As you may or may not know, I spend a lot of my time creating music. One of my main tools is vintage synthesizers. I remember when synthesizer first broke onto the scene, there were some who claimed that they were not real musical instruments. I wonder what people like that, (if they are still alive today), would think about all of the music that’s being created, in this moment in time, using AI? Anyway, I never felt that way. From my first synthesizer onto today, each one is such a unique instrument, creating sounds, equally music, that only it can create.
 
I had ordered this one vintage synth I found on the Guitar Center website. I had owned one way back in the way back when. I remember it had a great sound architecture and had the ability to create some excellent sound waves that I wanted to revisit. Plus, it has an eighty-eight key keyboard. So, it has a lot of range. It arrived yesterday. The UPS guy knocked on my door. He had the box leaning up against the wall by the door. I thanked him and all of that. But, the moment I picked it up to take it inside, I was reminded, damn this thing is heavy! I mean really-really heavy. Realizing that, I apologized and told the man he should have come to get me to help him. Then, I re-thanked the UPS man, as that was a very heavy carry from truck to door.
 
From the moment I unpacked it, I was re-reminded of the massive weight of the unit. Plus, due to its size and shape, long and thin, it is really hard to move around.
 
Kind of funny really… This all got me to thinking to a time, back in the day. When I was in my early twenties I had really gotten into playing piano. The thing was/is I never studied the piano. But, (I imagine I have told you this story before), I was on the staff and helping out with a yoga retreat for my Guru, Swami Satchidananda, a few years before. I was the first to arrive at this campsite in the Santa Monica Mountains where it was to be held. I was just wandering around when I saw a piano. I sat down at it and I immediately realized I could play. No, not like a master or anything like that. But, I actually could make music on it. 
 
From there, I first bought a Wurlitzer electric piano. Then, a Fender Rhodes Seventy-Three. But, I continued on from there. At one point, I decided I wanted to go to the crème of the crop, so I sold my other pianos and I purchased a Fender Rhodes Eighty-Eight, complete with its Fender amplifier/speaker cabinet. The guy I purchased it from helped me load it into my van. But, when I got home I realized I could not lift it by myself. It was all way too heavy and too bulky to take up the stairs to my apartment. What to do?
 
I was running a martial art studio at the time. The thought came to my mind that one of students, who was still in high school, might be available. He was one of those young men who was really one of those very excellent kickers. He had great natural form. Plus, I knew he was also a piano player as we spoke about music a lot.
 
As this was during the summer, and he would have been on summer vacation, I thought to call him up. He was home, doing nothing, and would be happy to help out. I went and picked him up. We carried the piano and speaker up my stairs. I hook it up and let him play his heart out on it. Good player. Much better than me.
 
…I gave him the next month of martial art training, at my studio, for free.
 
This brings me to the point of all of this. If there is one???  Question: Is the weight worth it?
 
In terms of my Fender Rhodes, I eventually realized that it was way too heavy to move around to jam with other musicians. I eventually let it go. As for this newly arrived synth, the moment I could get it out of the box, lift it up, and plug it in, I was reminded of why I loved what it could do. But, there is a price to pay.

Like I always say about all aspects of life, there is always a price to pay for everything—for anything. Are you willing to pay that price?