How many here are writing ORIGINAL material on arranger kb or any keyboard/guitar etc..?
with more time at home I was thinking of trying the original creative process,.....how many of you are doing that vs playing other peoples songs all the time.....after all these songs did start out as an original project for each of the artists who produced them.......seems like the arranger kb would be a perfect match to create a song from scratch for music & vocals,....
also if your not whats holding you back?
Thoughts?

I really have not had the inclination to write my own songs. I feel like there are already so many greats songs and so there many that I'd love to learn. What I do love is to arrange songs which is were our arranger keyboards shine. My respect to those that write music... Maybe someday I'll give it a shot, but I would think it would hard to find venues will pay you to perform your own music. Performing original music is feast or famine. Doing covers probably won't make you rich but it can pay the bills.

Paul you can always try to do both and ad your original to your cover act little at a time....every artists songs "your covering" at one point had to go out there and perform their own. You can also write and have someone else perform it too...

Donny, I do most of my high end work for scores in Louisville for a production company. My company in Lexington does not to exceed 20 min pieces. 1/2 have scores done on an arranger, because of budget limitations.

The bigger projects generally start at 2:30 PM on Sunday. From 2:40 until production starts at 6:00 PM, I work with the producer and a technical person (client is a truck manufacturer, in this case) to define the parameters of the project. While watching an extremely rough cut, I work up the approximate lead line(s), percussion, etc., with input from those involved on an arranger; usually an old Solton MS-60.

After initial approval of the arranger produced treatment, we gather samples (live sound in the factory, an engine running, etc.)and, with the help of a percussionist, begin with the bass pattern(s). Depending on the final level of the project (some bill out in excess of $10,000 a finished minute; others, for charities, small organizations, etc. are free, with a bottom paid fee of $500.00 a finished minute), the project can be all me on everything but percussion; up to 10-12 players flown in.

In Lexington, as a support mechanism for other limited marketing/training efforts, the projects bill completed for $500.00-1,000.00 a finished minute. That is basic stuff...no animation...one voice-over.

These kinds of jobs did not exist at this level before UTube.
I get the work not because of superior musicianship, but because I write, shoot and edit the material, and there is almost no learning curve time involved.

I do 120 hours a month in the studio, and could do more if time allowed.

There are more opportunities for "generalists"...people who can do multiple things today. The ability to provide cost effective original scores gives me a big advantage in the industrial film market.

The ability to do copy edits, film editing, treatments, etc. makes me a much more marketable commodity than a person who simply plays.

And....IT'S FUN, FUN, FUN, T-bird or not!

So, yes, the arranger is an invaluable tool. Unsophisticated clients (an engineer who never thinks abstractly, for instance) understands what's going on when he hears an arranger produced rough instead of a simple piano or guitar line or chords.

I get the satisfaction of having worked on a national level
project on multiple levels. It's hard for some to understand that I get as much satisfaction from writing copy, graphic design, film production, trade show management,research management and other collateral projects as I do playing.

They all support each other.

That is pure luck; no pre-planning at all.

I'm a grateful SOB!

Russ

Keep in mind that we do have a few members that do nothing but original material using their keyboards, such as Beakybird (Larry), who really has done some incredible songs with his arranger.

Like Paul, I really don't have the inclination to write my own material, then try to sell it to the general public or my audiences. I had enough trouble learning all the songs they wanted to hear over the years, and I believe they hired me because I could perform the songs they enjoyed listening to in the past.

Gary

Original songs always don't have to be sold..... Writing for your self satisfaction is perfectly acceptable also and can be very rewarding to the artist too.

I have written dozens of songs, most autobiographical, most country, but not all. Each has risen to Number One in my living room over the years. All now are only occasionally pulled up when someone asks "do you have any originals?"
All are better than 95 percent of current country songs on the radio. At least in my HUMBLE opinion!
I could put them on the internet and make a fraction of a cent each time they are downloaded, and nothing each time they are shared. 20 or so years ago I put some of them on a tape and sold nearly a thousand of them at 8 bucks apiece, to drunk people in my night club!
I took most of that money and went on a gambling spree, eating fine food, drinking fine wine and courting fine women. The rest of it I just wasted.

All the time.. I have written lots of songs. I try to upload my stuff to You Tube to share my messages with others. I ve uploaded quite a few but it is pretty time consuming
Finding the right images to go with your lyrics.

God Bless,
Don Reeves

I tried a few times but no real interest.
Without that inner desire not much happens.

John C.

I am first a Songwriter.......The PA 4X is an invaluable companion for me

I have written several songs on different arrangers.
It's a lot of fun for me.
Some instrumentals, some with lyrics.
Eric

Hi Donnie:

I write songs utilizing the Yamaha PSR-S910 and before that, the PSR-2000. It makes collaborations easy (not my favorite method of writing songs) and when all the juices are flowing, I can knock out a song very quickly. These machines are a God-send for song-writers and I usually vocalize my own.

Years ago, Don Mason advised me to use Vocal Harmony sparingly and he really hit the nail on the head. I've written more than 1,000 original songs now and have found limited success. With today's over-crowded market, most songwriters need to approach this combination of art and craft to a great pastime.

Lately, I've been paying for demos and now have a complete album ready for pitching. I won't be quitting my day job, though.

Regards, ----Dave Rice

I hear ya Dave it's all who you know and $$$$$$$$$........but in any case someone has to write the songs in some way.

I have written original songs using my arranger but most of the time I have used the inbuilt sequencer .

I have created hundreds of original styles to capture grooves or to remix other people's songs .

The latest one I did was of the song " Human " by rag n bone . I had literally 1 day to come up with an arrangement for my works choir this Easter . That's where an arranger shines when time is limited .

Although an arranger keyboard when in arranger mode can be used to flesh out original musical ideas quickly ,I tend to customise pretty much everything in the finished song .

The power of an arranger in writing original songs over pretty much anything else is that :

1. You can capture musical ideas , chord progressions instantly
2. You can experiment with those ideas with different genres of music instantly
3. You can remix songs very quickly

And there are tonnes more I could say but time is limited .

Can you tell I am a big fan of arranger keyboards yet ?

I did a local TV series YEARS ago on using arrangers for composing. ("Perspectives" in Philly) It's kind of ironic, because I hardly EVER write! I know too many songs, and every time I think I have a great, new idea ... it turns out to be someone else's poetry or melody. Sigh ... cost of doing business. The show was kind of cool though, for it's time. It was in the infancy of "good" arrangers ... when competition really raised the bar from the cheesy Casio stuff of old. The biggest advantage, that I showcased was the ability to change rhythms and styles with the same basic chords and melody. Kind of a "fresh" idea machine.

Does anyone ever feel guilty about performing other peoples work....? I think about all the hours spent by others creating songs and how happy they must have been to be published.....

Not really . The fact that people like the songs to the extent that we are playing them is a testament to how much the song has brought joy to others . You can't feel guilty about that .

If the establishment you are in is not paying the appropriate licensing fees then you might feel a bit guilty about that . However the flip side is that more often than not, more sales of the original writers song are generated because people are hearing it and that can stimulate demand . It's like advertising for the original song !
That's a bit tongue in cheek by the way . .