Thank you to all the comments so far. It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s perspective. Here a few comments:

Chas- While I agree with you that serious musicians tend to stay away from arrangers, I don’t see why that would make the arranger keyboard less popular in the USA. Maybe I don’t understand you. I don’t think you mean to say that US musicians are more serious about music than their “overseas’ counterparts, do you? I had the opportunity to play with musicians from Europe, and Latin America and Asia and I think they take music very seriously. Many of my “foreign” counterparts have had very rigorous training starting at an early age. Maybe there are more hobbits outside of the US?

Ian and mdonrantes, I have traveled throughout Mexico and Canada and concur with you. There is much more activity going on with arranger keyboards than in the US (pro performers, hobbits)

Nedim and George Kaye- yes, sell people do a poor job of demonstrated their arrangers, but I think they are equally as bad with the workstations or any other instrument for that matter.

Jammman- your perspective is very interesting and something I had never really considered. Can you imagine trying to rehearse a band a band in those small living quarters in Europe and Asia? Not to mention trying to hall your gear in those tiny cars. And how could you make it at all profitable with those insanely high gas prices?!?

Diki- I’m not that familiar with modern rap, hip hop and other contemporary styles but could those styles be done on arranger keyboard? Aren’t those styles more riff based and each song has a very specific drum beat? Even so, there are lots of people in the US that don’t get into the contemporary styles.

I really wonder if there is just something different in the American psyche that gives us a natural aversion to arranger keyboards. Perhaps Americans are naturally more inclined to create musical styles than play along with canned tracks?


[This message has been edited by montunoman (edited 01-27-2010).]