(Jun, 2003) - I grew up in the state of Maine and joined the Air Force right after high school to avoid the Korean War draft. I have lived in the state of bewilderment ever since. I met Dot, my bride of 43 years when stationed in Oklahoma. We have two daughters, and lived in several of the United States and France and Spain while finishing up 21 years in the Air Force. I was stationed in Oklahoma again when I was ready to retire, and we have lived for the last 25 years in the house that Dot grew up in. Our daughters grew up and married and live in Pennsylvania and Montana. Each has two children, three have already graduated from high school, the third is anxiously awaiting her driver's license. We have a motor home and visit each of them and my mother and sister, who still live in Maine, nearly every year. I have a "music room" set up in the motor home and the PSR2000 goes every where that we go.
Music History: There was always a piano in our house and my grand parents' homes when I was growing up, and my folks both played the accordion a little. They sent me to piano lessons at about age seven, but I hated every minute of it. I went through about three teachers in two years before my parents decided that it was a poor investment. The teachers all wanted me to play classical music, but I preferred the pop songs my folks played.
During high school I had the opportunity to assist a gentleman install a pipe organ in a local church. I was fascinated and followed him along to other repair and installation jobs. I was soon fixing some on my own. I taught myself one hymn so that I could demonstrate that I had repaired the organ. Seven years later, with two little children and too little Air Force pay, I got a part time job repairing electric organs and guitar amps. I learned a popular song to demonstrate that I had repaired those organs - I didn't worry about the guitar amps. I did enjoy the organs, though; and since I did all the warranty work for one music store, I got a good buy on a Hammond organ. I taught myself to play it using all of the easy chord method books that I could find. We had a succession of Hammonds in our home for about 30 years. The last one was getting pretty old and had to be worked on every time I wanted to play it due to corrosion and dust - as a result, I didn't play it very often.
We went to a big electronics home consumer show some years back, and I saw my first "electric piano." It had lots of voices and a few rhythms - I was hooked. We traded the organ in on it, and I played it for a couple of years. Then we got our first motor home, and I dreamed about ways to take the piano with me. They were all night mares! That thing weighed about 300 pounds! I saw a Yamaha PSR 330 in a store and had to have it. I was overwhelmed! It sounded great! And I could take it with me! It was followed by a 530 when the 330 failed just after the warranty expired. On a camping trip, I met a ham radio friend who had a 740. Wow! All that sound and a floppy disk and vocal harmony, too. But then I discovered that the 2000 had recently come out. I decided not to get the 740 to keep up with the Joneses, I bought the 2000 so that I could BE the Joneses! I have never regretted the purchase!
I soon discovered the PSR-Songs group, and learned so much more about playing from folks like Chris, Del and Julio. Not long afterwards the PSR Tutorial site came along and I learned more of the PSR2000's mysteries. Many thanks to all of you very fine people!
Phil
Phil has given us some great lessons on adjusting midi files. Check out his "Adjusting Voices in Songs," "Adjusting Song Tempo," "The Song Editor," and "Advanced Song Editing".
Phil's MIDI Songs
Phil provided 70 songs in midi format. These were created on the Tyros (T1) and the PSR-2000 (2k). Individual songs are shown in the table below and any one song can be downloaded by right-clicking on the song link. The table displays the song title, tempo (T), time signature (TS), lyrics (L), chords (C), where possible, the style used, the original volume (V), and the keyboard used (K). Click on this link to download Phil's 70 MIDI songs: PH-2k.zip, PH-T1.zip.
| Title | T | TS | L | C | Style | V | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Eyes | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | 03 | 2k | |
| Bali Hai | 80 | 4/4 | N | Y | SlowBossa | 03 | 2k |
| Be My Love | 80 | 4/4 | N | Y | 05 | T1 | |
| Blue Star | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 05 | T1 | |
| Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy | 166 | 4/4 | N | Y | BoogieWoogie | 05 | T1 |
| Bye Bye Blues | 210 | 4/4 | N | Y | Ragtime1 | 05 | T1 |
| California Dreamin' | 74 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| Chim Chim Cher-ee | 120 | 3/4 | N | Y | SwingWaltz | 05 | T1 |
| Close To You | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| Come Rain Or Come Shine | 86 | 4/4 | N | Y | 05 | T1 | |
| Count Every Star | 82 | 4/4 | N | Y | MoonlightBallad | 03 | 2k |
| Cry | 80 | 4/4 | N | Y | 03 | 2k | |
| Cry Me A River | 76 | 4/4 | N | Y | Swing2 | 03 | 2k |
| Dancing In The Dark | 131 | 4/4 | N | Y | 05 | T1 | |
| Dansero | 100 | 4/4 | N | Y | Bolero | 05 | T1 |
| Desafinado | 110 | 4/4 | N | Y | FastBossa | 05 | T1 |
| Do You Know What It Means | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 05 | T1 | |
| Easy Street | 74 | 4/4 | N | Y | BoogieWoogie | 03 | 2k |
| Embraceable You | 78 | 4/4 | N | Y | Swing2 | 06 | T1 |
| Flamingo | 76 | 4/4 | N | Y | SlowBossa | 03 | 2k |
| Georgia On My Mind | 70 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| Golden Earrings | 84 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| Greenfields | 63 | 4/4 | N | Y | 6-8SlowRock1 | 03 | 2k |
| Green Leaves Of Summer | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| Hard Hearted Hannah | 236 | 4/4 | N | Y | Dixieland1 | 06 | T1 |
| High And The Mighty | 77 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| House Of The Rising Sun | 78 | 4/4 | N | N | 6-8SlowRock1 | 03 | 2k |
| How Deep Is Your Love | 130 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| I Apologize | 130 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| I'll Remember April | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | MidnightSwing | 04 | T1 |
| Impossible Dream | 89 | 3/4 | N | Y | SwingWaltz | 07 | T1 |
| I'm Sorry | 115 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| I Only Have Eyes For You | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | 06 | T1 | |
| I Remember You | 85 | 4/4 | N | Y | BigBandBallad | 06 | T1 |
| It's A Blue World | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | 02 | 2k | |
| It's A Blue World | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | EasyListening | 04 | T1 |
| It's The Talk Of The Town | 123 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| It Was Almost Like A Song | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | LoveSong | 07 | T1 |
| Just A Closer Walk With Thee | 144 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| Just Because | 210 | 4/4 | N | Y | 02 | 2k | |
| Just Walking In The Rain | 80 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| Laughing On The Outside | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| La Vie En Rose | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 02 | 2k | |
| Let It Snow | 90 | 4/4 | N | Y | 16BeatBallad2 | 02 | 2k |
| Look Homeward Angel | 82 | 4/4 | N | Y | BigBandBallad | 02 | 2k |
| Look Of Love, The | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | SlowBossa | 07 | T1 |
| Love Is A Many Splendored Thing | 90 | 4/4 | N | Y | GypsySwing | 02 | 2k |
| Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, A | 62 | 4/4 | N | N | 6-8Orchestral | 03 | 2k |
| Lullaby Of Birdland | 220 | 4/4 | N | Y | Dixieland1 | 02 | 2k |
| Lullaby Of The Leaves | 108 | 4/4 | N | Y | SlowFox | 02 | 2k |
| Mack The Knife | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| Michelle | 89 | 4/4 | N | Y | PianoBallad | 07 | T1 |
| Miracle Of Love | 68 | 4/4 | N | Y | Unplugged1 | 02 | 2k |
| Misty | 129 | 4/4 | N | Y | 07 | T1 | |
| Old Cape Cod | 70 | 4/4 | N | Y | SwingFox | 02 | 2k |
| Only You | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | Bolero | 01 | 2k |
| Paper Doll | 80 | 4/4 | N | Y | 01 | 2k | |
| Put Your Head On My Shoulder | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | 16BeatBallad1 | 01 | 2k |
| Sincerely | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You) | 82 | 4/4 | N | N | 01 | 2k | |
| Somewhere | 74 | 4/4 | N | Y | Slow&Easy | 01 | 2k |
| Stranger In Paradise | 82 | 4/4 | N | Y | MoonlightBallad | 01 | 2k |
| Tell Me Why | 74 | 4/4 | N | Y | 16Beat | 01 | 2k |
| That Lucky Old Sun | 68 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| This Is All I Ask | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| Walkin' My Baby Back Home | 90 | 4/4 | N | Y | 01 | 2k | |
| When Sunny Gets Blue | 72 | 4/4 | N | Y | MoonlightBallad | 01 | 2k |
| You And The Night And The Music | 120 | 4/4 | N | Y | 04 | T1 | |
| You'd Be So Easy To Love | 84 | 4/4 | N | Y | Swing1 | 06 | T1 |
| You Go To My Head | 82 | 4/4 | N | Y | BigBandBallad | 01 | 2k |