John, I'm sure you don't consider yourself "sidetracked" in your musical endeavors by a (temporary???) "piano bug", nor do I think Donny meant anything negative - just a case of ummm, unfortunate phrasing. Since you're not a true (sole income source) 'Professional', your PERSONAL enjoyment, satisfaction, and sense of accomplishment are far more important than anyone else's purely subjective opinion of the quality of your work. To take on such a challenging task as mastering something as difficult as acoustic piano at this stage of your life, is to be much admired, and in my opinion, should be encouraged, not discouraged. Your 'mix it up' approach of combining solo piano, arranger kb, and guest artists, sounds like it could produce a nice diversity of music performances (and a lot of fun as well). As Donny says, "good luck on this phase of your journey".

chas