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#302620 - 07/30/01 06:58 PM
Re: Does pro musicians use Arranger Keyboards?
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/26/99
Posts: 9673
Loc: Levittown, Pa, USA
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Do Pros use arranger keyboards? Absolutely!!!The best Pros that I personaly know ALL use arranger keyboards. We use them in different ways, but still take advantage of their features. Full keyboard for your piano performance,,It's there...Left hand bass, drums and piano, bingo you have it..Full blow BIG arrangement performance, You've got it..NOW why wouldn't a PRO want to use this keyboard. The people who complain or look at this in a negative way are not the real pros, especialy if they do not give these keyboards a try, and learn to master the technology..If they don't, they will lose their jobs to the arranger musicians. As for teachers looking down on arranger keyboards, they are "OLD WORLD" and need to broaden there views.. Drums, they sound good on every mid-high price range arranger on the market today..I would encourage anyone to give these keyboards a chance...Yes even you die hard negative opinion "PROS"...Fran
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#302623 - 08/29/01 08:43 PM
Re: Does pro musicians use Arranger Keyboards?
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I think that some people think of arranger keyboards as "cheat sheets". But let's look at this a bit further...
I could sell myself as a piano player, and maybe opt for a more economical keyboard that has nothing more than a damn good piano sound. This is fine if I want to play tunes that don't vary from the likes of "San Francisco" or "One For My Baby", where the sole instrument is a compliment to the song itself (as well as laying down the background "track" for the singer).
But here in the real world, where the quality of the performance bears not only of the talent of the individual but also on how the whole thing sounds, we have to avail ourselves of any good tool that comes along.
These days, it is not unusual to find guitarists using midi back tracks for their accompaniment. A drum rhythm, bass pattern, piano and perhaps some strings add to the effect of a good song that would otherwise sound "flat" if played on the guitar alone. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great musicians out there who can play well on just the one instrument alone, and make it VERY effective.
But these so-called "cheat sheet" styles of having some digital ensemble playing along in the background are not in any way taking away the quality of performance - they are in fact enhancing it. If cheating has anything to do with it, then it is with the performer who plays the midifile thru the keyboard while muting his keys to make it LOOK LIKE he's playing - hey, there's not much talent in that, is there? If you're so inclined, perhaps I might suggest you consider a career in used cars rather than performing music.
I use arranger tracks in my work. Sometimes they are nothing more than rhythms or styles that I play a melody along to while fingering the chords with my left hand. On other elaborate pieces, I'll use a midi track(s) of other instruments. More often than not, I've done the work and written the other accompaniment tracks myself. I have, however, been guilty of taking a somewhat simple midi song and making it that much better by adding my own stuff and tweaking it to the point of something acceptable by me.
So.... to say that this is a cheap way to go is, in my humble opinion, a wrong assumption. All we are doing is adding to or enhancing the performance.... making it sound better, mate. After all, isn't that what it's all about??
Dave
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#302625 - 09/24/01 07:07 AM
Re: Does pro musicians use Arranger Keyboards?
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I'm not sure about the PRO thing... but I consider myself as one. Never used arrangers in real life, but traditional synths and piano. I play with a few rock bands, but also do some classical and other performances. Anyway, a few comments about arranger keyboards: 1) First one I ever played (don't remember the model anymore) knew only 4 (FOUR!) types of chords: minor, major and respective 7ths. This really pissed me off. 2) Many arrangers know nothing about chord inversions (especially bass inversions). This also pisses me off. 3) Last week a gave a try to VA series, and I found it is capable of recognising all the chords I was able to play! (Including major7ths, ninths, 11ths, 6ths, dims etc) Also, there's an option to put "bass inversions" on. (That is, IE. Am7/G, where G is the bass note) And that is something I love! That's why I'm going to buy a VA-7 as soon as I have the money. And "how" I'm going to use it? As an arranger. I'm going to do gigs with just a vocalist and my VA. Maybe a guitar player. Also, I'm using it to practise solos. Just use it's 2-track live recorder to play the basis, and the replay it (looping it) and doing the solo over it (using a piano or a guitar or the VA itself) Also, it's damn good help when I'm composing. I can instantly hear my ideas with the whole orchestra. This really is not possible with a real band... ![](http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/frown.gif) And finally, it's a good way to audition my compositions to others in the band. I can compose a song at home, and then just take my VA with me, and play the song to the others (with drums, guitars, bass and keyboards so they will get a good idea about my song). That's much better than playing just the keyboard part, and trying to explain "I need that type guitar backing and the drummer should play that way..." Enough said? - Sami PS. Why your teacher hates arrangers? It's the fact that arrangers are capable of doing chords by only a few fingers. You play just note c, and you get C Major. You play notes C and Eb, you get C minor. You play notes c and Bb, you get C7 etc. This doesn't do good for your piano playing ![](http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/smile.gif) That's why I always use real chords with 3, 4or 5 fingers.
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