The band shows up for the gig and starts unpacking gear. The drummer drags in countless large and small cases and assembles their acoustic, real drum kit. The guitarist hauls in their amp, effects, and real guitars (with real strings), as does the bassist. The horn players take out their real horns and blow real air through them as the vocalist tests out their mic using their natural singing voice.

Last but not least, the pianist shows up and sets up their electronic, sampled/simulated/mock piano and tests out a few sampled/simulated/mock chords and runs. The downbeat hits and the keyboardist impose their sampled/simulated/mock contribution upon everyone else’s real, acoustic, naturally produced offering.

Why the injustice? Like everyone else, we pianists would like the equivalent of placing fingers on actual strings, holding real sticks, or manipulating real horn keys. We, too, would like to play something … real!