As promised, I have added a new song to my site: "This masquerade", again done live on the Tyros.
In this song I have done something new, for the first time: are you able to tell what is it?
http://andrearotolo.tripod.com/dreamer/id1.html

Beautiful! Did you use multipads for added percussion?
DonM

Hi Andrea,

very nice haunting tune.
I'm with Don. You did somthing with the percussion. Multipad? Stylemorphing? Played percussion yoursef using the KB????????

Tell us, tell us.....

Eric

Bongo....Bongo....


Nice Job!!!

That sounded great Andrea. I liked the sax breaks as well as the guitar parts. Thanks for doing that for us.

Andrea,
Nice version. Here are some things I think could add to it to consider and pull it all together more.

On the guitar solos sometimes the notes are a bit too truncated and could use a bit more sustain even on the faster licks or use of the pitch bend/modulation.

I also think little riffs in between the sax phrases with the guitar would be very effective and lead the sax from one phrase to another and add belivability to the piece IMO.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Andrea,
Nice work. If I have any comment at all, it's that the melody seems to be way too loud. I find that to be your preference in many recordings. The background is a little "too far" back in the mix for my taste. The Tyros has some of the most impressive backing rhythms out there, and they are burried behind the lead.
I like your style, and you pick all the songs I like too ! Keep it up, my friend, and don't take these comments too seriously. Maybe my pc speakers are emphasizing certain frequencies that your's don't. In any case - thanx for sharing your work with us.

Andrea: BRAVO! The eerily 'beautiful' guitar intro sounds hauntingly reminescent of Chris Isaak. I also like the fasinating bongo interplay that builds thru the song.

Your decidedly laid back playing approach on this tune is really nice. I like how you keep the listener focussed on the melody without adding a lot of extraneous notes (or riffs) to distract. btw: The instrument balances sound 'fine' thru my 'Cambridge Soundworks' computer speakers.

Considering all the negative press the Tyros seems to be getting from those few (jeoulous?) naysayers here, you've clearly shown that the Tyros really is the OUTSTANDING keyboard I've been trying to get you guys all excited about for what seems like such a long time now.

Welcome aboard!

Scott

Don,
your guess was right : in this song, for the first time, I have used the multipads and I think that they worked! Now that I've made this discovery, just trying to multiply the number of styles by the number of multipads banks makes my head spin...

Eric, it's great to hear from you. I think that the Tyros pro will be YOUR keyboard...at least for a couple of years!

Donny,
grazie!!

Nigel,
thank you for your words; this is a song I had been willing to record for a long time and you simply gave me an excuse to do it!

Terry,
thanks for the listen; yes, I know that you would have added something like a guitar but...sometimes less is better (and, moreover, the whole song was recorded live and right now I take a maybe childish pride into doing everything in one shot).
To me the most important element of this song is the overall atmosphere and I think that Eric caught this. I really appreciate the time you took to listen, anyway.

Dave, thank you for your words. Yes, you are right: I like to keep the rhytm section low, except for the drums and the bass. Overall, I think that the Tyros has great drums, great basses and great -but loud- guitars, so before recording this song I lowered the steel guitar and muted a couple of tracks (Rhodes piano and a second acoustic guitar). This enabled me to play the Rhodes live with the left hand and maybe also to avoid sounding "canned" (at least I hope). Anyway, I will try to listen to the song with a different couple of speakers.
Thank you for your comments.

Scott,
thank you for your comments (I guess that you posted them while I was still elaborating my previous answer).
Frankly, I don't think that there are "jealous naysayers" here; I too have criticized the Tyros in the past, but this is a keyboard that you cannot just play for a couple of hours in a store. You have to take it home and spend some time with it (I did a lot of tweaking with the equalizer and the compressor and the difference was simply amazing).
Like we all know, there is not such a thing like a perfect arranger (or keyboard) for every situation; the Tyros (and the 9000 pro) are the best ones for the kind of music I enjoy to play in this time of my life, and that's all I need to know.

Andrea...
Being on dial-up, it takes forever to download MP3's...but "This Masquarade" was well worth it.
Guitar, Sax, organ and percussion pad were all nicely blended to make it interesting from verse to verse.
On my PC speakers, which include a woofer, the volume levels of foreground and background sounded just right.
Well Done.
Eddie

Eddie...thanks!
I am really glad that you liked the song; that's what it's all about: giving pleasure to others through our favorite way of expression: music.

Hi Andrea,

I would love to see a Tyros Pro.
So far Yamaha claims that there will be deffinately no Tyros Pro!!??

The Yamaha Club Germany had a meeting with Yamaha Germany and 4 guys from Yamaha Japan to discuss features of the Tyros before it came out. At that time the guys from Japan made it very clear: No Tyros Pro

We'll see.
I'm still hopeful


Eric

Andrea.

I loved your performance and all settings are well made. My performance of "This masquerade" goes to the same spirit although with different style and voices.
Another goal!!

Chico

Eric,
I am confident that we will see a Tyros pro; I think that Yamaha left many things out of the actual Tyros and with a purpose...

Chico,
thanks! I really loved your rendition of "This masquerade" too.


[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 08-20-2003).]

Great!!! (Standing Ovation L L)
Excellent Rendition,I was just going to bed and this really made me feel relaxed (I'm sure I will sleep tight now ).
you really make the Tyros shine!

Thanx for sharing,

Greetz ,
Marcel

Marcel,
thanks! I will tell you a secret: I too felt very relaxed while playing this song. I guess that the state of mind of the player can reach the listener, through his music...and you are really a perceptive listener!

Wow !!!

Another great performance.
I liked the inserction of multi-pads effect.
Both renditions, your and Chico´s, are very
beautiful and relaxing.

Parabéns.
Armando

Thank you, Armando, and just imagine: how are those multipads going to work with other songs?
(he he he... )

I just listened to it. It is very nice and as usual, I really really liked the chords. Tyros is really nice instrument.

...of course: it's another "minor" song!

Andrea,
nice work!
By the way, are you still just borrowing the Tyros?.....

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Roy-Andrè

I'm boarding this train rather late, but just wanted to say I enjoyed listening to your latest recording as well. Another fine job, Andrea.
Paul C.

Roy,
thanks! I hope that my friend will forget to ask the Tyros back...otherwise I will have to buy one, I guess...

Paul,
thank you!

Andrea.
That was beautiful. This has been one of my fave songs ever since I was a teen and Karen Carpenter sang this song in my room over and over (and over again). Teen angst!

The tyros sounds wonderful but I suspect that has a lot to do with your mastery of it.

Thanks for the memories as they say. Funny how a song you have not heard in a while can take you right back....I'm even breaking out in acne it was THAT effective

Very best to you my friend
Tony W

Andrea -

I really enjoy all of your music. I downloaded and played This Masquerade and went through all of your web pictures as it was playing. Very surreal.

It's getting to the point where I could probably recognize one of your songs. You take very recognizable songs, slow them down, and add this very melancholy lead that makes them extremely intriguing. I do just the opposite - I take really old melancholy songs, put them to a very fast swing beat, and play them with so many added notes that they are barely recognizable. I have completed a version of Come Back To Sorrento that I will post shortly. You'll see that we are at the two extremes of what we do!

Bravo!

Andrea

Haven't visited this forum for a few days, but glad I did today and pleased to see you had got around to recording This Masquerade. Although I know the George Benson version I too am more familiar with the Carpenters' version.
Really enjoyed this live, laid back version of yours, another winner, have played it several times and couldn't resist jamming along with you on the 2000.
You have produced some first class music on that borrowed Tyros, its gonna be a sorry day when you have to give the baby back!

Will

Tony,
thank you, my friend! It's really gratifying when you know that what you have done had a pleasant effect on someone (sorry for the acne, however... )

Accordionist (I wish I knew your real name...)
Wow! You made really a flattering review of my overall musical attitude and I think that you paid me really a big compliment writing that you can almost recognize my songs, because this means that I have been able to develop my own style (I hope that's a good thing...) I am really looking forward to your "Come back to Sorrento" with great anticipation. Thanks!

Will,
many thanks! My friend will be back next week, so I hope to be able to record something more before he comes here and grabs the Tyros from my hands
Then I will have to make my mind up: buy a Tyros now or wait for the Tyros pro?