Exactly.......throw the Arranger away also and Play something that doesn't have "AUTOMATIC ANYTHING" Running........audiences are NO Fools.

Intros/Endings, styles, smf, karaoke, mp3, its all part of today's audience acceptance.
Its amazing how we try to cover up what is really being done in whatever way possible.

Good post Donny...I agree wholeheartedly.

Ian

Don Mason plays his own intros and endings.

Tom

Stripped down or Loaded up "YOU" still have to be the Player & and strive to good one at that no matter how you do it, what you sound like to yourself & your audience is imperative.....everything else comes in second.

i for one do never use song specific styles. even if wanted to, i couldn't, as there are no styles for the songs i play and sing... but i dont like the idea anyway.

Whether it is a style or an SMF, song specific or not, if the audience sees you STOP playing, but the music continues (and often with a better quality solo than you can perform yourself!) you are BUSTED!

But mute out enough on either a style OR an SMF to keep yourself busy playing THE WHOLE TIME, and the audience knows it is YOU playing over the backing. It's kind of like the difference between karaoke, and lip-synching. People WILL connect with you doing karaoke (as sad as that sounds!), because at least they can see and hear YOU doing something. But get in front of them and lip synch...? Well, the first time they hear singing, but don't see your lips move (pretty much the equivalent to playing NOTHING in the Intro), they are not going to believe ANYTHING you do... from that point on.

Whether you care or not about this is up to you. Me, I care a LOT