I could have just deleted the post, but my only defense is that I am also a passionate individual. Sometimes I need to shoot from the hip to express my self, and if I come on too strong, I am the first to apologize. I am not alone in the thoughts I posted, and I DID offer the olive branch just to make sure that the intention was not taken as malicious.
Those are my thoughts, and I can't apologize for that, but I assure you - there is NO hurtful agenda behind the words.
I believe in speaking your mind. Everyone is pretty quick to jump on me when they need to, and I'm still here.
I admire your candor and the tact in your post. Thanx for adding your take on it.

Uncle Dave

I can appreciate that you are a passionate person and you say you shoot from the hip.
(which is cool because I do too) why do you say that "I am not alone in the thoughts I posted" it's really only appropriate to speak for yourself if that is truly your
philosophy. Just an observation take it or leave it.

Respectfully,

Kmac

My disclaimer was because I knew the material was sensitive, so i ran it by a "test audience" first. We all agreed it should be said. I volunteered to be the voice.

Interesting approach - must be hard to arrange your outside meetings. I encourage everyone to feel comfortable to voice their own concerns here. As long as they are posted in a diplomatic way.

Cheers

Kmac: First of all, thanks for your words of support. Yes, the intention of my earlier post here was not to start a war of words, but to 'get clarification' from Uncle Dave. Though I admit (and proudly so too) that I have a thing for detail (could it be part of my asian upbringing?!), I was pretty shocked to hear UD say: "You take things too literally, and you quote too much, and you research too much, and you just plain FUSS too much. You need to stop reacting like we're all addressing YOU personally. (and please - NO more about your precious Steinway "B" !!!)". I decided to 'shrug it off' as Uncle Dave just having 'another bad day' again, because this 'didn't sound' like the same guy that I had had telephone & email conversations with in the past. I remembered 'those' conversations to be nothing but cordial & friendly.

As forum members, we come from a wide diversity of personalities, backgrounds and cultures around the world. I think this (in addition to our shared passion for music thru arranger keyboards of course) is what makes this forum so special. Btw: Kmac what Country do you live in?

Anyway, I don't think there was really ever a war between Uncle Dave and myself. Competition? Perhaps. Afterall, I guess that's part of the American spirit. I have a lot of respect for Uncle Dave's background & experience, but acknowledge that we may just have a different 'style' (east coast/west coast?). In the end though, I think we actually 'agree' most of the time. I'd really like to move forward now in a spirit of friendship. - Scott

Mee too!
I never wanted to hurt you Scott. Honest.

HI Scott

Nice to see that things on the forum are on the up and up now. I am from Canada .

I really liked the beginning of the thread. When I read Unle Dave's post...Its not just about "arrangers", "forum members" or "personal achievements". After all the hoopla, I just want to help close it out by returning to the original topic, and its one up and coming professional musicians should take great note of. Its a good point Dave..
I played Professional, meaning my only source of income (not on arrangers) for just over 10 years while living overseas. Yeh I started "busking" with my guitar and some friends, got to clubs, went on to small tours and did some nice festivals. Got to see a lot, sleep a lot (trying to be nice) and practiced all the rest of time.
To your point U-Dave- about energy, I had some, but I learned to recognize why the "M-Jacksons, Madonna's, LZepplin's ELP (all the rockers) did so incredibly well. They really had the energy to GIVE to the large audience. Its no joke, I felt it in my own little world, in the local music store the "lookers" used to crowd around while I ripped out my jazz chord solo's or Tony Rice bluegrass licks. Yeh I was giving it out and it felt good. But I was lost in the 40,000 seat crowd of the Marlboro's festivals, nervous and scared shitless (excited?) in my own way, despite sucking up every bit of energy from the featured acts (met Kenny Rogers man). The "aura" is pretty cool and you can feel it.
I met Danny Devito once- you figure a guy who looks like Danny Devito in your school and tell me he's gonna be famous- that is pure energy, I tell you the man is amazing and "YOU" get the sixth sense if he comes up behind you cause you can feel his presence (dont you dare). Its a very special gift and you dont have to be famous to enjoy and most of you know (cause we like our little worlds and its groupies)
Anyway, more than the silly remarks we tend to make the idea U-Dave has is still solid to me, I did not see him instigate any such remarks, but rather return some silly one with silly ones. Funny cause Scott, I love to read your posts too. No way U-Dave is gonna right a book like yours (Sorry U-Dave).
Scott I will buy your book and should I have my arranger just yet (PSR2000 is coming soon) I expect to learn a lot about arrangers and their use from you.
Finally to tie up your comments (ScottY), I and a partner (just 2) have a small computer consultant company in NYC. If I ever thought about what the other 10,000 computer consultants (the comp) are doing, I would probably quit. Once you get an idea, follow through with it be it a book or a song, so what if someone has a similar one (its bound to happen), you just have to keep the blinders on, complete it and thrust it out to the world, let it find its place... and keep trying should it be dwarfed by another.
Both of you (along with DonM) are my favorite reads so you best keep getting along, hell if each of you tried to write the same book I bet they would be so different we'd have to buy both.
You guys are the best and I am happy to put my two cents in.
Cheers and have fun, on and off the stage.
Tgalf

Oh boy, what I've started here!!! Sorry I am late to say that I never meant to cause what I've stared. As a new member, I hardly new anyone, including Scottyee, and thru this post I had just read, I was able to get to know a lot of "positive" qualities about lot of the members, (including Scottyee). I thought it was only natural to complement whomever started the thread (which in this case I thought it was UD) My appologies gentlemen for al the trouble. I will be more careful in the future and try to keep up with all the threads
Peace for All.
Mario

PRESERVING YOUR STYLES, MULTIPADS, AND MIDIS

Your keyboard and sound system are the probably the first things you think about protecting. You may even have backup keyboards and multiple amps and speakers. You handle them with care, buy and use covers for them and perform basic maintenance on them to keep them in good running order.

But don't forget the software that is so unique to what you do. You may spend hours, weeks or months creating the styles that make your music your trademark. You copy them to floppy...and probably make backups of those floppies which you may carry in your gig bag just in case of a tragic Floppy Disc accident.

Without worry of being neurotic, you should also have a copy of all those discs tucked away at home or in a safe place. If you have a CD burner, copy them all to CD and enjoy the comfort of knowing all your styles, pads and midis are easily retrievable from a variety of formats.

Each keyboard has features that may be unique from others, which also should be saved. As an example the PSR2000 has an operating system with 3 different file folders for styles and multi pads: 1. Presets, 2. User, 3. Floppy Disc. Should you have to recreate the setup you use all the time, and you rely on User Files that you have inputted, you will need a back up of those as well.

Like it or not, arranger keyboardists must be part librarian and archivist to avoid technical catastropies that hinder the ability to be consistently good performers.

Its the "grunt work" you do behind the scenes that make what you do on stage look so easy.