To me, the arranger is just another tool of the trade.

I played solo piano for many years, and though I still love to play that way, using an arranger keyboard has opened up many more possibilities, especially nowadays...the more versatile you are, the more you work.

It works well for solo gigs, jam sessions with a buddy or two, and even has a place in the studio for doing quick, but effective backgrounds for song demos.

Only a few actual arranger "players" in my area...the rest use it as a SMF player and sing and play guitar along with the backing tracks.

I've never had anyone say anything negative about my using an arranger...at least to my face...and I have absolutely no regrets about digging in and learning how to make the most of it's great features...it has more than returned my investment of time by adding to my bank account as well as adding a new dimension to my solo playing.

Definitely a positive addition to my kit.

Still lots of work for me around my area as a solo arranger player specializing in in dinner music(instrumental) for restaurants and for private functions.

The bars/pubs hire DJs but also hire bands...quite a few of the latter have reverted to SMF backing...usually replacing the bass player and drummer...most bars have made the stages smaller to make more room for more patrons, and hence more profit....so if you want to play, you have to fit in the same space as the DJ.

I'm not doing any solo gigs until the spring...I don't like playing/moving gear in the winter.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 01-28-2009).]

Trevor...Shhhhhhh, be quiet please...the arranger manufactures are listening and we want out stimulus project...don't let the cat out that Europe is now declining in PUBS! Oh, No, Anything but pubs!

We need more pubs here so so we have more places to play...and need more arrangers.

From what everyone says arranger sales here in US are a lot less than the rest of the world, declining pubs or not. :-)
They are using them for something.

Trevor, what country?

Lee

IF they so badly want sales to go up > Make A Keyboard that is actually something
n-e-w! Perhaps able to load 3 or so MIDI's,able to copy parts from one Midi into another,32 parts instead of 16..the Keyboard sky is NOT even being expeirmented with on a technological level that we reside in with todays technology.Keyboards are like +10years behind schedule,i mean LOOK at some of those 60's 70's like styles STILL fixiated in there in the presets! It's as though it's afraid of itself or something with it's "lets throw in some SA voices,a whole new bunch sliders no one requested and call it a day"!..yup still awaiting for a releasement of a true adults toy of the musical sort.The T3 is simply how the T2 shouldda couldda been.


[This message has been edited by mr9000 (edited 01-28-2009).]

[This message has been edited by mr9000 (edited 01-28-2009).]

Shall i go on exhaustinly..naaw.

[This message has been edited by mr9000 (edited 01-28-2009).]

Trust me there are, probably more then in the US.
Pubs and Arrangers too. Thats why Yammy and Korg
hang on to ME and Estern Europe for dear life.
US in the US are like non existing to them.
On every US ARRANGER player there is probably
like 5 ME or Estern European players, especially
Mediteranian and Adriatic area.

Don't worry, Nedim... Karaoke will make it's way there sooner or later...

We thought it would never catch on here, either.

It is actually dying out in my area...it peaked about two years ago and has been on a slow decline since then.

DJ is still popular, but there are a lot more singles and duos, and two big bands have started up in the last year.

Ian

I agree with this assessment. Residing in a community with planty of OMB opportunities outside of Nursing homes and Mosse Clubs, Players don't consider them legitmate for live use but have no issue playing to backing tracks......There's s "stigma" with speakers on a keyboard as well. The TOTL Arrangers are more expensive then a TOTL Workstation in many cases.

Most keyboard players are far more familiar and would prefer spending $3000 on a Motif XS8 or M3 or Fantom then a Tyros, PA2x or what ever Roland has out now.

Plus the line between WS and Arrangers is becoming thinner...One can create their whole set on a WS using Arps and sequences and have 88 weighted keys which is a preference from what I see. Players here would rather play a Previa 320 with tracks then a PSR900 on a gig

I know that! . . . I was referring to PUBS. Not as common in predominantly islamic countries! I speak from (parched) experience!

I'm sorry to argue with the stated case against arrangers by the 'public', but I would have to say from experience that 99% of 'the public' have absolutely no clue about one kind of keyboard from another. It's got lights and buttons, and black and white keys. And that's all they know or care.

They couldn't tell an arranger from a WS, from a stage piano, from a Hammond clone.

All they know is whether what you DO on it makes them enjoy themselves or not...

I don't honestly know where any of this alleged bias against arrangers comes from. I have, in my entire career, never had ONE single person come up (public OR another musician) and deride me by going 'Oh, you're playing one of those ARRANGERS... ' To be honest, have any of you? Really? Or are you just saying something, that someone said to someone else (that they heard about from someone else)?

I have a sneaky suspicion that the bias comes from the PLAYER, and not the device. Plenty of bad arranger players out there! But there are just as many bad players of WS's as there are arrangers (OK, maybe a BIT less!), but somehow you don't hear WS players whine about the so-called 'bias' against WS's.

Do we really have that big a chip on our shoulders, or is it just the tendency of the poor craftsman to blame his tool?