Rereading Gary's post, made me look at it from this point of view...would I use one if it was already on my arranger?

Of course...it would simply just be another tool.

More importantly...

Would I sacrifice what my present arranger does already, to have to buy another brand or model to get that particular feature?

Nope.

So it is not a "necessity". If it was, none of the above would matter.

The original question and followup statement posed by Gary were...

"Who ABSOLUTELY, MUST HAVE A chord sequencer & WHY?"

"Just wonderin why some folks are referring to a chord sequencer as a necessity."

Answer to the above...nope, I don't absolutely have to have one. It's definitely not a necessity or even a deal breaker.

Is it useful? Of course. But, like any other performance aid/feature, some will make more use of it than others.

Another thing to consider, is what is the audience going to think seeing the player using basically one hand? Yes, you are using two hands, but only one is actually playing the keyboard. And, even if you aren't playing chords like Chick Corea, at least the fingers of both hands are pressing down keys.

Of course this may not apply if you are doing two handed piano solo or part, but a big function of the Chord Sequencer's purpose is to free up the left hand for use on wheels or benders.

Again, is it useful? Sure.

Is it a necessity? No, not for me.

Ian