Here's a challang for us all:
Post something USEFUl in this section with NO MENTION of brand name or comparison to anyother player/technique/manufacturer.

I'll start:

I find it a neccessity to showcase my voice and piano chops in every performance, so I make sure to SHUT off the arranger/drummer a few times during a show. I play:
Desparado, NY State of Mind, Sometimes When We Touch etc....all in striaght 2 handed piano mode. It's refreshing. It shows people that I am not a machine, or a slave to one, and I ENJOY it too !

During a busy arranger/sequence tune I also like to shut off the backing parts and do a vocal harmony spotlight for a few measures. It adds SOOooo much. My style is more of a mannhatten Transfer vocal group with a small combo behind me, so the vocal harmonies are vital to my comfort/success ratio.

What things make YOUR show shine?
(remember - NO slashing, biting, pinching, namecalling, comparing, shennanigans etc ..)

OK, I'll take a stab at it (sorry for the OJ quote!)...

I try to not pick any one performance technique for ALL my songs... Some I do with just ARR drums and LH bass, some I do with SMFs, some I do with full arranger, some I do with nothing but live playing.

It adds variety, and helps me keep several different techniques well practiced...

Beautiful! That's the kind of advice I'm looking for here.....who's next ?

I pretty much follow UD's and Diki's approach, in that I try to mix it up ... although my "piano chops" leave a lot to be desired, I will sometimes start a tune such as "Misty" with just piano, no tempo, then using a preset registration will add bass, then drums ... for some smaller venues, some SMFs, such as "Mack the Knife", I have 'whittled down' (no pun intended ) the arrangement to bass and drums, using an organ voice in the right hand ...
I will often do a tune such as "Summer Wind" or "The Way You Look Tonight" in a bossa nova tempo, just to change things up ...
Of course it all depends on the venue ...
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 09-03-2007).]

Something else I do:

Since I use a laptop for MP3s, and the on board sequencer in my kb - I have a need to scroll through choices during arranger play,as I decide on the next number. I like having the option of switching my chord trigger hand from left to right on the fly so I can scroll with the opposite hand....whichever is more comfortable.

This is especially important if I'm using the vocal harmonizer, so I can continue to trigger the correct chords as I fumble with directories.

Dave,

I do several songs using only the nylon string, or acoustic guitar patch.

Sometimes I'll layer the guitar with a slow attack string patch and bring it in and out with the volume pedal.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 09-03-2007).]

sometimes the 1st variation isn't the best variation to start a song with..

I agree ! Most times, I never even use the 1st variation !

Another biggie for me is transposing the key of a song or style , modulate up a 1/2 step, just adds a little more...

Only song I won't transpose up ??

"boogie nights" ...

I use the simple one bar ending as a stop(or pause) by going to it, and then, before it completes, hit a fill and go to a variation.

Often, I use the style creator to put the simple ending in the simple intro so that it automatically returns to the last variation. I keep the drum fill but remove the stick count in.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 09-03-2007).]