Korg is searching a new demonstrator

StephenKay · Post by **StephenKay** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:38 am

When I was younger, I did a fair amount of traveling and product demonstrations for Korg. I spent a month once in China, did demonstrations in many cities that most westerners never get to experience; did demonstrations in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, the UK, Germany and others I'm likely forgetting. It was a great experience and one I wouldn't trade for anything. You meet great people, they treat you like a rock star for the most part, you get to experience local culture and food in a way no tourist really does. I was married at the time (and still am), so being apart for periods of time is not such a horrible thing, it really does make the heart grow fonder, as long as your spouse is behind it. Sometimes a little time apart is a good thing.

For the right person, this would be a great gig. Assuming the pay makes it worthwhile.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:32 am

Me being married is one of the main reasons I could never do it haha. But it does seem like a great experience!

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:38 am

Stephen, that sounds convincing for a young man and a limited time. It's no problem being apart from your social environment up to a year or so (many pupils or students spend a year in a foreign country). But it will hardly work well for many years in a row. There's loads of musician's stories losing partners through extensive touring, or of other jobs, where constant traveling destroys relationships in the long run.

Kevin Nolan · Post by **Kevin Nolan** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:47 pm

They specify:

"...
Flexibility to understand and perform any style of music
..."

- "any style of music "! - how many people are there who can do that??

RichF · Post by **RichF** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:22 pm

Being able to perform any style of music is important since demonstrating the Pa-series will be an important part of the role.

Stephen, you pretty much said it all. It'll be a great opportunity for the right person. I also really enjoyed the traveling aspect of the job. I got to see parts of the country and the world that I otherwise wouldn't have seen, and interact with people in an almost constantly positive way. I am very grateful for that experience. I also wasn't single, and while that aspect of the job requires mutual understanding, it can certainly be manageable.

Internet focus is essential, but there is still tremendous value in training salespeople on products, either individually or in groups. It's much more effective, and therefore worth the travel cost, when you are face to face. This is also true of events where a demonstrator might interact with consumers, like clinics, media events, and workshops.

Kevin Nolan · Post by **Kevin Nolan** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:32 pm

any style?

So - you're looking for someone who can play to demo level: Debussy, Beethoven, Stride Piano, Rag, Boogie-Woogie, The Great American SongBook, for starters

and then hop on over to Reggie, Bosa-Nova, House, Dubstep, Berlin School of Electronic Music, EDM,

and then like Billy Joel, Elton John, Burt Bacharach, ...

really - any style?? Can Lang Lang do that?

Again I'll ask - whose that musician - I'd like to shake their hand!

RichF · Post by **RichF** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:42 pm

Well, think of it this way: On a Pa-series keyboard (or any other arranger), you have Styles or Rhythms from various parts of the world. They provide the backing ensemble, so you'd need to add relevant or recognizable chord progressions and/or right hand parts. The person who creates the Style/Rhythm generally has a far greater amount of homework.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:43 pm

I don't mean to boast as I don't think I'm exceptional for a pro but I could definitely play nearly all of those to demo level and be comfortable in the knowledge that I did at least as good a job as anyone in the room. There are always going to be some guys who play better in one style but to demo convincingly, definitely, especially with a little practice knowing this is what the job requires.

I don't think this is an extreme demand by any means, it just requires a flexible pro. Several of my colleagues would do as well as or better than me.

I'd personally be least comfortable doing prog rock probably as I have very little familiarity with it and would have to start from scratch learning the style and building a song or two. I've played some Dreamtheater pieces in school but that's been years.

StephenKay · Post by **StephenKay** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:53 am

SanderXpander wrote:I'd personally be least comfortable doing prog rock probably as I have very little familiarity with it and would have to start from scratch learning the style and building a song or two. I've played some Dreamtheater pieces in school but that's been years.

Prog rock is, sadly, probably pretty far down on the list of styles that you'd have to cover.

For example, when I demoed in Indonesia, ahead of time they sent me some examples of the local stuff that was popular at the time - "Dangdut" I think is what it was called. All you have to do is listen to it, absorb it, steal a couple of chord progressions and away you go!

Oh, and I forgot Sweden, Mexico, Argentina... someday I have to get a world map and stick pins into it for all the places I've been lucky enough to get to.

PianoManChuck · Post by **PianoManChuck** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:08 am

Heck, I have a hard enough time getting away for 3 weeks for my band's annual summer tour every July!
But then again, we're probably not making anywhere near the $$ that the product demonstrator position pays (but I'll bet I'm having a ton more fun)!

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:10 am

StephenKay wrote:
SanderXpander wrote:I'd personally be least comfortable doing prog rock probably as I have very little familiarity with it and would have to start from scratch learning the style and building a song or two. I've played some Dreamtheater pieces in school but that's been years.
Prog rock is, sadly, probably pretty far down on the list of styles that you'd have to cover.

For example, when I demoed in Indonesia, ahead of time they sent me some examples of the local stuff that was popular at the time - "Dangdut" I think is what it was called. All you have to do is listen to it, absorb it, steal a couple of chord progressions and away you go!

Oh, and I forgot Sweden, Mexico, Argentina... someday I have to get a world map and stick pins into it for all the places I've been lucky enough to get to.

Oh prog rock just gets mentioned a lot by the folks on here and Korg players in general so I thought it'd be important. Good to know that it's not important for this job I'm not applying for haha.

It really does sound like a very cool experience and I'd be all over it at 25. But I had a songwriting week in Germany a month and a half ago and already had a really really tough time being away from my wife for that long. Definitely not for me