I'm really having a problem concentrating on what I need to work on when practicing. I have made a list of 30 major tunes and printed out the lyrice and chords. Now I need to find the best backup styles ect for each tune. I set down and start to practice and an hour later I have gone off on some tangent and not found the backups I need. The arranger kb is not necessarily easy play unless you want to accept mediocre results with the on board styles and OT settings.

Earl, post the list of songs on this thread and maybe we can be of assistance. Just a guess, but I'm sure that someone here has lots of third party styles or song specific styles for each and every one of those songs.

Good luck,

Gary

Earl, as far as concentration goes, what I generally do is use headphones to block out most of the residual noise that may be distracting. Then, I would not think of it as a list of 30 songs that I have to prepare, but rather just the song that is in front of me now ...
As I am working on the different songs, I try to see if there are styles or parts of styles, or OTs that I could use in another song, just to shorten the work a bit.
You could also follow Gary's suggestion, which could help.

Earl
Break the projects down to small pieces. 30 songs is a big job to find Styles/Sounds for. I like the headphones idea too. Work until you find yourself getting off target. Then stop for awhile ( or more ) and go back. Even when I'm feeling sharp I can't practice more than two hours before I lose concentration. Sometimes I may have only 20 minutes free but really try to stay on task and tell myself I took one step forward in my goal.

As far as the 30 songs are concerned I was only working on one at a time. I had figured I could do one tune a day and have all 30 ready to go after a month. As I've said before it was so much easier when we only had 8 different rhymes to choose from on the organ. Now we've got 2-300 different styles, each with 4 drum patterns! So much more to choose from!

I know what you mean Earl, I can relate. I'm a home hobbyist. But for me the workflow would be:

-Make a set list
-Obtain the music, either paper or MIDI
-Transpose to preferred key and simplify if necessary (some chord progressions are just too hard for me to play in real time without making a mistake!)
-Try to find a style that goes well with the song
-Practice! Orchestration really don't matter at this point, as long as it's pleasant enough to listen to
-If a song still seems too difficult, drop it for a while and move on to the next one.
-Only after I get really good at a song with the default sounds/style, THEN I'll create a new registration BANK for that song (Roland calls it a User Program Group)
-I create one registration entry for each section of the song that involves any kind of voice or control change. So far I haven't done a song with two different styles, but it's very possible.
-Annotate the score (either paper or digital) with a reminder to change registrations

Bottom line: no matter how good the panel is laid out, I'm not quick enough to change multiple controls within a couple seconds while I'm playing. Most models have the ability to change OTS with variation, or vice-versa, and that's a good starting point. But it's more foolproof to create a custom registration. The downside to my approach is that once the song is fully evolved, it will always sound the same way. I recently got a BK-9 and I haven't yet worked out how to use the "favorite" tones to give myself some variety when I get bored.

Bottom line, YES it's easy to get distratcted fiddling and not even get through a practice set. For me it's a fun way to while away an evening, but there's a reason I don't quit my day job!!

My thoughts:

1-Write a format of how you intend to work. Many times, our focus is on the wrong thing.

A-Follow what you have written, make a list of 10 songs.

B-Find styles that fit each song. Don’t waste too much time selecting the perfect style, you may/will be changing later as you get the feel of the song. Save your work in the keyboard.

C-Now change your what you are concentrating on. Place your focus on the song. Each song tells a story. Your excitement should come from the song. If it doesn’t, select another song.

D-You are working like it was a JOB-TO-DO. I love what mark had to say, if you can understand what he said --- your focus will change.

I can spend three hours on one song without getting bored.
This is called LOVING MUSIC.

John C.

Mark wrote: I still find everything in the world to be fascinating...life to be a rose revealing more of itself with each pull of each petal! He loves music.

John C.
Problem, it is a job to do. Right now it is the only job to do.

And to all the rest of you, thanks for some good suggestions. Now I just have to motivate myself to go to the practice room in the first place!

Earl, just take them one song at a time, when you're finished with that one, go to the next. That's how I did it for more than 30 years. You'll be amazed at how fast those songs stack up in your brain.

Good luck,

Gary

Thanks Gary. I will try that.

Ekurburski, your answer is in your post. You wrote; Problem, it is a job to do. Right now, it is the only to do.” Ekurburski, you are about as normal as everyone else here. If all I had to do (Job) was my keyboard, I’d go nuts! If I stay with my wife, which I love, all day, I would go nuts. If I watch TV too long, I go nuts.

There are times when I get an idea and I can’t waist until I get to the keyboard. And I never, ever call that a job. I never practice, I play. You have made what you are doing a job. Tonight, I sat with a tune for two hours, I got nothing accomplished, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Words like these can take the joy out of anything.

“I need to find”
“I need to work on”
“Arranger keyboards are not easy play unless you want to accept mediocre results”
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think this was said on another post:
Take one song, and when you feel it sounds good, do another song. No pressure – no list to do, -- no playing if you find you are losing interest – no demands on you.


If I am missing the mark –or have not understood, I apologize. It’s just that I read frustration in your post.
John C.

Hi Earl:

Interesting and applicable suggestions for you. Is the "concentration" part caused by constant disturbances, "Honey-Do's" or is your KB located somewhere you are often distracted? I hope you have your own studio or room where you can close that door and flail away at the task at-hand. John C and Gary are great resources. Don't forget, standard KB styles can be re-arranged by swapping out instruments, tempo, switching to a minor key if the song needs it... and adjusting individual volumes to make the backing sound authentic. Don't forget to move the "Pan" knobs where needed.

I spend a great deal of time arranging the style, then recording until I'm blue in the face... and then, when it has been transported to the Recorder and Computer... making more minor volume edits, etc. Once you have it where you want it... don't forget to save it in a memory bank. If you plan to sing it often... assuming you are happy with song, vocal and recording (normalized eventually before saving) take the time to use a word processor and type out all your settings for later reference.

Are you continuing to have the goal of doing a gig or are you simply doing this to suit yourself? Either can be highly satisfying (depending upon your objectives) and both are worth tons of practice and experimentation.

Best of luck, ----Dave