Not a lot of arranger players in my area...only three that are at an advanced level and are out gigging, primarily with a Tyros or high end PSR. I've been lucky, having the best of both worlds, I suppose, as I play arranger professionally and also play keyboards in a group setting...right now I am on a self imposed sabbatical until March of next year. In the meantime I still jam with some buds, and, of course, play every day on my Tyros4 doing up instrumentals in a style that sort of makes them my own. I like to keep my chops up in both areas.

Bottom line, at least for me, is that arrangers are just "tools of the trade"...I feel they are the same as any other electronic instrument or keyboard, and, for the most part, it really depends on the skill and creativity of the player to make the most of it. Joost and Rico are just two examples of exploiting the instruments fully, but each in his own way.

To me my arranger is both a "live" performance, and a recording instrument (the Tyros4/S950 are basically self contained studios, as are the Korg PA arrangers)...I use styles (personalized by me) when I play/record, and I don't use them to color my songs, rather 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.

When I play in a band situation, I can often use ideas for comping that I picked up while listening to how the parts in the styles were played.

When Cassp started up the E-Jam on SZ a few years ago, we all got a fair idea of how many of the other members used their arrangers...I was very impressed with the fine work that was posted, both by vocalist/arranger users, and those who played strictly instrumentals. It was amazing to see/hear how those with limited keyboard skills managed to make up for it with clever arrangements or brilliant vocals, and not once did I feel there was any lack of talent or anything less than excellence and professionalism in their presentation.

The level of a "performance" is a sum of many parts, not just flashy keyboard licks or great vocal chops. It's a "package", and it's those who can create an attractive assemblage using their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses (or using them to their advantage) that maintain a high level.

Ian