Personally, I really enjoy playing and performing with styles, especially those that are song specific. If I wanted to play without styles I would have learned to play the piano better, or go back to just playing my 12-string Yamaha guitar and using the old Roland drum machine. Sure, some variations of the styles are a bit too busy, so I just don't use that variation. But, by and large, those styles are really great, especially for an OMB entertainer.

I was horrible with bass pedals, and yes, I tried using them many times, but I lacked the coordination to use them efficiently. Consequently, I hired a great bass player, who was with the band for 5 years until cancer got him. Same was true with the fiddle. I could play a mandolin pretty good, and still have one hanging on the basement wall as decoration, but I couldn't play the mandolin and guitar at the same time, so I stuck with the guitar and hired a mandolin player, who was also a great fiddle player as well. This guy, a WWII vet who was a US Naval aviator, played the best bluegrass fiddle I've ever heard. He was still playing at age 95 when Alzheimer's got him. Our band's lead guitar player is still around, playing the NH circuit with a beatup acoustic, Martin guitar and singing Marty Robbins songs. He and I are the only ones still alive out of the 5 guys that were in the band.

One of the main reasons I switched to playing an arranger keyboard was the styles. When I heard that first keyboard I was hooked. I suspect that I'm not alone in this. Then, when I heard all the voices/instruments available, I was really hooked. For the first time in my life I was able to play the vibes using piano keys, and I had a drummer and bass player to boot - WOW! And, their timing was perfect - no drifting around anymore - life was sweet.

Now, I'm sure that some folks enjoy using their arranger keyboards as a single instrument - I'm just not among them. I guess I'm greedy - I want to use all the features. I want to hear that entire band behind me, wailing away on the drums, bass, rhythm guitar, and hitting those fiddle licks while I'm singing Alabama's Mountain Music and playing some right hand runs.

That said, Alan is an incredibly talented individual and can play circles around anyone that I know, personally. However, in all the years I've been on stage, I can assure you that after 20 minutes of that kind of performance, MY AUDIENCES would be throwing rotted produce at you. Neat stuff for playing at home, but that's about as far as it goes, at least IMHO. For me, give me some styles and I'm a happy camper.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program, wink

Gary cool
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K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)