No, Jose, glad to hear your input. What I fail to see is, how does your audience accept you playing an arranger as 'genuine', where the truth is, you are probably only playing a melody or one handed piano part over the top of 90% of what they hear being NOT you, and yet you get fired for using an SMF where you play fully with both hands?

I can see them accepting a solo only performance as being the most genuine, but how do most of the audience even TELL the difference between you playing two handed on an arranger (at least, they see you playing with both hands) and playing two handed over the top of an SMF? Are they honestly so skilled as musicians that they really can tell the difference?

Because I know a boatload of guitarists and drummers and bass players that have NO IDEA what form of accompaniment I am using. They simply know I'm not playing it ALL. If musicians can't differentiate it, I honestly think you give too much credit to the audience. They simply know when they are hearing a 'just like the record' performance. If you played a 'Song Style', that is made to sound just like the record, they would probably have exactly the same reaction to it.

Yes, using SMF's has got a bad rap, mostly because of poor to REALLY bad keyboard players using them as karaoke, and playing little over the top. But, just as there are good and bad arranger users, there are good and bad SMF users. Most of what I use are bass/drums and maybe a guitar part (if needed ) and that's pretty much it... Do you honestly mean to say that I would have a hard time working your area doing that, but if I used an arranger to play 90% of what they hear, I would do well?

Glad I play where I do, in that case!