Interesting analogy and a topic worth exploring. Arranger kbs have a unique place in the world of musical instruments and evolved from the home organ and portable casio keyboard market. The sales pitch was that anyone would be able to 'sound good', with little or no musical experience. Arranger keyboards quickly developed a reputation (by professional musicians) as similar to what 'painting by the numbers' has become in the art world. Home music hobbyists were drawn to them while formally trained musicians looked down on them. Only recently have the pros (finally) begun to take them seriously. 'How' you play the arranger makes the difference between sounding schlocky or sounding professional. By developing your musical knowledge and technical chops and mastering the arranger's unique features, you can create a memorable performance (song) uniquely your own.

Arranger keyboard performance presents challenges different than playing other musical instruments. Foremost, you are the 'conductor' of the band, directing the songs harmonic path via the chords played
(triggered), directing the drummer to lay fills at just the right times, changing the style feel (variations) at appropriate places, and determining & changing orchestral (instrument) setups for each section of the tune. In addition (if you're a singer), applying creative vocal techniques (phrasing, etc) to bring out the lyrics of the song while playing appropriate instrumental fills at just the right time, and triggering backup singers (via vocal harmonizer) to come in and out at just the right moment. It takes skill to make this come off as a tightly orchestrated performance.

To master the art of arranger playing, I find it important to work on improving basic keyboard technique. This includes practing scales (in ALL keys), and practicing-memorizing (basic to advanced) chords & chord voicings (all inversions) in all keys, playing them both chromatally, and as a part of a chord progressions; such as: I-VI-II-V7-I or I-VI - IV - V7 - I (in all keys), working to ensure (using chord
inversions) that the idividual voices of the chord transition progress smoothly (no big interval leaps) going from chord to chord (smooth voice leading). I also recommend soloing (improvising over the chord changes with your right hand (right voice) while practing the chord progressions (left hand). Another good exercise is to play the chord progression with your right hand (piano: right of split) and practice playing bass lines with your left hand (left of split: Bass sound).

The one distinguishing feature of an arranger is its auto-accompaniment styles. It seems the most popular forum topic (second only to talking about the latest model arranger KB offerings) are arranger keyboard 'styles' & 'sounds', both debating which kb has the best, where to obtain them, and converting one brand's styles to anothers. I agree that decent styles & sounds are essential to sounding good, but it's important not to get wrapped up in an endless search for a particular style. As solo musicians, the style should ENHANCE our live performance, NOT the other way around. Frequently I've discovered that using a different style than the one commonly associated with a specific tune offers a fresh approach which is appreciated by my audiences. Be creative, experiment, and take chances, and don't get locked into one specific style for a given song.

Arranger keyboards allow us to easily experiment with interpreting songs. Most arrangers today offer a wide variety & range of styles to cover all genres. Before trolling outside your KB to find that exact style to recreate the song as you remember it on the record, explore the styles internal to the board first, you may surprise yourself and come up with something even more interesting.

I'm interested in hearing more about different arranger specific keyboard playing tips/tricks.

Scott