I like to include a medley (or two) in my shows because, in addition to providing a common theme, it allows you to perform a chain of songs 'one after another' to constrast and/or build energy in a single song package.

Arranger keyboards are idea for medleys because it allows us to instantly change tempos and styles (via stored registration memory panel setups) as well allowing you to fade in and out of a song styles. One thing I wish could be achieved though, is to be able to 'evolve' from one style to another. In other words, have the first style continue to play as a new selected style fades in, and then have the first style slowly fade out, as the second style takes over. Does any arranger keyboard (perhaps Ketron?) support this?

Back on the topic of medleys. In addition to medleys featuring specific artists/bands: Beatles, Sinatra, and era: 50', 60', 70', etc, a very popular medley theme with audiences, is a medley of well known songs about places (Countries & Cities) around the world:

- Brazil
- I Love Paris
- Arrivederci Roma
- From Russia With Love

and/or the USA:

- Viva Las Vegas
- Hurray For Hollywood
- Chicago
- Georgia On My Mind
- Tennessee Waltz
- New York New York
- NY State of Mind
- North To Alaska
- Blue Hawaii
- I Left My Heart in SF
- Deep In the Heart of Texas
- Oklahoma
- Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans

I like to begin my medley of songs of places around the world with: Around the World in 80 Days, and for songs of US destinations, I start with Route 66. I typically wrap it up with 'NYNY' or 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' and by that time you've built up the energy to the point that the entire audience is singing as well. btw: My medleys often require up to 24 registration setups(several banks) which are incrementally accessed via a foot pedal controller.

Interested to hear what medleys you guys like to perform, and what specific songs you include in them?

Scott

Scott,
Roland arrangers have style morphing capabilities, you can select what style you want morphed to your current style, but I don't think it's possible to then be using the second style. Possibly a VA arranger can do this.
Starkeeper

Hi Scott
I like some medleys with style/tempo variation (From slow,across medium to fast tempo)
For ex:
1-All the things you are (Slow bband ballad)
2-Misty (Slow bband ballad)
3-The more I see you (bband medium)
4-N York N York (bb medium)
5-Volare (bb fast)
6-Fly me to the moon (bb fast)

Chico

Yes, medleys are a great idea and I love to do collages of well known songs. Most of my medleys are made of portuguese and brasilian songs, specially dance tunes that everybody like to dance. They are very "powerful", in the sense that they can make a crowd jump and dance limitlessly [I must confess that some portuguese song medleys are a bit boring for me to play, as the chord structure is frequently very monotonous and the orchestral arrangements full of "clichés", but mandatory to achieve the wanted "success" in parties].

However I do mainly small medleys (three/four songs), always keeping the same initial style, and achieving variations with playing style changes (manual bass / cutting orchestral parts / just drums with vocals / etc). I do not master at all the art of changing styles in the same song/medley. How do you do this in a smooth way, guys? And, Scott, to my knowledge Ketron does not have such integrated feature of fading out a style while another takes over, although there is a fade in/out button that, of course one can manually use to switch styles.

-- José.

Scott , I can do this on the Roland G1000. It will play from disk a new style on the downbeat of the next measure. If you want to fade in and out , the fade function will work in conjunction of the style change.. I, personally do not worry about the fade, the style change is predictable and works smoothly..Fran

Fran: Isn't there a jump when the tempos are very different? Maybe it's only a matter of practicing. -- José.

I have a favourite medley , all based on the quickstep style but with different instruments based on the registrations. I just segue from one tune to the next by hitting the registration button at the end of the last bar of the tune.

Lady is a Tramp
Whispering
Margie
Mister Sandman
(Back Home Again in) Indiana
I'll See You in My Dreams

Same again in Slow Foxtrot tempo:

Guilty
Don't Blame Me
Someone to Watch Over Me

And in Big Band Ballad:

Misty
Deep Purple
Stardust

You can stretch that lot out to a whole set.

Jose, while the style is playing and you recall another style the tempo can stay the same ..You can use the alpha wheel to adjust the tempo from that point if needed..Fran

From the looks of the medley lists you've shown, most seem to be geared for the lounge scene, at least that's the way it appears to me.
A majority of my gigs are pub/bar types, so the choice of music is very different, but none the less, one particular medley I've strung togetherbegins with the WHO:
Pinball Wizard, I can See For Miles, Won't Get Fooled Again, to BEATLES: Day in the Life, Golden Slumbers, Carry that Weight,
to Troggs:Love is all Around, to ANIMALS: Bring it on Home to Me...ending with Beatles: The End
Different....but it seems to go over well.
..L