3 p.m. for 3 a.m. . There's either a coffee with Bailey's or a scotch within arm's reach of the keyboard at all times. It's a relaxed affair.
It was mildly disconcerting Saturday to hear applause when I was done playing a selection or hearing them shout out positive affirmations in the middle of songs. I even got a few requests for autographs which is something one is never prepared for. I use the old line, “Did you like the way I played, because if you did, I’ll sign it ‘Boyd Holmes’. But if you didn't like the way I sounded, I’m writing ‘Michael Hunter’.”
In many ways, it has come full circle, playing music like I did when I was a kid when it all started.
Me in a room with a piano.
The primary difference between then and now is thatwhen I was a kid, my mom was in the kitchen telling me when I got it right or when I got it wrong.
And back then, no one asked for my autograph, even though I secretly practiced signing it on scrap paper.
It was an odd feeling, given how many decades I've been performing.
I do not have a burning desire to just go out and gig. It's not about the Benjamins. It's definitely not about the ego. It is a little bit about wondering if the performance mindset will still kick into gear when necessary and I'm happy to report that the pilot light is still lit.
For over a year now I've been playing in my house, performing my one-man show in my one-seat theater. It is primarily with headphones on with my beautiful Korg SV2 digital stage piano that recreates the sound of a six-foot Italian grand. The headphones allow me to play at 3 p.m. for 3 a.m. . There's either a coffee with Bailey's or a scotch within arm's reach of the keyboard at all times. It's a relaxed affair.
It was mildly disconcerting Saturday to hear applause when I was done playing a selection or hearing them shout out positive affirmations in the middle of songs. I even got a few requests for autographs which is something one is never prepared for. I use the old line, “Did you like the way I played, because if you did, I’ll sign it ‘Boyd Holmes’. But if you didn't like the way I sounded, I’m writing ‘Michael Hunter’.”
In many ways, it has come full circle, playing music like I did when I was a kid when it all started.
Me in a room with a piano.
The primary difference between then and now is thatwhen I was a kid, my mom was in the kitchen telling me when I got it right or when I got it wrong.
And back then, no one asked for my autograph, even though I secretly practiced signing it on scrap paper.
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