piano keys - photo by Nina Matthews Photography (flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06)

Not just a handyman

Dad is not just a handyman, he’s also a music man, and it’s no surprise in our family what his favorite pastime is… playing the keyboards. He could spend many hours so engrossed with this musical instrument, lost in the world of the 60’s and 70’s, although some contemporary songs are also included in his repertoire. He also plays the guitar but nowadays it’s the keyboard that he can easily engage himself with.

Dad uses a second-hand Casio keyboard with some buttons and keys for sound effects which he would usually experiment on. He would also browse on YouTube for other musicians playing the electronic keyboards and he would oftentimes joke of buying those costly keyboards and synthesizers. Imagine a brand new Roland V Synt GT Elastic Audio Synthesizer Keyboard costs more than $3000! Whew. I bet he would also drool on some of those flashy electric-acoustic Ibanez guitars.

For those who would like to have their dream musical instrument but have limited budget, then it’s best to buy from a second-hand store. Check out online second hand music stores which usually offer a wide collection of good quality used musical instruments from guitars, percussion, string instruments (violin, ukulele, etc.), wind instruments (trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, etc.) as well as amplifiers, PA systems and some musical accessories. Except for few advertised as slightly damaged or needs some polishing, most of the products sold are still in good condition and comes with hard case, so you get these at a lesser price compared with their brand new counterparts. You can also try checking out your local classified ads; who knows you can have your dream guitar at a budget price from there.