I AM SO ELATED! As I mentioned in my craft market post, I have been saving up for an instrument! I've been saving up since spring. Prior, I had been saving up to buy Time After Alice. I used part of what I'd been saving up to scoop her, and put the remainder immediately towards this, a Suzuki Omnichord OM-108, which is a really cool (and also really twee) synthesizer.
I first saw this instrument on Instagram when @blackforager posted a story of her playing and singing with her Omnichord; I'm not sure when it was because I believe the story's not been archived. If I recall correctly, the Omnichord wasn't much in-frame so I couldn't really see what it was. I was like, "That is so pretty." I scrolled away... Then I scrolled back, all, "What is that, though??" And Alexis mentioned in either a caption or a comment that it was an Omnichord. And I immediately looked up Omnichords to see how much they cost!
A lot, is the answer! ($500-1000, depending on if you are getting a vintage one from the 80s or the newer model, and whether it's new or used. It can also depend on the condition of a specific Omnichord and its location and the seller from whom you purchase it and whether it's an auction or direct purchase... I'm sure you can imagine the variation.)
For a while I talked myself in and out of saving up for an Omnichord. "It's so expensive. Do I really need it?" After I joined the band during the summer, I really started noticing which songs would benefit from a touch of synth, and this was really what made me feel more enabled in my desire.
It is a big purchase for me and feels pretty frivolous. It took me seven months to save up. Doing the craft market finally put me in the black, soooo I went ahead and bought it, and aaah!!! It was scheduled to arrive on December 22, but it arrived on the 16th! Way sooner than expected. I have been in absolute HEAVEN playing it! Like, I can hardly stop playing it!!
Here's a little video I took to send to my great-aunt:
It basically makes everything sound like sparkly fairy music!! (Pardon my voice, though. I wasn't warmed up! Do you recognize this song? It's from the Rankin Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and is sung by Clarice.)
I would say that the Omnichord is very easy to play. It's nigh impossible for it to sound bad. Just developing that muscle memory regarding the placement of each button is going to take a bit of time yet. I still don't know what absolutely every button does in order to manipulate what I am doing in a timely fashion. But I've been playing it constantly. Especially Christmas music. It's perfect for Christmas music, since it has that bell-like tinkly magic-y sound, and often Christmas songs are fairly easy. Right now I prefer playing without any tempo or chorus accompaniment. I just want the strumpad flourishes for what I am doing.
Playing Christmas songs on both the guitar and Omnichord and decorating our tree recently has really made the season feel like, well, the season. I also have a small pink tree (which you may remember from past years) which I decorated and which looks real cozy at night. My mom and I take walks every day at 8 P.M., regardless of cold and rain, and have been enjoying the holiday lights so much.
To close out this post, some selfies. I attended church with my mom this past weekend and got maybeeee the most compliments I have ever received in my life?
So many people said, "I love your hat." Approached me specifically to say so! (And I love this, because while people have complimented my berets on rare occasions, I have moreso felt somewhat teased about them, and like I am somehow dressing in an eccentric way even though I don't think I am.) I also got compliments on my dress and shoes. One lady said, sentimentally, "You look so beautiful." WHAT??? I mean, dang. Make my day, why don't you! Validate my desire to wear berets even in the face of Prince references and being spoken to in French!!!
And then I posted one of these pics on my Instagram stories to be like, "wow I got so many compliments," and I got yet more compliments, on the clips in my hair and my mitts? Hahah!
Okay, I peaked for the year! It's all fug and slug from here on out.
No, but really: I feel really self-conscious about my silver hairs that stick up everywhere so I'm taking all the compliments about my beret to heart, so that I may gird myself against the self-consciousness I feel about that feature specifically.
And: Getting to make this big purchase, and it arriving early, and being able to enjoy it so much right out of the box really puts a gentle and soothing yet bright cap on what has been a challenging year for me. I want to recognize the moments of enjoyment I've had, remember the compliments and the gingerbread cake and the time spent with my mom this month.
Post a Comment