I’ve only had the time to read this thread loosely, so pardon my error if I’m “reading” it incorrectly.

Bill, I DID notice the interchange between you and Diki. IMO, you’re too intelligent NOT to see what Diki is saying. Or maybe you DO see it, but prefer your own views still? But even I have to agree with him at this point in my own career. It’s not about are you comfortable with your OMB keyboard, or are you satisfying your audience, or are you creative enough for what you‘re doing now, etc If I read Diki correctly, he’s saying that, if you make the choice to play with other musician s, they’re going to wake up more creativity inside of you. You’ll be getting ideas that you can’t get from a static keyboard that knocks out the same rhythms day in and day out. He’s NOT dissing OMB keyboards, just pointing out the advantages of working with others, feeling different rhythms and backing.

I’m really emphasizing this because he hit the nail on the head as to why I’m probably burning out and feel like quitting music. I’m thinking about the whole month of October, when I do mostly Oktoberfests with different throw-together trios and quartets every gig. What a difference in my playing and my attitude. I can work off of them, get new ideas for riffs, learn different songs, interact both musically and personally on the bandstand. In short, it “wakes me up” and causes me to see things I don’t see when I’m doing a solo. Even when I backed up that all-girl singing group at the party last week. I found myself doing things on the piano I don’t normally think of when I’m playing by myself!

Now I’ve been doing a one-man-band all my life so you won’t find more of a crusader for these keyboards than me. That is, until Diki started talking his stuff here. He really covered the topic effectively. I forgot all about how alive you feel when playing with other musicians with the benefit of increased interest and musical growth.

I produce good music as a OMB or as a pianist. The audience is pleased, the boss is pleased, and I’m somewhat pleased myself. But, if I were to move on to playing with other musicians, I can see me expanding musically again and losing that awful disease: “boring-itis” (as in You’ve Lost That “Boring” Feeling by the Righteous Brothers).

Lucky