Piano - Blind Guardian - Sacred Worlds (100th Video)

It's been a long year and a half since I've done a piano video. What better way to make my 100th video an awesome song from one of my favorite bands.

Update - The Final Apology

A lot of you guys probably found me under my YouTube pseudonym "FountainKeeper," and followed me for songs I just happened to magically figure out how to play on the piano. I'm truly thankful for the followings I have received. I would very much love to get back into playing more Blind Guardian, Muppets, and other video game and anime music. But throughout this whole year, I've been apologizing and apologizing for not posting any new videos. This has likely annoyed you, and it sure has been annoying me. Therefore, as of now, the apologies end here.

I've just been busy trying to shape my life - Finishing college, finding work, making this graphic novel Kickstarter project happen, the works. I still play piano. In fact it's been keeping me sane. So you can rest assured I'm not dead, and that I'll one day return gloriously. It may just be some time before I'm back in the game However, I will still update you on the graphic novel, or if I have a new piece of other art to show :)

You may have noticed that I changed the name of my blog from ElephantSpank to The Skaploony Bin. While E.S. is the anagram for my name, not a lot of people might catch onto that. I'll be changing my DeviantArt name as well, once I get around to making a premium account.

Lastly, I have a new Tumblr page. It was meant as a backup blog, after Blogger had been acting up on me at the time. Guess it doesn't hurt to expand :-P

A Video Game Christmas

     I took this photo back in 2009, back when I did my three-part Winter Video Game Piano Medley. I hadn't seen the full-res image since then, and I recently found it while digging through my old operating-systemless laptop. I'm so glad I kept it around. Found a bunch of old pictures like this that I almost thought I'd never see again.

     So I went in, adjusted the lighting, and added a frost frame... you know, just for the hell of it. The medley took a while to get done - One, maybe two weeks during my free time. The whole process was fun to do... though when I wasn't playing, I was a tad anxious, hoping that my cat or someone didn't knock anything out of place :D  It's still one of my favorite piano vids I've done, along with my favorite Christmas picture that I've taken. (DeviantArt Link)

Merry Christmas!!

 PART ONE
(0:07) Chameleon Twist 2 - Ice Land
(2:08) Jumping Flash! - World 4-1: Slippery Ice Land
(3:10) Jumping Flash! 2 - World 2-1: Checking Out the Castle
(4:23) Diddy Kong Racing - Snowflake Mountain
(5:25) Duck Tales - Himalayas
(6:21) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Ice Cavern

(7:31) Metroid Prime - Phendrana Drifts

PART TWO
(0:00) Final Fantasy X - People of the North Pole
(2:28) Mario Kart 64 - Sherbet Land / Frappe Snowland
(3:48) Star Fox Adventures - Snowhorn Wastes
(5:20) Diddy Kong Racing - Frosty Village

(7:22) Final Fantasy VII - Buried in the Snow

PART THREE
(0:00) Chrono Trigger - Singing Mountain
(1:07) Paper Mario - Shiver City
(2:22) Final Fantasy IX - Ice Caverns
(3:47) Donkey Kong Country - Ice Cave Chant
(5:45) Diddy Kong Racing - Everfrost Peak
(6:46) Super Mario 64 - Cool, Cool Mountain
(7:58) Banjo-Kazooie - Freezeezy Peak

Piano Issues

Greetings, all!

I would just like to take a minute to ex(com)plain one of the problems I have with playing and recording my piano videos... And that is the piano itself. See, my electric piano is a Yamaha Clavinova CVP-75, and it's been in my family for nearly 20 years. I had no problem with it before I started uploading to YouTube, because I only played for fun. I still do. But the more songs I put up, the more I want, well... MORE out of my piano.

For instance, I've wanted to make higher quality audio files, and be able to make sheets / tutorials for the longest time. Unfortunately, the piano has no USB port. Instead, it has the big bulky MIDI ports. It's hard to even get my MIDI to USB cord to function properly. Not to mention my sheet-making software is extremely out of date. It probably doesn't even work on Win7 :/. I am also currently using a cord coming from the piano's headphone port, and into my laptop's mic port to at least get better audio than direct-from-camera hiss. Unfortunately, the quality still is far from the best thing in the world.

On top of all the technical mumbo-jumbo, the piano itself just doesn't feel right. It's stiff. Sure, it's weighted, and I would indeed like a little weight in my piano, but I would also like to do glissandos without getting blisters on me fingers. This has happened before, when I was practicing my "Tragic Prince" video. I ended up not putting one in, and played the song with blistered fingers. I had one in "Sound of the Wind, but that happened beforehand.... That was painful too. I've played these songs on a couple upright acoustic pianos without a problem, and would like to be able to at home. Could it truly be that I just have weak frail fingers and need to man-up? .....Naahh, I'm pretty sure it's the piano.

(Boring rants end here. You're welcome.)

So I've graduated from college, and am about to head into the job market. Once I've saved up $2000, first order of business is for me to get a new keyboard. That's right, I'm divorcing my piano. She's been a great companion for many years, and we've had some great times together... but let's face it, we're having some domestic problems. The fingering and the pounding has just gotten a little too rough for us.

 ....................Why is everyone looking at me like that? :P

Anyway, here's a checklist for what I'd like out of my new baby. An E-harmony list, if you will.... Get it? ...E? ...Harmo--yeah, that was lame.

- 88 keys (MUST)

- Feels real, like an acoustic piano. Not hollow and plastic-y, like most keyboards.

- Pain-free glissandos

- 3 Pedals.

- USB Port for MIDI and sheet-making.

- Different audio output. My microphone port will not be satisfactory anymore.

- Great sound and quality (not basic MIDI sounding - again, like most keyboards)

- Record / Playback function for practicing duet pieces.

- Will last a good long time.

I'm thinking of getting a Kawai, for its supposedly more real-feeling keys. I'm too afraid of shopping online though, and would rather test one out before buying. Does Anyone have experiences in buying somewhat higher-end keyboards? Any recommendations? Any good stores you know of in the Seattle vicinity?

Update: I ran across a piano shop in Redmond, and tested out my first Kawai - an electric grand. I'm in love. It feels and sounds great. All the other pianos I tested there didn't give me any glissando problem (it was the first thing I checked on every one.), but this one felt the best overall. So I know now what brand I want. It's just a matter of getting enough dough to bring one home with me.

Piano - The Muppet Christmas Carol - A Thankful Heart

Have yourself a very Michael Caine-y Christmas!

Piano - Final Fantasy VI - Phantom Forest

Sorry about the hissing sound. I didn't fix ALL of the audio problems when I re-uploaded this, but I at least made it louder, in an attempt to not further destroy anyone's speakers/headphones/eardrums from watching another video after this one. Overall, the whole thing was just a big experiment. For one, this was on-the-spot playing with no real reference at the time. Now that I've heard the song more, I can play it with more correct chords in the future. As for the visuals, that was just me having a bit too much fun with AfterEffects :P

Piano - Ghost in the Shell: SAC - Inner Universe

Aeria Gloris...

Piano - The Legend of Zelda Theme

This is my little contribution to my favorite franchise's 25th anniversary.

Live Piano Sessions

From time to time, I will be doing live piano chat sessions on UStream. My first one will be on Friday May 6, from 4-7pm PST. Metalheads who subscribed to me on YouTube, don't miss out on the first song!!

My UStream Channel
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/fountainkeeper-s-piano