Cool b's

I appreciate live performances of most kinds of music even though I may not listen to the same style/genre of music on the radio, or an album, or even a live recording of the same artist.

I appreciate the time, talent, dedication, and love a musician or entertainer puts into his/her live performance.

I think it's probably a similar reaction when listeners begin to believe that what they are hearing may be mostly "canned". IMHO the more the listener senses canned the more critical their attitude becomes about what music is being played.

(The average listener also wouldn't have any appreciation for the many hours one may have put in creating and tweaking the styles used to support one's playing.)

EDIT: i.e., My personal preference are the "combo" 3-4 piece.

Since I have a Motif XF I prefer its Drums and Bass as well as the Guitar arps over those voices in the Tyros 3 Styles so I shut them off in the Style. Then I remove specific voices based upon the song. Some styles are just too busy. I also substitute instruments, for example change the string or pad voice.

I think what people expect is what they expect from YOU!. I get lots of people say, "see, he's actually playing".

Rarely do I get, "do you have.....", expecting a pre-recorded "something".

But, that's what I do, and I'm not saying even one person here or on a bandstand anywhere should do the same.

My jobs are mostly dinners before meetings or jazz performances.
At dinner jobs, you play to be noticed, but not get in the way.

At jazz performances, people hang onto your every phrase. They actually come up and watch your hands. They interact a lot with you. Arrangers (at least, played in full arranger mode)are off the table for these jobs.

But we're talking different animals here.


R.

PS. Just look at Nigel's boys, Chick and Return to Forever, or my guys, Foreplay, to see how much 4 players who really cook can really do.

If the audience doesn't give a rats whether it's you or the machine, where does that place your importance in their 'entertainment'..? You are making yourself one short step away from being a DJ.

If you are comfortable with that, fine. Me, I am a MUSICIAN, not a pusher of buttons.

I play chords do vocals and thinker with a solo here and there and a lick here and there, so, I need all the help I can get. Lol. I'm a sax man doing a OMB thing.

One of the few people that I've noticed watching my hands was an Elvis Presley three chord arranger player when I was doing "I've Got You Under My Skin," Bossa Nova style. I think he was trying to figure out if I was using a MIDI file or if I really could be playing all those chord changes. Ha ha!.

my favorite way to play that beautiful song...

That's the way it was introduced in Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" waaaay back in the 30s! One of my ALL TIME favorite musicals! There is a clarinet arpeggio that lies under the melody that's just BEAUTIFUL ... and so much fun to play. Check out the Sutton Foster revival on Broadway a few years ago - it won the Tony for best revival!

It depends alot on the genre of song and the style involved. Very often, less is more. I've sure noticed a great improvement in the sounds of the different instruments/voices. Now a country song can actually sound "country" and across the board, the styles in most genres are much improved. Still no dobro or flattop guitar, though. Drat!

I generally tweak nearly everything to tailor the style to the song I've written when possible. Volumes, changing a sax to a bass or guitar, etc. I'm still not too happy with the Vocal Harmony settings. Much too complex and complicated. Mason is right, do VH as little as possible.

Dave Rice

My 950 has an excellent Dobro and Flat top, plus washboard and Juice Harp. You must have the Texas version, with only modern guitars in it.

DonM