Cliff,

While typing my reply, I was thinking of Kurzweil K2600 as well. However, I personally do not accept K2600 as a modern competing keyboard. I strongly believe its time is over and I will not pay for it more than $2000 regardless of how many upgrades it comes with. Nevertheless, you got a point. We cannot deny that K2600 was at one point the best sounding synth ever.

I think Cathy has some excellent points, IMO.

I'm a Flamenco Guitarist (35+ years, reasonably well known as an authority in the field (www.flamencochuck.com)

The Flamenco guitar is an extremely difficult instrument technically. So is any instrument carried to the limits of its parameters by talented musicians.

I bought an arranger (PA-80) to learn arranging, since the Korg had one of the best reputations for both voices and the quality of its styled.

But, it is really easy to play tons of music that sounds programmed by Korg without being creative at all, but which would sound "good" to any person who doesn't know music. Not that one can't play counter-rhythm scales, hemiola passages, or difficult rhythms (there are some great ones from the Middle East, and I can't wait to hear some of the Ketron and SD-1 stuff I've been hearing about from the Oriental Arrangers list.)

But it really is difficult to sound like the music isn't created for background music to the hot tubs after the grape stomping festivals in Montecito.

Maybe there are the equivalents of the Oscar Petersons', Stevie Ray Vaughns', the Paco de Lucia's, or the Mozarts that are now playing arrangers, but I have yet to be convinced.... it is just too easy to create elevator music, or la-la boomchicky stuff on these things......

Of course, I KNOW that NONE of you guys would even DREAM of playing like that....
you're SUCH sensitive musicians......

But hey, there is always me.....:-)

And it sure is fun to jam on Ciftetelli or Greek 9/8 (Zembekiko), after having heard so many fantastic interpretaions on Bouzouki (the real thing)......

So hang in there, Cathy. From what I've read, I pretty much agree with you. But I sure love my PA-80......

"Flamenco Chuck" Keyser, El Bitano http://members.aol.com/BuleriaChk/private/flamenco.html (www.flamencochuck.com)

"Compas Analysis", "A Flamenco Journey", "Music Theory for Flamenco", Other Resources

------------------
www.flamencochuck.com

[This message has been edited by BuleriaChk (edited 10-27-2002).]

[This message has been edited by BuleriaChk (edited 10-27-2002).]

There is no way that could be true. They had many albums out WAY before the invention of the i30. They were recording back at Temple in the 70's - when I was there !

All right UD, maybe it was the birth of the i30 or even the i3 that he utilized the arranger for a couple of tunes...At that time it was advertised in a few magazines. Good luck searching....



[This message has been edited by Lou Y (edited 10-27-2002).]

I have often heard (mostly by my Mom) "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything." But when I though of just posting silence I was afraid of getting sued for copyright violation

The discussions revolving around the arrangers have provoked some thought in my mind. Was I "cheating" myself in some way by not playing every part of the song myself? No, I don't think I was.

I enjoy listening to music. Some people don't really appreciate it as a true gift. My wife has never heard anything in her life. Any kind of music is fine with me. I have played songs on my PSR2000 and switched styles in the middle creating whole new patterns of songs and sounds. If it makes me feel good then that is my bottom line.
I have gotten almost every friend that visited me since I purchased it to sing with me! A lot of them are ready to go home and purchase one for themselves!
I have also played a melody line (made up songs) to go with a few of the styles. To me that is writing music. The fake books never even put the rest of the songs there. It is just easier to "fake" with an arranger keyboard.
I am so happy with the keyboard and can't wait to jam with my friends with it.
Some things if you ignore they go away. If you scratch a misquito bite it will get bigger. With the love and respect shared in this forum I hope that it is enough to overcome any bad opinions.
Let's make some more music now (and then talk about it).

- Brian

Brian,
well said...

Lou

Hello

You know this scenario with some of these last threads in question reminds me of something my minister once said: "everything one does is either an act of love or a cry for love". I guess that's something that holds true for all of us all the time. Really makes you stop and think doesn't it?

Scott Langholff

Someone once said:
"Hatred is a degenerated form of love".
This too makes you think, uh?

Motivating an audience in any given direction is the ultimate musical challenge, and while I don't like every kind of music or musician I see, I always appreciate the testicular fortitude it takes to pull off a performance - and the results always speak for themselves. Now matter the instrument, if you are able to entertain and compete with other entertainers on an ongoing basis, you must be doing something right. If you aren't, you'll know it quickly enough. I've seen guys make their entire livings for decades off of arranger keyboards... obviously the ability to use an arranger keyboard to it's fullest potential is a profitable job skill.