We assume they're aimed at 'home players', you know, the same market that used to buy 'home' organs with auto-accompaniment. That meant financially comfortable ol' coots in the 50-70+ age range. These have now been replaced, allegedly, by the much cheaper and more capable arranger keyboards (sans the fancy and expensive furniture-quality enclosures). But here's the thing: Along with all the technical advancements came a level of complexity unheard of with the old auto-accomp organs, where all that was usually necessary was to hit a button that said 'waltz' or 'polka', etc. and start playing.

The reason I bring this up is the plethora of posts regarding how the operating system works and the complex steps needed to perform the simplest of operations (ask Donny about that ). Indeed, the board has become much less about 'what's the name of that chord' and much more about 'what's that button do'. Now we all know that as we age, our ability to master new technologies seems to diminish somewhat (at least that's the case with me). Simultaneously, as technology increases the complexity (and capability) of these systems, the ability to master all of the advanced features also diminishes. Personally, I think the sudden (and recent) interest in playing solo piano among arranger players may have to do with the suddenly re-discovered joy of just 'sitting down and playing' (without worrying about 'which style', registrations, playlists, OTS, MFD, multi-pads, split points, etc., etc.). Is this the time in our lives when we want things simpler, not harder? For some, maybe. For the record, none of this pertains to 'professionals', of whom most arranger players are NOT. Pro's tend to keep up with the tecnology on an on-going basis, as their livelihood depends on it and the arranger is considered more of a 'work tool' than just a source of personal enjoyment.

So, who IS the arranger REALLY marketed to; tech-savvy musicians or ol' coots with too much money?

chas