Donny, when you play over "tracks" (SMF or MP3), and you stop playing, the tracks continue on regardless if you walk away, dance, hop up and down, have a drink of soda...the chord changes all happen, the fills happen, the whole thing really doesn't need you at all.

With a style, if you stop playing....the song basically does too, unless it was written over one chord.

A style is 4/8/16 bars of a band/orchestra playing single chord...a SMF includes all the chord changes.

The style involves the player more, in my opinion.

I've seen people "play" over SMF...the instrument would not miss them if they stopped playing...it would keep going, making the chord changes without them having to do anything.

I like to arrange the music and conduct, or lead the band...not have the band lead me, which it does with a SMF.

If I thought SMF were more interactive and/or involving than styles, I would have been using them long ago, but, I find them boring and non-involving.

There will be those who like using them, and, some who have to use them, and I wouldn't laugh at them if they did, but SMF have no place in my perfomances.


Ian