....one thing they all have in common, from the lowliest Casio to the Tyros 5 or PA4x, is that, EXCEPT IN THE HANDS OF SUPERSTARS SUCH AS MARIO PARISI, they all sound like, well, arrangers. It's not just the members here (amateur or pro) but professional company demonstrators as well. Now bear in mind, I'm referring to when they are used in the most common way (style play). When used in 'synth' mode, obviously they sound like any other synth-type keyboard. But that's not why people buy arrangers and in those circumstances, pure synths or workstations would probably do a better job (although most TOTL arrangers can hold their own in this regard).

People keep posting (mostly factory) demos (I'm not sure why since anyone interested in a certain keyboard can easily look it up for themselves), and what stands out imnmediately is how "arranger-ish" it sounds. Some sound good by some measure, I suppose, but I think some of that is because a lot of people who are immersed in arranger music have forgotten what non-arranger music sounds like.

AND, what is worse, with each new model, we get (and wish for) more and more features that heighten this effect. In some ways, backing tracks (made by live musicians with real instruments) may be more realistic (sounding) even if not quite as flexible. I realize that in many venues, this matters little, but in most mainstream music venues such as jazz or rock clubs, fine restaurants, churchs, etc., it does matter.

As I've gotten older, I've lost some of my 'geek' interest in arranger keyboards and mostly concentrate on my TRUE love, the Hammond organ, but I still enjoy observing people's attitudes and approaches to this marvelous piece of technology. Although arranger players probably make up only about 1-2% of the music community, probably even less among the professional music community, it's amazing to see the loyalty and yes, camaraderie, within the community.

I still have my arrangers although I rarely turn them on except for thge BK7m which I use daily as a (excellent) drum machine to practice and/or rehearse with. Although I don't 'hate' them (as I have been accused of), I DO feel that the more advanced they get (not in terms of sound quality but automation/self-play features), the more they chip away at musical creativity AND the desire to improve technically as a musician. This is why I have said in the past that I would NEVER buy one for my child who was a serious music student. For an adult with little or no musical background but has an interest (and lots of money to spare ), I think it's the BEE's KNEES. I also think it is perfectly acceptable at less critical venues such as NH's (although for 1 hour, I would personally rather hear a (good) pianist/vocalist (even if it were a digital piano - would just sound more authentic - JMO)).

Just sharing some thoughts for the purpose of discussion, nothing more. Currently looking hard at one of those Privia pianos (560 maybe) as soon as I can figure out the difference between all the models .

chas