Hi All,

I saw this topic in one of the other forums here and I thought it might make a good discussion here since the Composer topic had a lot of posts.

Review:
On the other forum many Pro players felt they only needed and only used 8 to 10 styles as long as they were of good quality. Others felt that because they compose new music with their instruments they needed more styles to keep the music from sounding the same.

My View:
I'm one who likes to hear songs in different arrangements. So the more styles the better. Often I'll sit down and play the same song to three or four different styles while I practice the song. Since the chords and the melody are the same I can learn the song without getting bored and evaluate the different versions to find the one I like best.

Plus I too write music using various methods but I’m not an arranger so not only do I find a style can inspire a new song but they can add the depth that I don’t know how to do.

I hope to find this an interesting topic

Sincerely,
Heather

MY TAKE.
I start a style with an intro, listen to the 4 breaks and style changes, listen to the pads and the ending, all never playing a note. If this reminds me of a song, I will then play the song and maybe another one or just jam with it. I then decide to keep it or not at that point. The majority of custom files are deleted. Few meet my criteria.
Good topic Heather
Bebop

I like to have many styles available for me to choose from when I get ready to sit down and sequence a song.

I will start with 12 selections of styles to choose from in the composer memory while sequencing a song. (That's 3 banks of 4 variations each)

During the sequencing of the song I will probably use from 5 to 10 changes in styles to fit the particular passages of the song.

I use mostly the first variation of the style as I like to add my own enhancements as I build the sequence.

Sometimes I can use the intro, ending or even the fill ins, by adding some enhancements also.

It is a lot of fun for me.

Very interesting subject.

Larry G

Yes - good subject - it'll certainly bring out the differences in the way different folk approach their musical entertainment
As for me, well I have to have as near the original representation of the sound that I can get so this sometimes means cannibalising midi files to get 4 good variations; an intro; and an ending - why?
Well I play for the public and I want instant recognition and positive response particularly when they are dance numbers...it also helps Sammi-lu my singer to get the feel of the song when she's performing.
So currently some 600 songs on my SD card and probably nearly the same number of styel files supporting those songs - do I use the factory rhythms in my KN7000 - hardly at all!!!
Roger M

Hi Heather,
thank you for bringing up the subject. I certainly find it a fascinating one.


Larry,
just out of interest, you explained the method you use when you sequence a song ( fascinating( you apparently build up your arrangements track by track after laying down a style foundation ) but do you use the same method if someone happens to ask you to play a song for them in arranger mode , or do you just find a single style that suits the song.

best wishes
Rikki

Heather, actually this topic has been discussed a few times, usually in response to someone stating they don't need any styles other than the onboard styles. Personally, I prefer options when I compose or record and I will search the net for styles posted for other keyboards and spend months converting them for my use. I don't use a style again once I record with it so it tends to keep my music fresh. I start out with a theme such as gospel, country, Christmas, etc., and then with a song in mind I search for a proper style within a tempo range that fits the song. I seldom use a style to find a song, but it sometimes happens. Once I find a group of styles that are close in tempo to what I require, the hunt begins! I may spend days searching for just the right background, or I may find it right away, and sometimes I have to take a tired out long discarded style and rebuild it to what I want. I like to push the limits when it comes to using different styles for certain types of music, and onboard styles don't give me enough to chose from. For instance, for gospel music players there are only a few styles in that catagory, but one can use ballads, latin styles, country and even rock to do the songs. When you mix it up, you create interesting sounding music. See See Rider calls for a moderate blues tempo, but try it with a country train style and the song takes on a whole new identity. The combinations of different styles with the wide range of instruments available give us the chance to explore the musical universe and never look back! I may never use a lot of the styles in my archives, but I want the option to pick and choose. The fun never ends!!

Hi Roger,
do you actually create complete styles out of these midifiles ( ie all the intro, ending etc parts) or do you just create as many parts as required for the particular song ie 1 intro , 1 ending and as many fills and variations as may be required.

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I tend to think that maybe when we talk about creating styles, we automatically think we have to create all the parts of the style ie the 4 intro's & endings ( maj & min) the 8 fills, the 4 variations ( which can be daunting task) wheras , all one would really need to do is create an intro & ending for the song and as many fills & variations as one thinks the song requires, (with my limited playing talent I usually only need a couple of variations) hence I've got, what I've always considered, as a heap of unfinished styles ( even though I do use them), wheras I suppose I could be optimistic and think of them as completed song specific styles ( even though some of the parts may still be missing ( strange female logic, (haahaa) let's face it, it's not as if we're trying to create styles commercially, it's just to give a bit of variety to the songs.

Thanks guys, the subject is great food for thought.

best wishes
Rikki

Topic: How many Styles do you really need?

Well, I would say one fitted for each song there is,
or that that we play.......

Counting 1 and 2 and 3 and .......
GJ

.... still counting .... 5 (and that's all of the songs that I think I can play )

Hiya Rikkis
I use EMC Styleworks to obtain 2 intros; 2 endings; 2 fills; and 4 variations from a midi file (just Major) and sometimes it works, sometimes it's a mess....
Jonny
It's the twiddly bits between 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 that make all the difference as I've vaguely noticed from the several hundreds if not thousands on your marvellous web site - chuckle...
Cheers
Roger M

Hi Roger,

How do you use the 600 songs on the SD card? I mean how much is prerecorded and how much are you playing at the time. Can I assume you are playing in Pianist mode and using the style for all the other instruments?

Heather