I think that some people think of arranger keyboards as "cheat sheets". But let's look at this a bit further...

I could sell myself as a piano player, and maybe opt for a more economical keyboard that has nothing more than a damn good piano sound. This is fine if I want to play tunes that don't vary from the likes of "San Francisco" or "One For My Baby", where the sole instrument is a compliment to the song itself (as well as laying down the background "track" for the singer).

But here in the real world, where the quality of the performance bears not only of the talent of the individual but also on how the whole thing sounds, we have to avail ourselves of any good tool that comes along.

These days, it is not unusual to find guitarists using midi back tracks for their accompaniment. A drum rhythm, bass pattern, piano and perhaps some strings add to the effect of a good song that would otherwise sound "flat" if played on the guitar alone. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great musicians out there who can play well on just the one instrument alone, and make it VERY effective.

But these so-called "cheat sheet" styles of having some digital ensemble playing along in the background are not in any way taking away the quality of performance - they are in fact enhancing it. If cheating has anything to do with it, then it is with the performer who plays the midifile thru the keyboard while muting his keys to make it LOOK LIKE he's playing - hey, there's not much talent in that, is there? If you're so inclined, perhaps I might suggest you consider a career in used cars rather than performing music.

I use arranger tracks in my work. Sometimes they are nothing more than rhythms or styles that I play a melody along to while fingering the chords with my left hand. On other elaborate pieces, I'll use a midi track(s) of other instruments. More often than not, I've done the work and written the other accompaniment tracks myself. I have, however, been guilty of taking a somewhat simple midi song and making it that much better by adding my own stuff and tweaking it to the point of something acceptable by me.

So.... to say that this is a cheap way to go is, in my humble opinion, a wrong assumption. All we are doing is adding to or enhancing the performance.... making it sound better, mate. After all, isn't that what it's all about??

Dave