And did the sky fall? Did the ground open up? Did legions of Yamaha haters rise to bite you on your butt?

No, they did NOT...

So why the reluctance now? You didn't feel it back then, what changed? To be perfectly honest, I WANT to hear these custom styles of yours. I WANT to hear what a real Yamaha demonstrator can do with the incredible sounds and OS of the current Yamaha's. I want to hear stuff played on Korg PA800's, PA2XPro's, Ketrons, Wersi's, Mediastations.

I want to hear what skill level is needed to be able to play 500 shows a year, to get booked solid in jazz clubs or political rallies... I want to hear how well some of us progress on our new equipment... and whether it actually DOES sound better in their hands than their last arranger.

All I can do now is READ about it. And that, my friends, is NOT the same thing.

Look, in a way, this IS a community of friends, or at least colleagues, and many I would call BOTH. You know what? There isn't a single musician in my area I would not invite to a gig of mine. Whether they would want to come or not, well, that's up to them. But, to be perfectly honest, there is NO-ONE who I would tell 'do NOT come to my gig, do NOT listen to me...'

But that is, in a way, what we are saying to each other. 'You CAN'T listen to me. It wouldn't be appropriate, I don't feel you deserve to, the dog ate my homework, whatever'

So, I'm still curious... Why NOT here, but other forum's members are OK with it?

Look, I'm fine with anyone choosing NOT to... Their choice, and nothing anyone can do about it. But I'd simply like to point out that SOME of the assumptions made about why one shouldn't post here are quite patently false. This is, in fact a very diverse, loving (in a dysfunctional family kind of way ) and interesting bunch of musicians, and it pains me that few of them want to be heard.

This is NOT 'double dog daring' you all. This is a genuine desire to hear WHAT you can do, HOW you do it, and whether it's arranger or kazoo, I don't give a damn...

Anyone that WOULD like to share that still feels unwilling to post publicly, well, my profile lists my email. Send it to me privately if you prefer. But I urge you to reconsider how hostile you think this place is... Sure, we get rambunctious, even testy at times. But we keep talking to each other, no matter what. That's a sign of true friendship, IMO. If I HATE somebody, I just won't talk to them, period. We see so little of that here, I hope some of you reconsider your positions.

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 04-24-2008).]