I'm not a musician. I'm a technician who loves music, and I love arrangers! I can't really do anything musically with any other type of keyboard. Ok, maybe a chord organ or autoharp. IMO an arranger is the last fully "live" step on a spectrum of musical accompaniment. Next in line would be a Karaoke / MIDI player, and beyond that you're just playing back recorded music.

The automatic features of the arranger supplement my lack of skill and reflexes, allowing me to provide a complete-sounding and fully interactive live accompaniment in a fun and easy way. I think the average person can produce acceptable results once they understand how the machine works. Compared to piano, violin, etc., it doesn't require years of theory or an extraordinary technique, although arrangers can sound better in the hands who DO have technique.

I also believe much of the secret to making music accessible to beginners lies in simplifying the score. Hal Leonard big-note, key-of-C, basic chord types. [More advanced chords can be shown parenthetically and added as playing skill and familiarity increase.] Or even moving away from the grand staff to some type of "Guitar Hero" notation on an animated video display in a way not possible in Mozart's, or even Eugene Ormandy's time.

As a kid in the 1970s I remember seeing organs demonstrated in malls, department stores, etc. They were fascinating! But part of the hook was the DEMONSTRATION. Hearing the music and seeing one little old lady making it all happen. Today some arrangers are stocked in music stores. Unfortunately most of the salespeople don't have a clue about them. If they play keys at all, it's two handed piano so they only showcase their own skill, in a way that was possible on pretty much any keyboard made in the last 400 years.

Kids get "keyboards" for Christmas. Most have auto-accompaniment and some (like the CT-X3000) are fairly complete arrangers. Future arranger players in the making! But do parents sit down and explain the features to their children? Do they even understand it themselves?

Roland arrangers, especially the E-50, E-80 generation were a great product that died due to a lack of marketing. Couldn't find them in stores. No public access to, or communication with product development. Perhaps all arrangers are struggling in the U.S. for the same reasons. IMO, the traditional retail model is pretty much dead. Maybe the decision to let Tesla sell directly to the public will turn out to be its last coffin nail. For these technically complex products, I would like to see "demo centers" or even "demo days" at trade shows, in the lobby at concert venues, at music festivals on breaks between sets, state fair, etc. A factory rep needs to SHOW what the product can do, and how easy it is to get started. Let the customer get "hands-on," note how he wants to use the product, and take that info back to the development team. The purchase could be direct from the manufacturer with a 30-day in home trial and a 15% restock fee.

One more thought... In many ways musical instruments offer a great alternative to video games. Interactive, develop hand-eye-ear coordination, some degree of instant gratification, etc. We had Guitar Hero, now how about "Chord Hero!?" How can the manufacturers target that young-ish demographic and compete on equal footing? C'mon people! Let's make Arrangers great again!! ;-p