are we "cheating"?..it's just semantics, isn't it? it really doesn't matter if we call it cheating or not, we do it. e.g.... -instead of playing an acoustic piano, we play a digital keyboard with a synthesized or sampled piano sound. even if we do only this, isn't it cheating? we are in effect telling the audience: listen to us play the piano, and we are not playing a piano. but this is the very thinnest line, we might make the case we are playing the same way we would play a piano..same for rhodes..and a bit further removed for organ, but still in the ballpark: similar keyboards played with the fingers. -but let's move a step further: instead of vibes, instead of marimba, etc..we are playing a synthesized or sampled version of those instruments. we are still working with keyboard-style instruments but we are using our fingers, not mallets. we are cheating a bit more, are we not? -now we move to guitars, strings, hand percussion, etc: still played with the hands but those instruments are not keyboard-based. so we are now cheating even more. -heavy "cheating" now: wind instruments!!! how do we justify playing those on a kb? we are not using our breath or lips at all! we are going down the slippery slope. aaaargh!! -a huge leap: drum machines in our kb's. wow, how far will we go? is this not the end of western civilization as we know it????? -Ok now, enough is enough: whole backgrounds with bass lines, brass riffs, etc, etc... intros, outros, fills, pads, fades. Arrest these impostors!! where are the arranger police when you need them? -sequencing. biab, smf's: Oh No!!!! where did it all start, this descent into hell? when we started using portable piano substitutes?no, we must return to the source. which is--the early music keyboards PLUCKED the keys. it was nice, quiet, austere, pure. THEN---the devil invented that giant noisy instrument with hammers that STRUCK the strings, and with a pedal to create a totally artificial sustain, no less. CHEATING!!!that, my friends, was the beginning of the end. seriously, does anyone believe that the audience doesn't know you aren't playing a piano? a rhodes? an organ? vibes? strings? winds? does anyone think the audience believes there is a dwarf playing drums inside your amp? or a big band of elves? or that the audience thinks or cares if you personally programmed every beat and personally synthesized every sound and personally created every arrangement? aside from the fact they would be impressed if you told them that. -you can refer to the least sophisticated audience you like: abilities being equal, they will prefer a duo or trio to a solo performer. they will prefer a better solo musician (one who makes the music come alive) to one who is a stiff mechanic. we who play arrangers should concern ourselves with improving our musicianship no matter what tools we use..the issue of CHEATING is a non-issue. IMHO

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Miami Mo