That's nice, my friend...you certainly wring the most out of that G70.

Personally, I like using split mode and style play, because it is the most enjoyable method for me. I could sit and play for hours, and time just sort of wafts by slowly and peacefully.

Not many lines of work that give you that feeling.

I played the arranger for fun and personal enjoyment...and somebody decided to pay me...how cool is that?

To be honest, if Roland provided a 'wrap-around' for Fill UP or Fill Down (in other words, once you got filled up to Var4, and hit it again, it would go to Var1) you wouldn't NEED a multi switch pedal (be nice if you had the option to go either 1-2-3-4-1 or 1-2-3-4-3-2-1, though)

You could simply use a sustain pedal and that would be it (two or three VERY fast taps would get you from Var1 to Var 3 or 4). It's how I used to run the G1000, never bothered with the FC-7 back then (although I bought one - glad I kept it, now ), and kept stage clutter to a minimum. All I use my FC-7 for is Variation section, sustains, and the one left over is my Leslie F/S. It's not like I'm trying to do the WHOLE thing hands free, but Var selection and fills is something you do dozens more times a song than Ending selection, or OnBass on/off, etc..

It just makes sense to me to delegate the one thing that interrupts my playing the most to a foot I'm not even using!

Does Yamaha allow you to cycle through the Variations (Up and Down) with a single pedal? If they do, maybe it's worth a try? How could it HURT, anyway?

I used to think a footswitch was essential for an arranger, but that was because I was so used to holding keys down when playing chords for solo piano.

When you develop the "arranger" technique, whereby divorcing your left hand from holding keys and simply activating them, the need for a pedal mostly disappears, I found.

All of a sudden I had a free hand to change buttons etc...And on any beat too,all it needs is just a smidge of mental pre-planning, and practicing the move, then even time critical changes are pretty straight-forward..

Just my 2c

Dennis

PS: as for the original thread, the actual cost of a keybed only adds around $300 for a 76 non-weighted and around $450 for a fully weighted, so all the additional manufacturing costs against the less than stellar profits would be one very good reason there are not mroe arranger modules.

PLUS they are a P.I.T.A. as Ian pointed out, to actually use live.

Yep, you can cycle up through the Variations, and down through the Variations...but...you can't do both...at least with the one pedal.

I got so used to doing store demos under all kinds of conditions...sometimes there wasn't a pedal available(I started taking one in my kit bag)...sometimes I was presented with an instrument to demo, with no previous time at all with it...had them take one in the store right off the courier truck, out of the box, and away ya go...those times were quite the experience.

So I minimized, and I got used to it, and now I really like it.

If I needed a second pedal, I'd certainly use it, but, I never seem to, and the spare pedal I carry is just that...a spare.

I play arranger very simply and very casually...it's just my style...I'm the same way with most things in life...I like to think I'm laid back, but I'm probably just lazy.

Why develop 'arranger technique' when one simple footswitch can negate the need to? I still do a fair bit of actual playing in the LH, especially in Pianostyle mode (even when I'm not playing full piano) where you can play a couple of notes without retriggering the chord...

Instead of making the arranger do a 6/9, you can have it do a straight C and ONLY your LH part add the extensions. It's cool and subtle effect. But you can't do it if you are constantly diving off to hit the fills... The way to avoid the arranger's repetitive nature is to play as much as possible, not delegate it ALL save the RH to a machine, IMO...

And you STILL haven't solved the problems with tunes that constantly change chords (as much jazz and standards do). One bar's fill quite often has a different chord for each BEAT When have you got time to hit any buttons?

Sure, simple stuff you can get away with that, but it gets harder and harder the more complex stuff you play...

Same with Roland... Maybe it's something to mention to the Head Office? Sure would work better if they wrapped around...

However much I would like an Arranger Module I don't think Yamaha, Korg, or Roland will delve into producing them any time soon, if at all, in my opinion. Ketron is the exception and by the looks of it Lionstracs is now giving an effort on it too. Kudos to Dom for venturing off in that direction but it remains to be seen how effective it will be for the User and/or Dom's own bottom line. But just look at the price of the Groove Box module if you will.. it is priced above some totl arranger "keyboards". And just one more piece of equipment to lug around if you happen to gig.

If the price was right then a full featured arranger module would be an interesting alternative. Since they seem to be so expensive I would personally just keep getting the whole "enchilada" i.e. an arranger "keyboard" instead.

It will be interesting to see what shows up at winter NAMM '10 which is only a couple of months away now. I am really hoping that Roland finally comes through with the successor for the "fit for the museum" G-70. I had heard through "inside" sources that Roland is indeed producing a G70 successor but when it will actually show up is anybodies guess. When it is revealed it will be really interesting to see (and hear) all the new improvements and upgrades it will have compared to the saber-toothed G70.. BTW, I'm not trying to put the G70 down or anything but we all know it has been around for a lllooooooooooonnnnnggggggggggggggggg time and is now well overdue for a replacement model to succeed it. We'll see..

Two more years or more before we will likely see the T3 successor hit the market though. When it does show up at the end of 2011?? it will most likely be revolutionary in its arranger style functioning in my opinion. I believe Yamaha was granted patent(s) for the technology it will use, which will go a long way in producing random variableness into Style play; along the same lines of the Audya's 'intelligent' arranger aspect but perhaps much more comprehensive in its ability to do so??? We'll see.. In about two years or so..

The PAX2PRO OS hasn't been updated in almost a year so Korg may be getting ready to shelve it and announce something new at possibly 'summer' NAMM '10 or winter NAMM '11. Korg is also on a roll with their new SV-1 digital piano and with a possible M3 replacement showing up in a couple years or less possibly as well. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Roland Fantom G's successor shows up in two years or under either. Yamaha's next totl Workstation should be coming out in a year or two max also. So there are many things to look forward to from both the Arranger side and the Workstation side as well. Casio's next totl (to them ) Arranger Workstation should prove to be very intriguing as well. It will most likely have 128 note polyphony and a host of other great features included in it too. Casio is getting better all the time as we know and may indeed take a sizable "chunk" of the marketshare away from some of the other manufacturers down the road because of the huge price discrepancy and value that Casio brings to the table. Winter NAMM '10 may be the place where Casio's next arranger workstation shows up perhaps too. There may even be a new arranger module from Ketron or..??? >> I'll personally stick with the arranger "keyboard" concept most likely though. And since I don't currently own an Arranger keyboard I am starting to salivate as I think of all the possibilities that lay ahead for possible considerations i.e. Tyros 4, PA3XPRO, Roland G90GXP, Audya 2 (the completed version [img]http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/biggrin.gif[/img]), Casio WK-????, etc., etc..

All the best,
Mike

Actually, the Variations do wrap around...using the pedal (set to FILL UP) to go up through them, it goes A, B, C, D, and then starts at A again, then B, C...etc.

There are about 49-50 functions for each foot switch on the S910.