I spent a whole afternoon with Oscar Peterson on the Yamaha PSR-9000 Pro, which he purchased along with a CVP-109 at the time.

Oscar was simply fascinated with the arranger aspect of the 9000 Pro, and, it was nice to see a man of his talent be so open minded, and open to new things.

The musician, Sting, was and is also big on arrangers, as is Darryl Hall of Hall & Oates fame.

Nashville Row has a room full of arrangers (mainly PSR-S-Series)used to create demos quickly, and painlessly.

The arranger keyboard is just another tool, and, it is used, mostly by those open-minded enough to see the benefits, and who aren't worried about their peers looking down on them for it.

There are several like that on this forum, and there are also those who think arrangers aren't legit and they are just too good talent wise, to be seen or heard playing one.

What a shame...and what a pity they really don't see the intrinsic value of an arranger, like being able to re-arrange tunes on the fly, practise and perform on your own schedule, have total control of the mix, and also control over what instruments get featured, etc.

Personally, I really like using an arranger....I'm a pro piano/organ/synth player and I am not concerned about who thinks what I do is legit or not.

That is not my problem...it is their problem.

As has been said many times here on this forum,

"Enjoy what you play."

Ian

PS...Years ago there were those who balked against using an electric guitar, an electric piano/organ, or electronic drums, string machines, Mellotrons, Fairlights...thankfully, most of us here managed to embrace such great advances, rather than resist them.