I agree today's music sucks . I'm more into 80s music like Depeche Mode and I think that's really good music .

That being said if one wanted to make music like Depeche Mode I think an Arranger wouldn't be very good because of the lack of synth sounds .

Darksounds, I use the Tyros 2 and the Korg Trition pro and play quite a few 80's stuff.
Fair enough the Trition has great synth sounds but for some songs by Erasure, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, OMD, Duran Duran, Human League, Eurythmics, Europe, Bon Jovi to name a few, I use my own edited Tyros 2 sounds. You can get some very good sounds from this keyboard if you dig into the editing side. Forget SA which is great edit your own synth and pad sounds. Jean Michelle Jarre eat your heart out lol

I am a baby boomer, and I love the songs of the 60's: Beatles, Stones, Doors, Deep Purple, Dave Clark 5, etc. Also like Santana. Although I still like this music, I also like Contemporary Christian music.
Kevin

When I demoed the WK3500, I was turned off by the excessively busy (IMO ) styles. They had very few Ballad type styles. Casio doesn't have a plethora of styles like Yamaha on the web. It doesn't allow on board style creation, there is no 3rds party style creation software. I walked away.

So, when I walk into a music store and ask to see their arrangers, the salesperson would ask what type of music I like. I would say rock and Contemporary christian (ballad/ pop styles). He would load those up and I would demo the arranger with those styles.

Starkeeper

[This message has been edited by Starkeeper (edited 02-07-2006).]

Getting back to AJ's topic, I believe one of the requiremens is for the arranger keyboard to be strong in all music genre styles and sounds.

I also think the Rod Stewart "Great American Songbook" albums have reopened doors for the younger generation to the great music of the past. I think it's a backlash against the trash that broadcast radio is so fond of. I play to people young and old today and get requests for old standards from both.

Back to the topic: I think there is a market for an Acid keyboard - that is, an arranger keyboard that uses Acid-ized loops specifically. So many people use Acid and Fruity Loops and Garage Band for making quick and easy music now that I suspect we'll see a keyboard made for loops someday.

This is GREAT! This is an exchange of well articulated, well thought out responses by people in varius geographies, of varius ages and levels of experience. There are some differences of opinion, but each contribution has value, and ALL responses reflect courtesy and commitment to the business/art/mechanics of making music.

This is the way it should be!

Thanks,and thanks again to Nigel for making all this possible.


Russ

You guys are all wet and out to lunch!!!
[Just awakening everyone}..

I played an unusual Wildwood crowd this past weekend..usually the average age is around 50 years..
The crowd was an average mid twenties[almost all girls]..
I seen the look on the club owner..worried we may not hold them...She soon turned to smiles, when we were doing all their request[60's and 70's dance music]...They loved it and most returned the following night[staying to close]..

Even the 50's Doo wop stuff works...I think a lot of these "kids" are tired of today's music, and like the change of pace..

And keep it coming! One thing I can say for sure about AJ and Ketron in general... they really do listen to what we say and what we want.

Glenn

IMO, arrangers are way, way, way too much designed for the older crowd. The young are the future and if arrangers are not made more for music from 1955 to the present, there won't be any strides made in the USA.

I hear ya about some of the kids liking standards but I do not see those songs ever again having a MASS following. Time moves on. Even I don't care for many standards earlier than the early 50's. And I love music! Many of the songs talked about on this forum, I've never even heard the song. And I'm 52.

That generation will be dead in less than 20 years. I am talking in general.

I think modern arrangers should defocus on all sounds except the following: piano, organ, synth, guitar, drums. That's about it. Forget sax. Forget flute. Forget horns. Etc. Again, I mean, in general. Make a box that rocks. It's real simple. Rock, pop. Plus, country music touches. (Stringed instuments and styles.)

The styles should reflect music from 1955 to present. That should be the bulk of the styles. Rock, pop and country.

I think country music could make more inroads into more mass appeal in the future. Due to the overwhelming dominance of rap/hiphop/r&b in the pop charts, plus the fact that modern country, for the most part, is actually country-rock of old.

I don't care for rap, hiphop or much of the modern r&b stuff but the kids sure do. Build that into the box.

If I said anything conflicting above, in general, it boils down to make it for music from the birth of rock and roll forward. With a few sounds/styles to cover some standards before that.

Then, build a marketing campaign to appeal to youth.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000