Well, I'm about to buy an arranger, and while trying to find out what people do with their keyboards, I was wondering about the following:

Do you usually try to "fake" a song as close to the original as possible?

Or do you make your own accompaniment over the chords, trying to add some stuff or simplifying?

Or do you make a new arrangement to a tune, with new chord changes, changing the style, etc?

Or do you play your own compositions or improvisations? Do people like that in live situations?

Markus

All of the above...!

The best thing about modern arrangers is there are no rules. You can use most of them as workstations, compositional tools, rehearsal tools, and live performance instruments in any situation from a full band to a solo performance.

You are kind of asking 'What can you do with a guitar?!'....... The answer is 'Anything you want to......'

I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear enough, Diki. My "you" was directed to all of you, not as a "you" in general.

I know about those abilities, I've been in the music business (although classical) for quite a while, comping, doing choir arrangements and other stuff.

I'd like to hear some examples from the members of these forums, what their audiences like and appreciate, and what their preferences are. Do people look confused when you do your own composition, or do they think it's just a tune they don't know, or do you announce it as "self made"? Or do you do whole nights with your own stuff?

Hi There,

Well I am a real amateur but will gladly share my arranger experience over the last two years. Currently I have a PSR3000 and a PA1XPRO.

Q: Do you usually try to "fake" a song as close to the original as possible?

A: I like to exploit the power of the arranger and not try to replicate the original song, however, I do try to find a a particular sound, or an intro, or a bass line or a riff that is in the original song that you instantly know what song it's in, and try to replicate that exactly. It gives the listeners an instant emotional connection with the original song.

Q: Or do you make your own accompaniment over the chords, trying to add some stuff or simplifying?
A: Personally, I let the arranger do the hard work. I like to use the pads to add extras in, or use my second keyboard to help embelish the overall sound.

Q: Or do you make a new arrangement to a tune, with new chord changes, changing the style, etc?
A: I love using different styles to give new life and interesting twists on old traditional songs.

Q: Or do you play your own compositions or improvisations? Do people like that in live situations?
A: Both mix and match. I love to deviate from the sometimes monotonous style and mix it up. For an amateur, the Yamaha with its registrations makes this an easy thing to do switching between styles and tempos. When playing some songs I will easily go through 8 different registrations. Not as easy to do on the PA1XPRO.

Hope my lame answers help you a little.

Russ