Behold the instrument that I play!

Well... it's not THAT model, but something close to it:

I just realised that they don't have images of the real model.

As you can tell by the image, it is the adaptation of the traditional organ. I call it an organ sometimes, but its proper term is still the electone.

To play it, you use your four limbs. It is an instrument of three keyboards and an inbuilt rhythm box, so the drums are handled by the electone. To sum it up, it's a band in a box.

I'm working hard on it. I'm up for the Grade Seven exam this November, and it is far from forgiving. Three exam pieces, two of them almost to perfection and the third still hard to subdue.

Why did I mention this topic so randomly?

Today was the Asia Electone Festival, a competition cum concert. I attended it as an audience member with my tutor, and we were both stunned by what twelve and thirteen year olds were pulling off in front of us. Own compositions that stood up proud and tall and were flamboyantly played with aplomb, one that rivaled Star Wars, one that spoke of a river in spring, one that spoke of autumn, one that sung of dancing by a lake (which was the junior winner's piece), and my favourite one was a story song, 'Mr Blue Goes To Town', a jazz and blues piece that depicts the tale of a man's first trip into town, and what he sees and experiences.

I was literally stuffed with inspiration material, inspiration to keep up my work and do some own compositions (because any and all of those contestants could floor me), and a show of self-degradation as I know I'm not up to their standards, and am pretty far away from their ability.

But if I tell myself the three golden Ps, I should do fine.

Practice.

Practice.

Practice.

Well, I should not be brooding. I have gone quite far. I started out late when I was in Primary (or Elementary Grade) Five, and that's pretty late for starters. I had been on a wild-swinging relationship with music instruments. I remember disliking the piano greatly as I never practised and dropped it, twice.

The electone proved to be the funner route, and just what I wanted. The sounds that came with it were absolutely fun to play with. I could play chords with my left hand, the melody on the right and the bass lines by foot: Absolutely fun and fine by me. It definitely was better than playing running melodies for both hands.

People say I can play. Well, I don't know if I can after watching those players. Oh sure, gimme a tune and I'll plonk. To go to the extent of composing and arranging your own composition worth four to five minutes of harmony and theory and drum sequencing and double-footing or single-footing may kill me.

I'll think about it, and maybe try ear-playing some songs.

This really is a rant.

Oh yes, I finished the Manai Series, a mystery/horror/adventure collection of short stories with its sixth and last installment. I've worked on this for more than a year.

And I feel extremely satisfied. (Though, I'm going to rewrite one of those installments. Eventually.)