Nice mix of responses. I read all of them, and....gave thought to all of them.

There is no correct conclusion to ANYTHING discussed that is arranger related. We all see the product from different angles. And THAT is what makes for a healthy discussion.

So, again, you all have something well thought out to add to the brew in this ongoing saga of the arranger keyboard.

But I need to emphasize the qualifier in what I wrote. And that was....

"What will kill off arrangers for people like ME"

I've been playing arrangers since 1980 when they were still in the embryonic stage. I know some of you go back that far too. For those who don't...the styles in those days were simple but well-thought out. They didn't need any "touching up." If you heard a paso-doble style, you'd think you were in Spain at the bullfights, a cha-cha would make you want to get up on your living room floor and tear up the carpet, a Tango just plain breathed fire, a Polka would make you want to put a classified ad in the paper seeking a polka partner, and so on.

Your suggestions about taking a style and modifying it and tweaking it and eventually owning it is correct. MY problem is three-fold: time, time and time! Music branches out in so many directions now you don't know which road to take. I practice piano 1-2 hours every day and there are many a day I say to myself at the start...."what do I work on today?" Walking bass, Jerry Lee Lewis riffs, substitute jazz chords, boogie woogie, learning a new song, and you get my drift I'm sure.

The double whammy for someone like myself is I find in most modern day arrangers, the styles have strayed so much from authenticity that they drain my creativity. They don't inspire me like they used to back then. And you need inspiration to make great music.

It's really too hard to explain. But it IS something I have thought about for quite a while now. Arrangers will always be around but NOT the styles like they had in the old days.

Oh, and one more thing. Even if I DID have the time to tweak a style, I could never get it done as professionally as a good "old school" drummer would....not to mention the bassist, etc