This has been a really good thread. I have to say that I'm very thankful that more people don't use arrangers. It helps keep the market wide open for me.

I identify with all you pianists out there. I played top venues such as Miami Beach, the Caribbean, ect. for many years and until the mid 90's was still lugging a multiple board rig around. And then I discovered the arranger. All I could say was wow. Here in one box were all the things I was trying to accomplish by using a drum programmer, board for bass, a piano, and a synth. And so I played Rolands for several years. With 76 keys, I still felt like a player and every night this board blew me away. When I made the switch to 61 keys a couple of years ago, there was definitely an adjustment to be made. I switched because of the weight factor. The Tyros I'm playing now only weighs 27 lbs and I'm getting too damned old to lift much more all day long. Since I am a trained pianist, I missed the extra keys. What I did to compensate was learn how to use the little octave button. I've gotten real good at hitting it when I need that extra octave. It has become a fun challenge for me to make this little 61 note board sound like a whole kick ass orchestra. And no, the styles don't do that on their own, but in the hands of a player, that's another story. Long live arrangers!

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Songman55
Joe Ayala