Thanks AJ for your sympathies.
I have been struggling through the stages of grief these past few weeks,and I don't know sometimes what one I'm in...I guess it may be a combination of sorrow and anger.
To make it more difficult,my uncle was the last surviving member of my family,and now the reality of being alone is striking harder.I had grown close to him over the last few years as I was his only caregiver.
He was the one who bought me my first keyboard so he was pretty special.Without him,I would have never been able to have a career in doing what I love.
Feeling sorry for myself and my situation ,is certainly not a good thing to hang on to,but sometimes it feels good to feel bad...if that makes any sense.
Having a physical setback can be very frustrating,especially when it keeps you from enjoying your music...I have been there and truly understand.
I had two of the fingers on my left hand severed in a knife fight as a teenager...and luckily the fingers were saved,albeit at a loss of dexterity....it took years to regain any real use of them and was one of the reasons I embraced the arranger keyboard when it was introduced.The fingers bother me sometimes...but it is nowhere near what back pain can do...my experiences with it were mild compared to having a ruptured disc.
Thank you for your forgiveness,
Ian
BTW...Yamaha haven't always been wonderful to me either...they can be rather cold, as most big money making companies can be.Mostly it's been a good experience.