These are some pretty old fashioned attitudes to backing tracks…

Yes 10-15 years ago, you’d be right. But since then there are a multitude of ways to play backing tracks that allow you to freely change the structure on the fly, and allow you as much (if not more) control over which tracks play. There are plenty of laptop and tablet programs that allow structure, pitch and tempo manipulation of multitrack audio backing in real-time, often more easily than an arranger’s track controls. And, as we see with the Event and PA5x arrangers, similar control without even needing a laptop/tablet.

The days of there being any appreciable difference between audio and arrangers have passed us by…

The thing for me is, I’d rather give up a little bit of control over the backing and gain FULL control over both hands without tasking one to rote repetition of the chords (and a bunch of button pushing) when it could be doing so much more. If the goal is to convince an audience that we actually ARE playing, shouldn’t they see both hands playing fully?

The sight of an arranger player with their arms folded while the fully orchestrated intro plays (after they hit one note to define the key) and then their left hand plays maybe one chord (or one note!) every bar or so and presses the occasional button is quite possibly the reason they get little respect, if you ask me. Every other keyboard player an audience goes to see has both hands fully occupied (if they’re any good) and there’s a visual connection between what their hands are doing and the music the audience hears.

Let’s be honest here… if any of us had the opportunity to play with a live rhythm section, would we be happy playing as little as we do running an arranger the old school way? Would we expect it to impress our fellow musicians? Or the audience?

The technology now exists for us to play with tracks OR arranger styles and still fully use both hands to create an individual expression every time. Tracks can have markers and mix presets, styles can have chord sequences preprepared (but overrideable) and foot controls can operate most commonly used buttons like Variation and fill selection, breaks, stops etc..

Embrace the new technology rather than get mired in out of date restrictions, and it’s possible to finally achieve the goal that arrangers promised decades ago…

A backing band that follows what you want them to do, but with zero compromise in what YOU want to play, and how you want to play it!

I for one am SO tired of listening to live arranger demos and thinking ‘That’s nice, but it would have been so much better if they could have used both hands to play properly…’ whether it’s full two handed piano playing, solos fully utilizing the bender or two handed syncopation etc.. You know, all the tools that a conventional keyboard player takes for granted, but the arranger player is denied because of all that damn LH chord input and button pushing!

Whether it’s tracks or styles, there aren’t any excuses any more. Your band awaits… 🎹😎