For an all round entertainer... adding an arranger module to a stagepiano might make the perfect allround setup....

Nord Stage + Ketron SD40 is a perfect team for more comtemporary music and arrnager style vennues...

Where

Yamaha Montage + Ketron SD40 would be perfect for more modern vennues


Just take a wedding, you could play the stage piano at the ceremony and the dinner.... and then add the arranger for the celebration and dancing part later at the evening..


As long as there arent any 88 key high end arrangers, a combination of a stage piano and an arranger module makes the perfect setup for a one man entertainment band..




The more i think about it, the more i realize that i would be better off with a combination of a stage piano/88 key workstation and an arranger module, then with a 88 key arranger.. i think arranger modules would be something to keep in mind for all musicians... so not just pianists, organists and accordeonists...... but also guitarists amd vocalists..

But then i am moving away from gigging with a piano... what i want to say, its okay, and when you need some accompaniment, you could always use an arranger module... the ketron sd40 is extremely light..

I’ve posted this before -----

1-Their request ---- A Piano Player.
2-I asked for one night with my keyboard– they said yes.

3-My Kn7000 -- I programed all instruments to be piano. Even the bass was a piano. What they heard was a piano player with soft drums and soft piano bass with just a slight touch of 1 or 2 Acc. Parts – but they were also piano.

When they hired me for a party and heard what my keyboard could do they were presently surprised.

I do not have the skills of a piano player but I kept the job for six years. I do believe that Big Band has lost a greater part of its popularity; so has Sinatra and arranger keyboards. My music was called elevator music and Chuck Berry was called a great guitarist. Times are changing, but I still love what I do, and the music I play.

My opinion, John C.

PS, After six years I was replaced by a not-so-good piano player. It was all about appearance.

Part II

And then came piano players with bass pedals – followed by piano players with bass pedals and electric drums -- then came piano players background midi and Mp3.

I must admit, it has been fun.

John C.

There is one advanrage piano players have... its easier to switch from pianostyle to arrangre style playing...

I will attempt to combine both an acoustic piano and my arranger this Sunday for an Easter brunch at a hotel. They requested Great American Song Book Standards,Bossa Novas, and popular music from the last few decades. They also requested no drums, because they previous drummers were too loud. Also they wanted a trio (all instrumental), so I hired an amazing acoustic bass player, and vibraphonist. I'll keep my arranger on my left hand side, and run some light rhythm patterns and occasionally some guitar auto accompaniment. The bass player also plays great jazz guitar so I may play some LH bass too. I'm sure we'll go all "natural" too, with just the acoustic piano, bass and vibes. I'm looking forward to it, and hope it goes well!

My two thoughts.

1- My dad, a concerts pianist never played a keyboard well – partly because of the feel of the keys, and his state-of-mind. Keyboard players are a special breed, we like to think of whatever a lot.

2- The last time a played a county club they requested a trio. I added a bass player and a sax. I had to place the bass player next to my speaker because he was not use to playing with the exact tempo of our keyboards. I had the same problem when I used an electric drum and my guitar -- I felt it was taking away my control.

If you are going to lower the volume of the drums you may have a problem. The bass player is the heart of a band – when playing with a keyboard that changes.

John C.

Great points John. I have been considering some of the things you mentioned, and I am prepared to just play "all natural" if the volume is a problem or the we can't look in with the keyboard
rhythms. I've played with an arranger and live bass player before and worked great, but it was not a supper low volume situation.

A few years back I played a cocktail hour at a wedding and I explained to the customer I can use an arranger and explained basically how it would sound. The bride's mother said NO, we want strictly piano, so that's what I did. Fortunately the Crowne Plaza had a very well maintained grand piano.


I'd been trained as a pianist and always felt more comfortable at a piano, I found it easier to play more expressively on piano than an arranger. Based on posts here by a couple of guys who purchased the Roland Fp90 I got on this kick that maybe I'd enjoy one and it get me back to spending more time on pIano. No one has an FP90 to demo and I just don't want to buy one without playing one..........fast foward to this morning when I remembered I had a Casio Privia PX400R that has been in storage in a gig bag for the last 7 years. I set it up and gotta say for a $499 instrument ( purchased about 10 years ago) it's decent albeit the keys being a little noisy as Beakybird wrote in another post about pianos.

I'm not really sure what my point is but I don't think I'll buy an FP90, at least not today.

[
I'd been trained as a pianist and always felt more comfortable at a piano, I found it easier to play more expressively on piano than an arranger. Based on posts here by a couple of guys who purchased the Roland Fp90 I got on this kick that maybe I'd enjoy one and it get me back to spending more time on pIano. No one has an FP90 to demo and I just don't want to buy one without playing one..........fast foward to this morning when I remembered I had a Casio Privia PX400R that has been in storage in a gig bag for the last 7 years. I set it up and gotta say for a $499 instrument ( purchased about 10 years ago) it's decent albeit the keys being a little noisy as Beakybird wrote in another post about pianos.

I'm not really sure what my point is but I don't think I'll buy an FP90, at least not today.
-------------------------------
Stephen
At the music store I teach at I teach on an older model Casio. To the students its OK because none of them have a great instrument at home. Recently things got moved around and I now have ( for the time being ) a Roland FP30. The students who are mostly beginners noticed the improvment immediately. Maybe the owner is putting out bait to sell more. Now the FP30 is a big jump up from the older Casio but still far behind the FP90. The point is for getting back into things your older Casio may be OK for awhile, but if you ever make the jump to the FP90 you will appreciate the BIG difference in sounds and touch. I also bet , like me, you will spending more time at the Piano again. Lots of stores do offer a return option these days but I don't think you'll use it if you buy one.

Bill,


Thanks for weighing in on the FP90 vs. the others. I was hoping you'd comment on my post. I took a trip to Guitar Center this afternoon to see what they had in stock NO FP90 which I knew because I called ahead. They did have the Rd2000. Whoa!! That's some kind of piano and great action on it. For home use I have a Clavinova CVP307 and the action on that instrument is excellent but the RD2000 was even better. Do you know whether the FP90 has the same action as the RD2000? Somewhere along the line I thought it did. While there I played some of the other pianos they had on display none came even close to the Roland action or sound . I was disappointed in the action on the lower priced Yamahas but there's a huge difference in price of the RD2000 versus the others I played.