Joe...
Using your method here, could the styles that you wanted to delete or add to the User Memory be deleted or added in bulk...or would it have to be done one by one?
Eddie

[This message has been edited by Bsharp (edited 05-03-2002).]

Well, it’s really your choice (as an arranger keyboard player ) to determine ‘how much’ you allow the auto accomp stuff to take over. In arranger keyboard playing, ‘you’ are in control of how much auto accomp goes on. When I perform, I only use the auto accomp to supply the basic ryhthm section (drums and bass ) to backup my live keyboard playing & singing. I like to play the keyboard pretty much the same as if I were playing with a real live band combo. The auto accompaniment keyboard offers the performance flexibility not possible when playing along with a pre-arranged midi sequence.



Uncle Dave, I’m rather surprised hearing this from you, the senior seasoned ‘arranger’ keyboard player here. I thought the primary purpose of this forum and of arranger keyboard playing is to learn how to master all that you are complaining about here. I always found it odd that you don’t use one of the key features of an arranger KB: ‘Registration Memory’ & ‘Registration Sequence’. These were designed to eliminate all the button & foot pedal pushing you are complaining about, yet allow you the flexibility to add fills, change the harmonic chord progression, modulate (change key) , take extral chorus’ (if and when the audience energy calls for another chorus) , etc. and do this all ‘on the fly’ as well. This type of spontaneous live performance playing is just not possible when you are ‘locked in’ to playing along with a ‘pre-arranged’ karaoke like backup sequence.



Playing along with sequences has its place for certain cover tunes which demand it, but I still prefer the flexibility of live performance spontaniety that arranger keyboard style playing provides. The drums and bass may not be perfect on all the time, but the focus of the audience is on (hopefully) my playing & singing. The backup parts are there for just that: backup. I personally (on the PSR2000) haven’t encountered many problems with drum fills and bass lines not syncing up or sounding inappropriate. Drums & bass fills sounding right are partly dependant on triggering the fill button at the correct time.



I agree that playing solo piano or with with just a left hand walking bass) on a few tunes provides a refreshing constrast in a one man show, but I think arranger style keyboard playing is an important element which contributes to a successful one man band act because it provides a satisfying backup rhythm section which audiences appreciate. I think it’s more important that we learn to master the unique skills of arranger keyboard playing. The amount of auto accomp used is a delicate balance. It’s our job to determine how much auto accomp to use, and just not allow it to overtake our live playing & singing. Music is like cooking: a delicate balance of robust flavors, subtle seasoning, and textures. Uncle Dave, I fully appreciate and understand your need to getting back to playing a non arranger KB now, and I apolopgize if I was beginning to sound a little preachy, but I’m an avid defender of arranger keyboards and I’d hate to see you abandon arranger keyboards now. I think you really need to reconsider exploring how arranger keyboard playng might work for you. - Scott

I'm not abandoning any idea or instrument that can add to my life's work. I've just reached a point of "saturation" with the current offerings of arrangers. I was never a fan of the omm paa paa backings from the start, and while some of it is quite good, and useable - in the long run, the energy comes from my vision, and my hands - not the backings. I've stated before that bass & drums are the second and third most important elements to any arrangement (after the melody, of course)and I still believe this. Sequences, arrangers, sidemen - whatever automation we use can get OVER used very easily. I will never call myself an "Arranger keyboard" player. I use arrangers as a tool, and I can get around every make and model with relative ease, but I am PERFORMER - not an arranger player. The gimmics I use are just fluff - it all comes down to heart & soul. Two items that are missing from EVERY arranger keyboard.

I don't mean to slam the arranger players, but I was a one man band before any of the automatic stuff was around, and i can't get my head around any technique that takes the performer OUT of the mix.
Scott, your statements about moderation are right on target. We should all take a close "listen" to what we do when we play.
Don Mason records his performance almost every night - that's a great way to keep yourself "honest". It's so easy to lie to yourself and start believing that the instrument is more vital than the instrumentalist. Many of my clients already think that! They compliment the gear as much as they compliment me ........ but that's a whole other issue.

Being a performer is my thing. Sometimes I use acoustic instruments, sometimes I use arrangers or sequencers, and sometimes I DJ. It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me, HOW I reach the crowd. The important thing is that I know what to do, and when to do it. That has kept me working since 1969 in a crazy, misunderstood business filled with beauty and wonder that continues to amnaze me each night.

I did a Communion party this afternoon, and a little third grader came up to me and asked if I was Allison Boyd's Daddy. Proudly, I said yes ! It's moments like that that keep me in check. I thought I was a total stranger to the crowd until that moment. Life is funny, ain't it?

Scott:
If Yamaha changed it so that the registration sequence reset when you went to Reg-1, I think you would suddenly hear complaints from people that are using it successfully the way it is. I dont use the sequence function, but I know that when they change things that aren't broke it always messes me up. I had my PSR500 in for service years ago, and when I got it back they had put the new OS in it... I couldn't stand it. I sent it back so they could put the old OS back in it.

Anybody else notice that Uncle Dave is starting to sound like Julian Colbeck from the PSR9000 Pro review in EM?

Midnite

Hey! Who is this Colbek character anyway ??
(I haven't read the article - is it fovorable or not?)
How are we the same?

I think you’re completely wrong. The Reg Seq & Reg Memory button settings (1-8) need to be linked directly to each other. Currently, when you change the Reg Sequence’s 1-8 registrations via the next/back buttons, the Reg Memory buttons change accordingly. It only makes logical sense that the reverse (selecting a Reg Memory button directly and subsequently having the Reg Seq setting change too) work the same way.

As far as people possibly complaining about what (to me) is obviously a bug fix, using the ‘Reg Sequence’ feature itself is optional, and can be easily turned on or off as desired.



Well, I say it ‘is’ broke. All the other arrangers I’ve played allow you to do this. Since you don’t even use the Reg Seq function , fixing it shouldn’t mess you up. I challenge anyone who uses the Reg Sequence feature the way it works now, to give me one good reason to leave it the way it is. How will changing it (as I described) cause any problems? Midnite: Perhaps it’s because you don’t even use the Reg. Sequence function, that you don’t understand. Frankly, I’m certain that this problem (bug) was actually just an oversite, and never intended by Yamaha. Unfortunately, whether they’d admit it or not though, is another story, because to correct this would be costly for Yamaha, especially since flash rom upgradeability is no longer a PSR2000 option.

- Scott


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http://scottyee.com


[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 05-06-2002).]

UD, here's a link to my thread where I quoted excerpts from an article (Electronic Musician: May 2002) written by Mr Colbeck, where he voices his views about arrangers keyboards.
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/003526.html

Favorable? It depends on your perspective.

- Scott

Sorry for the delay in responding; I've just been catching up on some forum messages. You do not need to copy one file at a time. When you select COPY, the next question is what to copy. ALL is an option (I don't have my keyboard in front of me, so I am responding from memory). If you select ALL, all the files are highlighted. Move from the USER area to Floppy (or vice versa) and press PASTE. All the files will be copied. If you wanted to copy just four files, select COPY, then select the four files, then select OK, then go where you want to put them and select PASTE.