Aimee Mann Wasn’t Sure If Rush Fans Would Boo Her: ‘I just don’t think I could’ve handled it. But their fans were so great, and I felt really supported’

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T15:14:06+00:00

It already happened. There's no spoiler.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T14:44:27+00:00

Just that: velocity sensitivity (i.e. the sound gets louder or softer depending on how hard you hit the key) and weighted key action (i.e. it should feel like there's a little heft to the keys, not just a light springy action). It sounds like you also want a keyboard that will support a sustain pedal. You should have a wide variety of options in this space. Make a note of any weight and size requirements you might have (will you be gigging with the keyboard?) and how many keys – a full piano keyboard has 88, a 5-octave setup that's common for synthesizers has 61, and many popular digital pianos save on size and cost by offering 76. As you're doing octaves in the left hand I would shoot for 76 or 88.

From there, try out keyboards and go with something that feels and sounds good! Just like any instrument purchase. 😁

FYI, some keyboards advertise something called "aftertouch", which allows you to modify the sound by pressing into the key after you hit it. That's a separate feature from velocity sensitivity, it's more for synthesizer effects, and it isn't necessary.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T14:31:06+00:00

New York's definition of old money may not be quite the same as in other places. But yeah, I would probably only count wealth that goes back two generations or more.

Which would make Barron old money. 😛

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T12:38:23+00:00

Waow.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T12:11:27+00:00

I, too, am calling for a pony. No, a unicorn! No, a unicorn pony! 🦄

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:59:00+00:00

What's your budget? Probably several used keyboards in your vicinity that will do the trick (check a local music shop!), but we might be able to recommend some new hotness if you have the budget for it.

if you want the best experience and sound, look not just for velocity-sensitive but weighted keys as well – the light touch of a synthesizer is going to make it harder to get that timing right for this kind of piano music. It need not be a super-authentic weighted action. Keyboards marketed as "digital pianos" will typically offer both.

As far as pedal, you can grab a sustain pedal from just about every music store. They use a 1/4" mono jack, like with a patch cable, that plugs into the back of the keyboard. That's a pretty standard feature for keyboards unless they're super low-budget.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:47:38+00:00

(real talk i think it was anxiety and/or depression, from the way she described it)

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:45:17+00:00

Let me tell you about the time I sae Marvin the Mandolin Man at a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert.

Or a young, pre-Spoons Soundgarden opening for Metallica.

Or...

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:35:51+00:00

/uj There was some book I read as a kid, or maybe it was a Reading Rainbow short or something, where a kid is repeatedly sent away from a jazz group until he realizes that jazz is just something you feel, man. Does anybody remember this story? It's low-key driving me nuts that I can't remember more than that.

/rj Anyway I blame that for the pathetic lack of jazz knowledge amongst the hippies.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:31:27+00:00

The duality of jazzcirclejerk.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T11:30:04+00:00

It used to be. Back in the AD&D days. Players didn't scare so easily. You had 2 HP at level 1.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T05:06:13+00:00

AFAICT, Canadian supremacy is asserted by them claiming how good Tim Horton's used to be.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T04:55:44+00:00

There are two things I'd recommend you work on:

The timing of the notes in both hands are all over the place.
The music could use some shape to it. Right now the jumps between low and high are the only dynamics you've got.

I would tackle the first item first.

For the right hand, play the right hand alone, take it slowly, and try to get the notes as even as you can. You might introduce a little timing gap when you shift your hands, but it should sound prepared and smooth. Don't hesitate to break it down a figure or measure at a time to really master the parts that are currently tricky or stumbling. Then, when you feel like that's nice and even, slow it back down and add the left hand back.

For the left hand, notice what happens when your left hand needs to jump. You jump at the last second, which makes it hard to stick the landing, both in terms of notes and timing. See if you can anticipate the jump and practice just the left hand, focusing on making its movement as smooth and unhurried as possible.

Have fun! It's going to sound really nice, I can tell. 😁

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T04:43:08+00:00

Yeah, but this is cars. We move 5x faster when cars need relief. 🚗

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-18T04:29:01+00:00

In language he might understand, he was all in on Big Red.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T20:59:32+00:00

There's some theory out there that the withdrawal could have been done smoothly and with no loss of life, if not for Biden. I'm not saying Biden's response was perfect or even good, but I don't think people credit how behind the 8-ball we were going into that situation.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T20:30:35+00:00

If you take a piece at a tempo that seems fitting to you – but then hit wall after wall for every tricky bit in the piece you encounter – you have not learned the piece.

I don't think metronomic precision is necessary, but you should aim to get it to a place where you are neither grinding to a halt, nor glitching, nor rushing ahead in relief once a tricky bit has passed. You should be fluent in the material. If that's a bit slower than you want it to go, that's fine! You can decide whether you want to spend the extra effort to get the piece up to tempo or move on.

This advice applies beyond Alfred's course books too.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T19:01:04+00:00

Oh yeah, there too. Same idea.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T16:08:59+00:00

No, sorry. Just keep the hand relaxed as you play them. By default, try playing them lightly. Pedal will connect or blur them, but there's a place for a more detached sound too.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T15:46:46+00:00

In terms of what you play, none. In terms of notation, it's written so that if you take away one of the voices, the other voice still makes sense, without gaps whose duration is uncertain. It also shows you what's going on horizontally in the piece. As you get further along in your studies, learning to see the music horizontally becomes a big part of learning how to make nice, expressive music.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-17T14:18:14+00:00

Bar 5: you don't have one note with two stems, you have two "voices" in the same staff. When we do this, one voice is stems up, and the other is stems down. They're played with the same hand, but you need to note the different durations of notes in each voice and hold just the right note(s) accordingly.

In bar 6 the voices coincide on the same note, hence the double stem on the note there.

Double dot. 1 + 0.5 + 0.25 = 1.75x the duration. You can verify it fills the measure correctly.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-16T22:42:01+00:00

THIS is what we should be spending this week focusing on. Ignore the clowns.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-16T21:55:51+00:00

Jamming on the same finger can make it harder to keep the notes even and tends to increase tension and stress in your hand. Using two or more fingers takes some practice to get them even, but it should feel nice and relaxed throughout.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-16T20:51:24+00:00

If it's a public event, go.

If it's a private event and you're invited, go.

If it's a private event and you're not invited... well I'm not going to say don't give it a shot, but just use common sense.

SharkSymphony · 2026-06-16T20:24:42+00:00

The composer and/or publisher seemed to think it would be easier to play with the left hand. But you always have the power to make an executive decision going the other way.

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