I sure do!
As long as I'm the driver of WHATEVER musical bus (instrument) I'm driving - I'm 100% live. If I was still the keyboard player in a band, I'd only be playing the keyboard parts - nothing different than I do NOW - except that I actually do more now to trigger the added fluff that makes me sound better. Most times, I'm the bass player, too!
Don't be a Debbie Downer.
Of course it's live ... unless all you do is hit the start button and then sit down. Singers are doing more today than they ever did in bands, and that's a good thing.
If there's a living being on stage doing ANYTHING - it's live. Of course there are degrees of how much ELSE is live, but there is no way you're going to convince this player that what I do isn't live creation. I am, and always will be a live musician ... using the latest tools to enhance what I bring to the stage.

Geeeze .... I think you get too much enjoyment from playing devil's advocate.

I consider my performances as "live" music because I am playing and the KB is responding to what I am playing ... If I'm not playing, the KB only sits there and collects dust ! ...
However, I still think it pales in comparison to playing with other live musicians ...
However #2, I will continue to do it because:
1) that is the way of my music career right now;
2) I LOVE doing it;
3) my audiences tell me they love it too. (As witnessed by the fact that I just got an e-mail from a venue I played for the first time last week saying they would like me there more than once a month)

Boy, talk about a distortion of what I said. MY reference was to the difference between live music and arranger music. Trying to make it about "notes in the song" is just a distortion to make a point. Gary, I read your post several times, just to make sure I was reading it correctly. I guess it's okay if you feel that way but I just can't imagine any musicians I know or have known, who feels that way. For the musicians I know, the music trumps everything. But again, to each his own.

chas

The only thing that matters, to me and most audiences, is WHAT THEY HEAR. What comes through the speakers, or vibrates from the instrument is the reason we provide the music in the first place. If what they hear pleases them - Mission accomplished. If I enjoy it too .... double blessing! Without electronic automation, there'd be no Hammond Organs. Something's got to spin those tone wheels.

To those who think using an arranger is not playing music, why not sell your arranger and start or join a band. Simple. Then you won't be ashamed of playing, unless the band is really bad.
Then you could come on here and put down arrangers with a clear conscience at least.
I'm often asked to play with bands, even at my advanced age and I'm perfectly musically capable of doing so, on several instruments, but I don't want to and don't have to. Been there done that, enjoyed it mostly and moved on.
Love my PA4X, and the drummer is always on time, and works free. I get his share.

Yeah - what HE said ... and the drummer never gets the girl

Russ that is an old argument that is not true

If you are playing full chords with bass inversion.. the arranger can follow your passing chords, and you can control the bass (lowest note). Try it you'll like it

I will agree with Don Mason the Korg pa4x as it stands now is the best-performing keyboard on the market it just does everything so well for the kb player and singer does everything so right pro features.. and how deep you can go to make it your own it really is an amazing instrument I miss both of mine...

And then after using the genos amd 2 sx900 and a a few EA7s and a sx700 and a tyros 2 I have to say the pa4x Still Remains my favorite..

Man! How many times are we going to go over this topic? Fact is the arrangers today can be used in so many different ways. If I wish and am capable I can just use it as a single kb playing it as a piano or organ. My only real complaint about arrangers is the fact that so few use any variety in the drum patterns. Back in the days of playing organs we would pick a drum pattern and ude it all the way through the tune. It sounded repetitious because it was. We've come a long ways but 4 fills per pattern is still repetiious. It really comes down to how well does the performer play, doesnt' it?

What, you guys don’t want to to divi up one man’s earnings with at least 3 other musicians, a bass player , drummer and guitarist. Shame , shame , shame for not wanting to earn a quarter of what you do compared to when you use an arranger . Haha.

I would imagine a lot of these venues couldn’t afford to pay for a full band.

Thank goodness for arranger, the backing band works for free, the musician earns good money, the venue has a show for its customers.

Win, win, win.