Gentlemen:
Great topic, and you all have been extremely eloquent about it. I'd like to summarize the subject at hand by posing a question. Who do you think gets the most credit/acclaim at the end of symphony orchestra concert?
You guessed it, the conductor!
As an arranger musician I feel as the conductor of, not a live band of musicians, but in complete control of one of the most sophisticated pieces of technology I've seen.
A conductor requires rehearsing with his musicians prior to that concert; similarly, I seat with my KB at home and tell "my band" how I want things done when I am at "my concert". That's why the registrations feature on arrangers is such a wonderful thing; I can be assured that things like volume, tempo, key, etc.. will be perfect at my performance, no surprises! all I will have to worry then is about my "musicianship" which at this point is no different than that of a concert pianist at his performance. Of course, for those of us who sing, things can get even more intricate since I like to memorize the lyrics of every song I play.
So there you have it; Not only you have to be a good musician, a good sound engineer/technician, but also remember words, all at once. To that you can add the "perfection" element we all strive for when performing "live". All this tells me that our line of business is one that can be legitimately characterized as being "a true art form".
To those who think it isn’t, just ask them to sit down with an arranger and ask them to press “start” and see what happens?
Regards,
Mario