In a world where just about everything you need is a few mouse-clicks away (a pizza, an education, MIDI commands, a date, etc.) it’s really easy to take things for granted. More often than not, things that are taken for granted are usually not missed until they’re gone (a pizza, an education, MIDI commands, a date, etc.), but fortunately I realized that I’ve been taking something for granted without losing it – my MIDI keyboard(s).

Up to the point of me getting my hands on Push there was always a keyboard around me – either my trusty Alesis Q49 at my desk or iRig Keys on the go (…or on the desk too). Once Push showed up though, it completely changed the way I interact with Live. All of it’s features and integration with Live feel so natural that comfortably making a track without touching another controller (or even looking at your computer) is possible. My comfort, interest, and excitement with Push then spread to my other controllers, and before I knew it my keyboards were stacked up out of the way.

So, basically for a few months while the excitement was still fresh I would mentally plot out what I was going to do with whatever controller and then sit down and do that. It was anything from trying to build a track from scratch on Push without looking at or touching my computer, maybe doing some mapping with Maschine, building loops from random sounds around me with Launchpad95, controlling plug-ins on my guitar with a specific controller, etc. Just setting little goals to learn something new and make things flow nicely during production and/or performance.

My first controller ever – the illustrious Akai MPK Mini

Then a few months went by and I realized that I was getting caught up in the gear. Every time that I would sit down with the intention of working on material I would find that I had spent hours integrating some new function that I had just discovered, or searching the internet for a tutorial or manual on something. Before I knew it, what had initially attracted me to these various tools – the things that they could offer me when making music – got lost in the shuffle of being amazed with how they could help me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The time that is spent learning how to use things is a valuable part of the process. It’s also a lot of fun. I don’t regret it at all, and I don’t think that anyone else should regret it either. Learning is important. It’s just that the reality of it for me is that within the last two years that I’ve been digging through books, tutorials, forums, trial & error, etc. making my own original music somehow managed to take a back seat to everything else until I recently sat down with a keyboard and realized that they are the simplest way for me to work on and connect with music that I’m trying to make. So, if you’ve found yourself stuck in a rut recently (or even if you haven’t) and you have a MIDI keyboard collecting dust around you I totally suggest plugging it in, loading up your favorite virtual instrument and seeing what happens!