I'm in no rush just wait and see....and get your wallets ready....what ever it is ain't gonna be cheap!!
just sayin'

Hi Don: I did not take the time to read all the replies you received on this topic... but I've noticed the same phenomenon about lack of understanding (or even the existence) of Arranger Keyboards by so many in the music industry.

I'll sneak back in tomorrow after my chess session down on the square here and read the thoughts of the other participants.

Thanks for bringing this up. If enough people understood what an arranger can do... who knows how many would be coming down the assembly lines at Korg, Yamaha, Roland and the others.

I'm guessing that you are gaining your strength back. Let's hope so.

Later,

Dave Rice

To my knowledge, I’m the only arranger player around these parts who plays out live. There are lots of bar bands and student hangouts. My musical buddies, that I’m around all the time, know about my activities, but rarely ask questions about it. That group is comprised of either big band jazz-type players, or pure country players. We drink a lot of coffee and socialize often; however, they’ve not seen my two arrangers, or seem to care. I tell them how great the Tyros 5 sounds and what it will do. I get the feeling they don’t want to know.

I just had another thought...it's starting to get painful btw.
Over the years I've played in some venues where some pretty famous musicians and vocalists have visited.
What I'm going to say now should not be taken as boasting, but as another perspective on the acceptance, or lack thereof, of arranger play.
I used to keep a guitar available for James Burton. He has come to sit in with me often over quite a few years. He just loves to play, and doesn't question what is generating the songs. He just knows it is good enough for him to enjoy picking with it.
Bonnie Owens spent an entire evening singing harmony with me. She became a good friend until her death.
Kix Brooks did 5 or 6 songs with me.
Cole Vosbury and his equally-talented dad, Robin, have both worked with me. And even Cole's grandmother, Nita Lynn, an old-time recording artist, has sung with me.
My good friend Dean Mathis of the Newbeats worked with me for quite a number of years. Still does occasionally. We can re-create "Bread and Butter" almost exactly as it was done in the studio years ago, using arranger technology and vocal harmony processing. I do the high voice with pitch and gender shift. Dean does the vocal unison parts.
Brenda Lee did a song with me.
Willie HIMSELF told me he loved the sound. He looked at my keyboard and said it was great that it sounded so good.
Joe Stampley walked into the club while I was in the middle of doing "All These Things". I nearly swallowed the mic from embarrassment, but he gave me a thumbs up and sat down and listened for a while.
My point is simply this: None of these people had any idea what technology was involved, but they can see I am playing keys and they approve of the result. Would they ever perform this way? Of course not, they don't have to, and anyway they don't know how but they don't look down their noses at me because I do!
I think arranger play is totally valid. Now if you get up there and play one-finger chords and one-note melodies with the wrong styles and then sing badly (by that I mean even worse than I do), the other end of the arranger spectrum is exposed. Just as would a bad guitar player strumming the wrong chords would do to HIS "art".
As several have stated often here, the primary reason that arrangers evolved was for home use, particularly as the popularity of home organ use declined. It wasn't that long ago where the majority of homes had a piano or organ, at least in many parts of the world. Not true now. Arrangers have not only filled that void, but have become an instrument suitable for professional entertainment, at least on some levels.
I don't want to sound like I'm defending arrangers. Shouldn't have to because this IS an arranger forum. Just food for thought I guess. If you have read this far, you must be interested though.
One more thing. . . some of the best use of arrangers by performers that I've seen have been by guys from Mexico. There is a large chain of Mexican restaurants headquartered here and a number of these performers have come up and worked in them. I have yet to hear one that didn't sound really good. Most had really old gear, but they made it sound great. The latest one I heard was this summer. He was playing a PSR2000, and had an ancient Korg synth on to of it for extra sounds. I'm rambling. That's all.

Really? Thats a rumor i have been hearing for a very long time...

I love it when you talk dirty!

Cheers,

Gary

There was discussion of it on the Korg forum by Asena, who I believe helps Korg develop things.
www.korgforums.com/

Certainly nothing definite, but still it's interesting to contemplate what might happen. I don't think I will change again, but . . .??

I play an arranger in ANY appropriate format, regardless of who's listening. It's the quality of the music that matters.

Where arrangers get a bad rap is when really bad players use them in public. Then, they are pegged as less than stellar players and the instrument is criticized.

GUESS WHAT? IT "AIN'T" the instrument. An arranger is like a capo. Mostly, capos are used by low end players to use the few chords they know (finger positions) to get to the key they need.

But, a good player who needs an open bass note (like Vince Gill, for instance) can use one and actually improve his performance.

Since most who use capo's are mediocre players, capo's get a bad rap, as do the people who use them. I don't even own one.
But, I'd be damned if I would question the use of one by someone of Gill's ability and stature.

Again, an arranger used at a tool, not a crutch is a good thing.


Russ

Why are we defending arranger kbs?

Not really defending, but I believe it is relevant to how the future of arrangers might go, and that has to do with how they are perceived by both the public and other musicians.