Hi Drdalet, you bring up an excellent topic indeed. I've experienced the SAME or similar challenges you outline. First of all, what specific chord 'fingering' mode (single finger, fingered, full keyboard, etc) do you use when you play your PSR kb? I assume (from the nature of your question) that you play in either fingered (split) or full keyboard mode, right?

As a keyboard player coming from a pianist background, I typically prefer playing in full keyboard mode, but on Yamaha arrangers, I've found 'full keyboard' mode chord recognition unreliable (at best) to achieve the chord recognition results I desired. Having been an accompaniment piano player (both solo and in a combo), I learned to play chord voicing which go beyond basic voicings of Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th and their inversions only, of which quickly end up sounding bland and not that musicially interesting if that is all that is heard in a song, especially the classic american standards, which beg for more harmonic interest.

Interestingly enough, the PRIMARY reason I became interested in an arranger keyboard at all in the FIRST place, was because I had by accident (one day) stumbled into a music store and proceeded to play Cole Porter's: 'Night & Day' on an arranger keyboard the same way I do on an acoustic piano, using 'rootless' jazz style chord voicings that I had recently learned, and was totally amazed to discover that the arranger (Technics KN5000) was able to correctly recognize the 2 handed chords (stacked 4ths in full keyboard mode) I was playing. I began playing & performing professionally on an arranger kb from that day forward, because it gave me the opportunity to play in the same jazz pianistic comping style I was accustomed to when playing with a live jazz combo. Unfortunately, NO OTHER brand arranger keyboard recognizes these jazzy rootless chord voicings in FULL KEYBOARD mode, but I was later to discover that Yamaha did, but to a lesser (albeit more compromised) degree. Yamaha allows you to achieve the same rootless chord voicing recognition, but ONLY with the KB set in SPLIT MODE, using widely recognized rootless LEFT HAND chord voicings. This turned out to be an acceptable alternative for me, because I'm still able to play the same RIGHT hand jazz voicing (to fill out the sound) but it does NOT affect the original chord recognition that is triggered by the left hand. This also creates Yamaha's unique advatage over Technics FULL KEYBOARD only recognition, in that with Yamaha arrangers (in split fingered mode), you can play a left hand voicing (rootless) and play ANY note (notes) in the right and without affecting the chord recognition.

Drdalet, here are just a few rootless jazz type chords that I integrate (mix/match) along with the vanilla root style chords) that I use with Yamaha arranger keyboards in fingered (split mode), which offer MORE options (for smooth voice leading) and prevent the type of chord problems you outlined above.

A II-V-I chord progression (of which results in smooth voice leading)
Dm9: F1-C2-E2
G13: F1-B1-E2
C69: E1-A1-D2

The above of course applies in all KEYS!

If I want to include tensions (#9,b9, b13, #11, etc), for color & mood, I will include these in the portion of the chord played with the right hand, of which is often to refered to as an upper structure triad (this and rootless chords are covered in Mark Levine's: Jazz Piano book: http://www.shermusic.com/jazzpno.htm
).

Playing in auto accomp arranger presents unique challenges, but you can quickly overcome them to work to your advantage as well. Unfortunately on an internet forum of this nature where it's difficult to watch and experience each others playing first hand, it's hard to demonstrate what I'm talking about, but I assure you that I was able to demonstrate to sz members I've met in person what I'm referring to and have sold them on using these chord voicings in their music as well. Funny thing is that NONE of the manufacterers list these professional chord voicings in their manuals or literature. Perhaps it's a trade secret appreciated by the few like me. - Scott