I got a last minute call on Monday to cover a few dates for a guy that plays a piano job in Nj, and it's straight piano. Even the vocals were an option. (but not for me !)
I tell ya .... after so much time on these plastic beat boxes, it was a pleasure to pound on real wooden keys again. I just brought a smal powered monitor to set on top of the lid and played and sang my heart out. There is a definate "groove" that returns to my playing when the proper resistance is there. The loud notes are brighter, the soft ones seem to "whisper" ..... the fine touches and octave shifts are really pronounced without all the backing tracks.

My point for this post is not to discourage the use of arrangers, but rather to remind us all that the arrangers are here to ACCOMPANY the player. They need to be the accessory, and not the leader. It was so refreshing to be able to spank little "hits" and accents that punched up the vocal arrangement in real time. The energy level was up 200% over a typical show with a digital instrument.

I know in my case, when I use a drum machine of any kind, my rhythm slacks off a bit, because the drums carry the beat. With NO drums, I find myself playing more of a rhythm within the arranmgement. It was a total blast for two days. No buttons, no transposes, no lists, no click, click, click to start the tunes .... just a man and his music. It was a treat, and I recommend it to all of you to try once in a while to keep you "honest" about your abilities. It's amazing how you make up for whats missing when it's just not there ! I sing differently, and I play MUCH stronger when it's all up to me to make the groove happen.
Now tomorrow, it's back to the Korg .... I'll probably break it from pounding so hard after getting used to the baby grand. My pinkies are the most tired ! The extra pressure needed to make the dynamics really takes atoll on the little fingers ! And glissandos ....... fagettabouttit ! You'll tear up your hands if you're used to a synth action on cheap plastic keys. It's a different mindset, for sure - but I had a blast !