Like most, I try to avoid midi files like the plague--but we're entertainers and that's what the folks that hired us are paying for--entertainment. I also had occasions where at the last minute someone wants a particular song that I had never played. At that point, ya' go on the web, download a good midi, and run with it. Most of the time, however, I've at least heard the song and can merely download the lyrics, pick out an appropriate style file and do the song with little or no difficulty.

Midi files are great tools for learning new songs. There have been times when a song crawls out of the cobwebs of my mind that I just gotta' play! Download a midi file, learn the chord changes, download the lyrics from http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/main_index/index.html and again, select an appropriate style file. In most instances, if I download the style file also, I'll rename the style file with the song name--which works great with most keyboards. As for faking it--only when I have a headache!

Cheers,

Gary