No need to be sorry, I am not wrong on this.....Gary next time you go into a catering hall and they say oh yeah we have your table setup over on that wall.....think of what I'm saying ....in the scheme of things as us OMB players took away jobs from bands,....now DJ's are more then prominent in the performing music world and taking live players jobs all over.....I'd say 80/20 % in favor of DJ's.... all I'm saying is open your eyes to what is happening out there embrace it cause it ain't going away but growing steadily like it or not.... and diversify your skills to include more then just playing so you can get more gigs and satisfy the needs of ....
an american legion is no way an indicator to what is going on out there....I do it all and it works for me....don't be a one trick pony,there's a time to Play & sing....and there's a time to DJ & sing to your own backing tracks & Dj commercial dance songs....and there's a time for BOTH together, and just think even you can get a wild Disco light system like Uncle Dave has!!! .........carry on..

Gary, I agree entirely, and when I stop being that part of the music; that human aspect, I will be glad to retire and play for pure pleasure.

In my opinion, a person DJ'ing is not fulfilling the role of a musician...yes, playing a CD player/laptop to an audience definitely requires a certain amount of skill in picking the tunes, talking between songs and keeping the gig moving, but it is not playing a musical instrument.

Some people like doing this, some do it only because they have to, to compete...some mix it in with a little playing, or Karaoke style SMF singing...thankfully I'm not any of those...not that there's anything wrong with doing those things, but I get a contact high out of playing, and, ever since I started, it has never, ever, been about the money.

The playing has always come first, although if you do what you love very well, the money usually does come along, and despite some rather hard times, I managed to make a very decent living from playing keyboards.

If I had to resort to DJ'ing of any kind, I'm afraid that would end it for me, because it is not me being what I worked at since I was a kid...a musician...a keyboard player...DJ'ing is not playing, it's that simple. There would be no joy for this boy.

More power to those who can do it, and my sympathy to those who are forced to do it to make ends meet.

I'd just rather be playing.

Ian

DJ's are wanna be musicians for the most part. Not talking about Donny and people like him who's been on the music scene for years. If he does better DJ-ing to provide for his family I applaud him!

I think this is about DJ's wiping musicians and instruments, yes this includes arrangers, off of the face of the earth. It ain't gonna happen. Read my lips, it ain't gonna happen DUDE!

Who ever believes this myth like I've said is shallow in the brain and probably will never be able to do a "Suduku" puzzle.

They don't have a clue of what they are missing. To them I say get a life grab a newspaper and learn something besides scratching records all up DUDE.

From 78 to 45 to tapes to dvd to workstations to arrangers to dvd and almost back where we started, can you swim off the island Ian? The Island would do for Fran 150 gals and only you and Fran...heee haaaa coffee for you and the dollys for Fran

Here in the UK we know our limitaions, if you want a DJ you call a DJ, if you want a KB player you call a KB player it's simple, no one does both.

I think I'll take some of this to the bar..check it out..

Sparky,


I stopped drinking abut 8 years ago


Tony

No requirement to drink at the forum Bar.

There is place for both, often it depends on the occasion and the individual who is organizing the function. Personally speaking I will only ever go to live music events. If the musicians know what they are doing and have good audience contact, the Audience always responds much better to live music than prerecorded.

AGREE!

Just a quick few words on the subject...

The OP asked about the FUTURE of arrangers, not where they are now. We seem to have taken a sidestep into the current 'DJ vs. OMB' controversy du jour. I guess the only thing I'll say about that is... doesn't ANYONE remember how ridiculous old men singing Elvis tunes was, back when Elvis was first starting? Or some middle aged organist, pumping out tired covers of 'I wanna Hold Your Hand' back in the mid 60's?

Well, consider us doing a Black Eyed Peas cover now, or cranking up our arrangers to do 'I'm Sexy And I Know It'! How ridiculous we must look to the younger generation! As ridiculous as that 60's organist covering the Beatles...

Leave DJ'ing to DJ's. And leave covering trendy synth tunes to trendy kids with synths.

As to the FUTURE of arrangers, I'm with spalding here. Unless arrangers start adding loop and arp capabilities (and they are quite different from what we can currently do on arrangers), as we get older and arrangers remain incapable of producing anything remotely contemporary without sounding like the equivalent of that poor Bontempi player trying to cover the Beatles, what future CAN it have? It will gradually go the way of the 'home organ', relegated to dusty homes of elderly relatives the kids dread visiting (us, that is!) in case Granny trots out that bossa version of 'Hey Ya'!

Sadly, we have had a few attempts at a convergence of the VSTi/WS/Loop player and arranger, but all have fallen flat on their faces, either half-assed arranger sides, or half-assed WS sides, and all priced beyond their capabilities. The MS was SUCH a good idea... sadly left to the hands of a man unwilling to make it work. I have a nasty feeling we won't see it's like again. Dom has apparently seen the light, and abandoned any serious arranger development, choosing to concentrate on it's VSTi/WS side.

The majors seem to be trying to bend over backwards to avoid any mention of the word 'arranger', even as their WS's slowly approach them in capability. But, as we all know, an arranger is the whole package. Miss off several of the key things (inversions, linked fills, Songbook features etc..) and they fail pretty completely as a substitute. To be honest, I am not sure if we will EVER see the complete melding of arranger and WS, and possibly because of the bad taste most arranger players are leaving in the mouths of those young enough to tell the difference between what they listen to, and what an arranger sounds and works like.

So.... gradually, slowly, what could have been a VERY capable performance tool will get relegated to the status of the 'home organ'; irrelevant, dated, good only for oldies, singalongs, and entertaining the elderly.

What a waste!