I have always thought of myself as a singer that accompanies myself. I never liked the piano as a kid, but fell head over heals for the Fender Rhodes, and Hohner Clavinets! I started as a bassist in larger bands, with a background on guitar as a child. I never even touched a piano (with serious intent) till high school.

I was a reed man, doubling on clarinet, sax & flute when I decided that singing was more important to me. The logical move was to play piano, so I could "lead" the band. I borrowed some cash from my sister, bought my first Rhodes and started a trio with a bass player and a drummer. That grew into larger bands, and when drinking/driving laws started to change the face of the club scene..... the bands started to shrink in size. When I was the last one left, I was using a Rhodes, a Moog bass on top, and a cheesy Korg drum machine (analog). That was the beginning of the solo act for me. My vocals were strong enough for me to compete with a lot of the larger bands in the area, and I worked as much as I wanted to all through the 80's and into the 90's. The only real reason I ever bought an arranger was to get a built in drum machine. Back then, I was set up in rooms for 5 or 6 nights at a clip, at least for a few months...if not longer. It wasn't till the early 90's that I decided to do more one night stands. That's when the arrangers came in handy. I stopped stacking the boards up, and using 5 or six amps, and downsized to a "one keyboard" rig. and that's where I am today.

I still enjoy the simple, live trio sound I get when I play left hand bass lines, and right hand chords, but I DO use the arranger when it can be helpful. The real important elements of my show are the vocals, bass and drums. I never get requests for "larger arrangements" or "more backing parts." It's just me, the crowd and the tunes. That's all that matters. However you get there is the way to go. Some of my BEST shows were with the old Rhodes and Moog! The arrangers just made it all fit into a smaller package for me. Now, with MD's and sequences... it's getting less and less important to have the best arranger on board. As long as I have a few good "staple beats" I can take any request and make a lively, interesting show with just me and my throat....of course, the harmonizer has become my best friend! (4 friends!)

Right now - it's back to the Korg i5s till something new pops up!

[This message has been edited by Uncle Dave (edited 08-21-2001).]