Ah, the arranger keyboard...loved by some, loathed by others, and totally misunderstood by more than a few, including a number of SZ'ers, if some of the comments on this thread are actually to be taken seriously.

The important thing to remember is that the distinction is not that one is professional and the other is not, regardless if it's an Arranger Keyboard or a Keyboard Workstation.

There was a time, not too long ago, when Tony was a tot, when good ole Arranger Keyboards were thought to be little more than home entertainment, much like the chord organs of bygone days.

This is no longer the case.

In my opinion, and in my experience, arrangers have evolved into a necessary tool for the professional performing musician.

There are those of us who have embraced the instrument and think it is simply a wonderful and marvelous invention, especially in a one-man band situation, where an arranger will give a more "live" feeling to the music by the unscripted use of intros, fills and variations within a style.

If you have an arranger that allows you to create your own styles, you can make accompaniments suited to the type of music you play, your playing proficiency, and with as much live feeling as you need.

As Fran said in a post on another thread (OMB or DJ?)...”arrangers are just "tools".

Personally, I feel, like any other electronic instrument or keyboard, it really depends on the skill and creativity of the player to make the most of it.

For my use, an arranger is both a "live" performance, and a recording instrument (the awesome Tyros4/S910 are basically self contained studios, as are the incredible Korg PA arrangers).

I use styles when I play/record, and I don't use them to color my songs, I create songs by using styles...they're a crucial part of what I do...I don't consider styles a crutch...they're part of the art.

Most importantly, an arranger keyboard lets me sit down and just spontaneously “play” a tune with a deluxe sounding band behind me...a band that can vary from just a drummer and bass player, to the whole orchestra, with brass, strings, choirs. This is where the arranger shines because the 'instruments' are set up to respond as though they are being played "live".

In fact, Yamaha's "Mega Voice" technology was created for that very purpose.

In music, especially nowadays, the more versatile you are, the more you work, and, a good professional arranger can keep you in the game, whether it be playing out "live" or recording music for advertisements, films, or maybe to back up a singer/songwriter.

Actually, in most cases, people who hire composers don't care how you come up with the music, as long as you do.

So, I am unabashedly an arranger aficionado...it's far better for my needs than a workstation, and, more importantly, for me, as a pro keyboardist, it has kept me employed.

Ian