Howard Collingsworth

I began Classical piano training at the age of 9, and by the time I was 12, I joined my first band called “The Toronados”. My first band keyboard was a small Farfisa organ with a small Gibson amp. After 50 years of performing in bands, I recently “retired” from the Top-40/Country music scene. Now, I'm interested in returning to my Classical roots and forming a eclectic Classical/Pop ensemble, embracing light-Classical and Classical renderings of Pop music, such as the Beatles.

The PX-5S will be the perfect instrument for the job. I plan to create a tone that mimics the sound of the first pianos, having leather-covered hammers and dampers. Also a Baroque organ in the Hex group that covers 16', 8', 4', 2 2/3', 2', 1 1/3' ranks. Diapasons are the foundational tones in the Baroque organ of Bach's day and I hope I can find a good waveform to approximate it. Also, a three stopped harpsichord having 16', 8', and 4' pitches. I may add a 8' dolce stop as well. The only lack I can see in the PX-5S is it's lack of pressure sensitivity. This would be useful with a clavichord tone where varying the pressure would produce a vibrato effect found in the Baroque instruments.

Still, I’m thrilled with the PX-5S. At this point, the programming is somewhat esoteric, however with time… When I ordered the PX-5S, I also ordered the Roland KC-110 keyboard amp to go with it. I believe it will be sufficient in an acoustic ensemble setting. Plus the added ability to run on batteries!