Select a song and save it in Regs, use one bank per song.

1-Set up the keyboard for the song you want to play

2-Set a Live Control knob to muting the Accompaniment. The knob changes the Accomp. gradually

3-Play the song and turn the knob – when you here what you want, save it in one of the regs.

You just changed the style with little effort. I play with a full left hand, so this method fits what I am doing.

John C.

Hi Lee,
I know you and I seem to like the same kind of music, if you want it almost identical to an original song, I think you’d get a closer result with a midi file.
IF, you manage to find what you want , be easier to tweak it up and get it sounding good.
Try and find a midi file and a song based style of the same song. Tend to think you will find the midi file will be closer than the style.
Styles do have some limitations , the amount of tracks, the notes that can be used for style tracks. If you like piano tracks, Yamaha for instance doesn’t recognise the sustain pedal ( controller 64 ) in its style tracks, try recording an arpeggio without sustain.

The beauty of an arranger really is , to come up with your own version (arrangement) of a song, using styles.

I haven’t used midi files in years. I have 100’s tucked away on one of my hard drives.
If I manage to find some that work better with a particular song, I have no hassle with using them, tweak it up, mute a couple of the tracks and play along.
The big IF is, if the midi files actually exist for the songs I want. If not , back to the arranger,
On the psr I can normally find a style that will work.
I’ve got an old music book, some old standards, musicals, etc, 50+ songs.
Most of those songs can be covered by half a dozen of the sx styles.
Broadway Ballad is brilliant, so is Love Song plus a few others, I try and avoid using Intro/Ending 2&3, sounds a bit odd , same intro for 20 different songs ,‼️
I use the count in or I’m going to try and find a little old book I had on using chord progressions for intro’s It had some great tips. If all else fails, I’ll get Band in a Box, to come up with some for me. (Progressions for Intro’s) Haha.
Other option might be, if there is a midi file available, just using the intro / ending, provided the style itself is close enough. Unfortunately not as easy to do on psr as on a Korg.

I think we have it right John , 1 song , 1 registration bank. We can twiddle away to our hearts content, and make it our own. Haha

What do you mean
2-Set a Live Control knob to muting the Accompaniment. The knob changes the Accomp. gradually.

ie it starts muting individual tracks?
or slowly starts fading it out?

I think I spotted something about it on one of the utube clips a few months back, unfortunately it was before I had the keyboard , so I’d forgotten all about it.

Rikki, the Pa4x had three assignable buttons, (left side bottom)
I set the them to:

1-Accomp. off
2-Bass off
3-Drums off

I would use the buttons to vari the sound of the style, wile adding pads too fill in. Examples would be, adding a pad with a strong bass drum beat on the beat of each measure. Or adding a pad with a strum on all four beats. Arranger keyboards become boring when we allow the style to be just a style as is.


Let’s use Big Band as an example. The trumpets do not play all the time, neither do the woodwinds. The band is constantly changing. A great example would be Count Basie, when he solos with the piano the band takes on a different color. The Sx900 gives 8 regs to create the above.

The assignable Live Control knobs (left side bottom) have taken the keyboard one step further. The Live Control button removes parts gradually. If I want Count Basie, turn the knob to the left and you get drums and bass. I little further, and you get just drums – add some pads – wow, boring is leaving my keyboard. The combination of Live Control, pads, and variations brings us closer to sound like a live band; Yamaha just made it easier to do. Most of the Yamaha pads are too busy, gotta write my own.

I’m really enjoying my Sx900, it’s just waiting for me to come up with some new ideas. It’s like watching an artist creating a beautiful country scene with his paint and brush. The he calls it my creation!

John C.

Wow , thank you John.

So each of these adjustments can be saved as a registration and at the same time your pad / ‘s could be set to sync , and also saved to the registration .
Everything ready to go when the registration button is pressed.
It really is a powerful system.

No offence Lee but to me this is astonishing, probably because I am a home musician and never gig. Yamaha have gone a long way with their songstyles ( too far imho) but what on earth could be the point of reproducing a song as close to the original arrangment in your ARRANGER keyboard ? As several have pointed out the beauty of the arranger keyboard is that you can arrange. I cannot imagine anyone being interested in my renditon of My Way or Like a Vergin for all I care, if I record and sing it reproducing the exact song on the keyboard....
Midifiles can do that trick, better still Karaoke files can do that trick and best of all good original Backing Tracks can do that to a T.
In your approach, at least that is how I see it, you would be better of with a good wireless mike, a great amplifier/speakers and a tablet or laptop. But I may have a rather unique view of the matter, forgive me .....

regards,
John

John, forgiving you is not necessary, and I value your opinion. In fact, I agree with most of what you wrote. But we all see life and keyboards differently.

Keep posting John, John C.

When I am preparing a unique song that everyone immediately identifies,even from the intro, I go to a midifile. I then strip off parts that I want to play myself. In addition,I have the score right in front of me until I memorize it. If you leave to many parts in, you lead the audience to believe you are not really playing. I think,if used sparingly,midifiles have their place,also.

John, no worries, in some ways I understand and you are right....but I am 72, I will never be Peter Bertmans and If I can get a style or MIDI where I can play melody on top , so to speak of a great background with all the backing instruments doing the song well, I will be liking it.

I come from organ playing, but I like complex orchestral renditions of songs. And I do not sing so that mic you recommended will not work for me, Ha, Ha.....

I do think with all the capabilities of the SX-900 (Genos someday) I can accomplish what I want. Using styles, MIDI files AND doing my own multi-track sequencing.

I am not a great musician, I'm a home player, so to really come up with my own full arrangements, maybe simple ones....not the stuff I like.

I'm kind of crazy, I want not a one man band, I want a one man orchestra!

Lee good to read your utilizing ALL the opportunities to make music mixing it up in various ways ...
good luck.