I was playing the B3 in restaurants and honkytonks in the sixties, before arrangers were around. Am I now less of a musician because I play out with an arranger. I don't think so.
Bernie

Fully agree with you,Mikey

Impuls

Mikey, you're a kid's entertainer...you must be familiar with Dr. Seuss.

He said, "Do what you want and say what you feel because those that mind, don't matter and those that matter, don't mind"!

Continue on your way, my friend...you are obviously on the right path.

Ian

I would say the LACK of knowledge by the public & other kb musicians & beyond is the culprit that gives Arranger KB & players a bad rap. 99% of them have no idea what an arranger is or how it works.

You're right, John.

I also find that a lot of traditional players are actually intimidated by arranger keyboards.

Ian

I'm usually with you, Ian, but not on that. I can't think of any. A good player, traditional or otherwise, may be intimidated by another PLAYER, but not by a machine. JMO.

chas

I meant the instrument is intimidating to play, Chas...to a traditional piano player or even a B3 player, it is a whole different world, and a different approach.

I know...I try to sell these instruments to traditional players...most are boggled by the technology, and many refuse to embrace it.

You may be an exception, as are a few others on this forum (this IS an arranger forum), but for the most part, arrangers (and related gear, like workstations) are quite intimidating to traditional players.


Ian

Errrm- well, possibly.
I'd have thought anyone who plays with Styles; those riffs, designed by others are automatic, with the entertainer providing only guidance, not actually doing the playing of them.
Not that I would go around calling it cheating, but since the question was asked.............

John (Ty2 player)

[This message has been edited by jwyvern (edited 04-20-2008).]

They get intimidated by the talent it takes to perform well with an arranger keyboard for sure. They know its more complicated controlling all that is being heard to them. Most straight KB players need other people to do their thing or use SMF backing tracks via a WS versus having all that & most importantly Live STYLES also to play in real time too.

Just where on earth is this coming from...? I have been playing arrangers for 15 years. No-one has EVER come up to me and bad mouthed arrangers, or arranger players. EVER...

Are they bad mouthing YOU? Or your arranger? If not... move on. Get over it.

If they ARE, record yourself and figure out WHY...

99% of the public has no idea how a Hammond or a Steinway works, either. THEY don't have a bad rep... It's time to stop acting the victim, and look around for WHY (or even IF...) the arranger actually has this reputation. I haven't seen or heard it myself...

And PLEASE....! Don't give me that intimidation bull... You want intimidation? Sit down at a MotifXS, or a Kurzweil K2500, and try to figure out quickly how to do anything but call up ONE patch and play it!

Arrangers are DESIGNED to be operated by beginner players. Workstations are NOT. Any keyboard player that is intimidated by an arranger has probably played nothing more complicated than a piano or an organ (and some of those are as complicated as an arranger!). Sure, they take a little while to learn to operate them. You didn't get the entire concept the first time YOU played one either, did you?

But 'intimidated'.... Get real!