I'll bet for every keyboard owner that plays a contemporary "Pop" style, there are 5 keyboard owners that play a cha cha...
These styles are not outdated. There will always be a cha cha, rhumba, tango, waltz, and swing..We can't be without these for the sake of more Pop styles[even hip hop and new age]...Sure , go and add these , but not at the expense of "real' styles..


Same thing with the "dated" sounds[tones]...A good piano sounds just like it did 20 years ago...sax, the same...Has a flute changed?..what about choirs? The mighty B3?

I will be happy to keep my outdated sounds..and my ballroom styles..

I’m amazed by people who have played for many years and can only do two or three styles of music. A well-rounded musician should be able to play many styles and want to play many different song styles. I'd go nuts doing just a few styles with the great variety of music available today.

I experiment with many different styles and I find that many tunes are adaptable to many different styles. Adding different styles to the arranger is necessary but leaving some off (other than rap) would be a very bad idea. Just think of painting and all you paint is the same two or three pictures over and over. How boring!

I play a bit of keyboard and do vocals. I also play Sax and I’d like to see the sequencers on arrangers improved for this purpose. I can’t believe that there are still keyboards that won’t copy and paste a chorus. On my keyboard I can copy and paste a measure or a complete tune over and over.

I can even change the variations and other functions on the fly while using the sequencer mode playing live. This helps from being locked into the same identical midi file sequence over and over while playing instrumentals on my sax. However, I do midi files also. I’m not sure about sax on a keyboard, but many people really enjoy hearing a live sax today.

Arrangers are a OMB tool. If the sequencers were better they would attract more horn players to adapt to a OMB so as to be able to play more and earn an income to afford the up key of horns and accessories. No one hires a 10-peace band today. Many horn players are missing the boat. Most of the horn players that I worked with in New Orleans could do left hand chords no matter what instrument they played. The arranger is ideal for this style of playing. Left hand chords and right hand licks.

The arranger people are missing a big market. There are still many kids playing horns of all types in school and college bands that learn chord theory and could adapt to an arranger with a little bit of effort. All musicians’ dreams are to play for an audience and many horn players do not have the opportunity. The arranger with a good sequencer would give them this opportunity.

"Variety is the spice of life." This applies to everything. Yes! Even music. Load the sucker up with 1000 styles. There will never be enough styles for me. Except “RAP!” One of those is more than enough.


[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 02-20-2006).]

[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 02-20-2006).]

No matter how hard we try to awaken U.S. Market with arranger keyboards it probably wouldn't work, because today(and even 20 years ago and more) majority of audiance are attracted to "Guitar Music" and a little less to "DJ Music" the further we live the more popular guitars get.

Boo,
what do you have agaonst Rap/Hiphop music & styles?
Judging by the millions & millions of songs sold in the world they are doing something right I would say.

Donny,

I use a Hip-Hop style or two on "Long distance information give me Memphis Tennessee." I also use another hip-hop style on Bobby McGee. They really move me for an arranger OMB show.

I don't like rap especially with all of the "F" words.

I don't agree with the philosophy that it must be OK because it appeals to the masses and makes lots of money.

Just my two cents. For me there's too much real music to play without indulging in that category. Hope no one gets mad, it's just a Cajun's opinion. I’m sure many here hate Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. I envy these guys. I wish I could play any instrument half as good as they play and played theirs. I wouldn’t care if it didn’t make a nickel. I’d just stand on the corner in the French Quarter and play for the few who would enjoy it. There’s just something about having another musician say “man listen to that guy play.” I hadn’t heard a rapper that I’d say that about yet. Ha! Ha!

Boo, you must grace us with your versions of these two songs...I for one would love to hear you perform these using a Hip-Hop style for sure.........maybe Ive been missing something but I'm willing to learn?

Donny this hip-hop on my board really has a funky New Orleans sound, which I sound like anyway. It's sort of what we meant in the old days when some one in the band said I feel like playing something funky.

Maybe DonM can record it live when we jam in Shreveport. I hate recording. I'd rather practice my sax and learn chords and new vocals.

Donny I worked with guys that went on to work with Dr. John. Others I worked with went on to work with Al Hirt. I worked with Ernie Kado the Mother In Law vocalist. I worked with bands where Art Neville came in to sing a couple of times. Arrone's brother.

Donny I'm not bragging. What I'm trying to say is I had a wonderful opportunity in New Orleans to play everything in my day from Dixieland, Blues, Rock & Roll, Standards, Jazz and I played with very good country musicians for a while also, in the key's of E,A,D etc. What a drag. No Db, Eb, Bb, F, G, C so on and so forth.

That's why I can't just do Standards, Big Band or any thing of the same style all night. I'd lose my mind.
If I'm going to do funk it has to be funky, If I'm going to do jazz it has to sound like jazz.

Try fooling around with I'm walking the floor over you with a big swing band style. I do this and the folks sit there with a big smile on their faces and I have a good time doing it that way.

Try Gentle On My Mind with a Sambalegre Style and also Everybody’s talking at me with this style also. On the i30 these styles on these two tunes and especially the drums really pop. Maybe these styles won't work on other boards for these tunes but they sure do on the i30.

New Orleans like not many places has a sound of the white and black cultures with mixed music. In the segregated days when he wasn't working, Mac Rebennack (Dr John) was always at Professor Long Hairs house picking up all that "I'm gonna go to the Mardi Gras" sound of the Professor's.

We were all crazy for the black mans music in New Orleans and we all dug it and played it. I wore Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis records and Ernie Kado records out learning the sax licks. But it was fun. Then came Rays Charles a few years later and then we really had to work hard to copy his stuff.
Cheers!

Boo, I guess I owe you an apology for making assumptions about your attitude about RAP styles on your arranger keyboard. Still, I wasn't aware that "styles" had embedded lyrics. Truth is, I share most of the feelings ascribed to in your last two posts. I've just never had a clear distinction between RAP and Hip-hop since I'm not a big fan of either. Still, it's somewhat of a sad commentary on our society that, in your words, "In the segregated days when he wasn't working, Mac Rebennack (Dr John) was always at Professor Long Hairs house picking up all that "I'm gonna go to the Mardi Gras" sound of the Professor's" and yet, while Dr. John is internationally famous, Professor Longhair is known only by locals and a few jazz historians. Sadly, that's a story that's been repeated far too often in the music world. Anyhow, my Coltrane licks still sound like crap, even with my new Super Articulated Sax. Go figure.

chas

Chas,
I guess I'm in the dark on this comment, "I wasn't aware that "styles" had embedded lyrics."

You can email if you'd like.

New Orleans had many folks like Professor Longhair that played for peanuts. I thought nothing of it in the old days because we all played even for free if we got the chance. It was hard in those days to buy 50 cent reeds.
Clarence Frog Man Henry, Smiley Lewis, Sugar Boy Crawford I used to go digg all of them to listen to their saxmen blow the blues. I'm sorry, this is my last post here. I know I'm off topic again. It's a terrible habit of mine. My mind wonders since I'm an old fart.

Boo your not leaving us too????