Dave and I rarely disagree, but this may be one of those rare instances. I look at an arranger keyboard as a unique instrument, one that fills a lot of voids. Like any instrument, piano, sax, guitar, you must learn some basics, but there are distinct differences between those instruments, all of which require some technological training and expertise. The same holds true with an arranger keyboard. It's not a lazy person's instrument anymore than a guitar is. In fact, I found it much easier to play a guitar than it was to learn the intricacies of an arranger keyboard.

I'm no Captain Russ on the 12-string, but I managed to get by while performing in honky-tonk bars for a dozen years. Same holds true when I played an acoustic 6-string and sang with a band. I agree with Tony--the arranger keyboard will be around many, many years after we've all passed into the great unknown. They'll be played by a host of entertainers, production specialist, composers and others who see the arranger as an essential tool of the music trade.

Over the years I have spent an enormous amount of time teaching others how to navigate their way through the keyboard's complex operating system, while at the same time helping them improve their musical skills through the use of modern technology. I sincerely believe this is the wave of the future, and arrangers will, IMO, play a large role in the wold of music.

Cheers,

Gary