Gentlemen, when playing with a style, how do you deal with changes in time signature? (For example, if a song is mostly 4/4 but there are a few bars that are 3/4 or 2/4.) It gets the style all out of kilter.

I can only think of two approaches:
(1) Pre-sequence the accompaniment and play only the RH melody "live".
(2) Play the whole thing with the arranger stopped (i.e., no style).

What do YOU do with this situation? -Ted

Is this what you're looking for?
http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/software/stytempo/index.htm

Taike

Hi

Or maybe better this http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/software/stytime/index.htm

J�rgen

If the time signature change is only occasional (the odd fill, or just the one bar or so), the 'Reset' button on your arranger can be used (sometimes you can put it to a footswitch - even better!) as long as you practice your timing (it doesn't lock to tempo, you HAVE to be precise).

For instance, if you have a 3/4 bar during a 4/4 pice, hit the 'reset' on 'four' and it's now 'one'. It seems tough at first, but practice it and it soon gets easier.

If the odd meter is repeating (Greek music, anyone?!) your arranger can have odd meter time signatures (or at least, SOME can), so if you perform a LOT of these, making sure your arranger has flexible time signature options would be important...

Or.... if none of these options is doable, sure, go ahead and make an SMF of the song. Once again, some recent arrangers allow you to drop in 'markers' for different sections of the SMF, so you aren't stuck with the same length and structure EVERY time you play it!

Also, several different arrangers allow you to go seamlessly from arranger play to SMF play and back, so perhaps create a short SMF of the weird time signature part of the song, play the rest in arranger mode, then hit 'play' on the sequencer for the odd meter section, and go back to arranger mode for the rest....

Plenty of options... You just have to decide which works 'best' for you...