I agree with some of what Chas and Diki said, but obviously not everything. In my case, I began traveling down my musical road as a rhythm guitar player and singer. I was content to sit in a smoke-filled bar on a stool with my acoustic guitar, Shure mic and a old tube amp singing to drunks that wanted to hear country and 50s rock music. Back then I always thought it was neat to get hit on by good-looking young gals because you were the "star" up there singing their favorite, country love songs.

When Roland came out with a programmable drum machine I was elated. Now I had a drummer, one that could keep perfect time, didn't show up late for the jobs and I didn't have to pay him a dime. The initial cost was about what I was making for two nights of playing, $150. For the next couple years I was king of the hill and booked more jobs than I should have.

It wasn't too many years after that when I was approached by a fellow musician that suggested we get together and form a Doo-Wap band, couple guitar players, drummer, sax player, etc... The band was a blast, we booked lots of jobs, the money was lousy, though. The band remained together for about 5 years, then one day it was all over, I was back in the bars with a guitar, singing to the drunks and sucking cigarette smoke into my lungs. The money was better, but other than switching to a 12-string guitar, I went full circle.

When the local music store got it's first shipment of arranger keyboards I happened to be there buying some new guitar strings. The store's owner, who is among my best friends, said "Take a look at this thing, will you." He was an ex nite-club entertainer who played piano with some the top musicians in this area. He made that arranger really sound great. Back then it was nothing more than an electronic drum machine with a half-dozen right hand voices, the best of which was a cheesy sounding piano. I decided to wait until the next generation came along before taking the plunge. And, I really didn't want to give up my guitars.

When Yamaha came out with the PSR-500 I had to have one. There was a guy performing at the Red Fox Restaurant in Bel Air, MD with one and after watching his performance I knew it was something that I wanted to explore in depth. Two weeks later I purchased the keyboard, and after a year of exploring all the possibilities it had to offer, I ventured out to the same, smoke-filled bars where I played guitar and sang and gradually made the transition to an arranger keyboard. Believe me I was scared to death, but the audiences loved it. From that point on I never looked back.

To me, an arranger keyboard is just another instrument. It's a wonderful instrument that allows you to perform any way you want. It can be used as a drum machine while you play guitar, a piano, or any other, single instrument. And, while most of the onboard styles are based upon specific songs, they are generic enough that they can be applied to a multitude of songs.

I'm not remotely close to the musicianship of many of the forum members, and I'll be the first to admit it. I only know three of the four chords Don Mason knows, and I'm not sure about them. My saving grace has always been my vocals, which some may say are outdated because I don't sing like the youngsters on American Idol, etc... I sincerely believe that Diki is right on the money when he stated "Turn OFF most of what the arranger can do, strip it down to just the drums, maybe the bass line, and play your little brains out over that, and I think the arranger holds itself up pretty well." In my case, though, I sing my little brains out.

Cheers,

Gary