Well, Freddy more or less said what I was going to say; Friday night I will not be a professional who plays for a fee; I will be one in a group of friends and I will give my contribution to an evening of pleasure and entertainment bringing my keyboard. So it's pretty normal that people will come to me, ask a particular song and then start to sing or dance as soon as I start to play. This way they become part of the show and they LOVE it; but even if I were a professional, frankly I don't know if (at least in a small environment) I would keep my audience at a distance. I love being part of the crowd and act as a catalyzer for their emotions. I think that music is all about emotions; I like to think of myself as someone who, for one evening, helps other people to forget their problems and enjoy their time.
As far as the comparison with a live band goes, well it's obvious that when you listen to a group of people playing you are much more limited in your possibilities to express yourself. Maybe you are still a part of the show, but just as a crowd, while with an arranger you can become much more involved. I have seen many professional arranger players invite people to "express themselves" onstage. I don't know if this can be considered professional behaviour by all of you, but their philosophy seems to be that as long as the audience is happy, everything goes.
By the way, they seem to think also that if the audience is happy, so is the owner of the club.
.....okay, I know that I have just opened the famous can of worms.....


[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 01-23-2002).]