WHO should post music? Anyone who WANTS to. The key word here being WANT. You should never, ever, do it because you feel coerced into it. One thing, though. If you do choose to post, make sure you are prepared for any type of feedback, positive or negative.

WHY post music on an arranger board? I'm not really sure. Most of the music posted uses arranger styles (available to anyone with the same keyboard) and/or SMF's. That may be your singing, that may be your solo on top, but that is NOT your music. I think using an arranger to flesh out and showcase an original composition is also a legitimate reason for posting, but a songwriters board might be more appropriate.

When should you post? Again, I'm not sure. Perhaps with the advent of a new arranger where factory demos are not yet available. Or perhaps to demonstrate some unique feature of your keyboard as yet undiscovered by others. Or maybe as a promo if you're trying to sell the darn thing.

Where should you post? Again, this goes to motive. If you're genuinely looking for unbiased feedback or trying to promote your music, I think a site such as SongRamp is more appropriate. No friends to falsely bolster your ego or enemies to tear you down, regardless of the quality of your work.

Then there is the "put up or shut up" brigade. Nigel has accurately (and colorfully) identified them as the "dick wavers". Their challenge usually comes at the end of a heated "mine is better than yours" or "yours is crap, even though I don't know crap about it" debate. They can be further identified as people who THINK that they're a lot better than they really are. This is not a shot at lounge performers (it's a tough job and doing it WELL as a OMB is even tougher) as that is what I have mostly been over the years, but the reality is that the classic lounge performer (OMB/MC/DJ/"Entertainer" types) is a dime a dozen and few if any real music lovers go out to hear them. The people that DO go to the clubs where these people play go mostly for the atmosphere (party time), to 'pick up chicks' (apologies, Rikki), or (if they're 'regulars') the 'performer' might acknowledge them by name, making them an instant 'mini-celebrity' (for the next five minutes). Asking someone to 'post something' implies that the MUSIC is important, when clearly it is not. These taunts, throw-downs, challenges, whatever, usually come from a need to bolster one's own self-esteem as they are sure that the posted performance will not equal their own. The truth is, these people are rarely, if ever, as good as they THINK they are.

If you really want to hear how good a keyboard CAN sound, listen to the factory demo; with few exceptions (Mediastation being one), it will always be lightyears better than anything most of our members can produce and will say much more about an instruments capabilities. Fran had the right idea when asked to demo the E60, although, in the interest of complete disclosure, should have mentioned that it was a factory demo playing.

And what does it really prove, posting a tune done on an arranger? That you can sing? That you can layer a melody (or a half-assed solo) over a 'canned' arrangement? It proves very little about the capabilities and especially the quality of the instrument which is STILL going to remain subjective long after we're all dead and gone.

I really hate this thing of anytime someone dares suggest that YOUR instrument of choice may not be the best choice for someone else, the immediate response is, "put up or shut up", as though that's going to definitively answer ANYTHING.

For the record, I won't post any music on this board because it is an ARRANGER board and I only play live organ/piano trio jazz. I am not, nor have ever been, a OMB (although I have played solo piano and organ gigs). For one thing, I can't sing (I enjoy my singing, but apparently no one else does). For another, I most enjoy playing with other musicians (and singers). This is not to say that I don't love my arranger(s) or that I'm not intrigued by arranger technology. It's just that I use them exclusively for songwriting, rough arrangements, and stimulating the creative process. That is why the most important thing to me in an arranger keyboard is the styles. I happen to like Korg's styles better than most of the others. Just a personal preference that relates to the type of music I play and compose. Nothing more.

Of course, all of the above is merely my opinion (assuming I'm still allowed to have one) and any similarity to the truth is purely coincidental. BTW, I am fully expecting a response that begins "Out of respect for Nigel........."

chas