I'm wondering if the jazz and songbook standards players out there would like to bat
around some topics particular to our needs-
possibly need for a separate forum? or at least we can talk here about our special needs. Of all the Jazz keyboard guys I know in Miami FL (and NW Connecticut in summer), I am aware of none who use an arranger kbd for solo/duo work, as I do. Seems all they want for most part is a portable piano, and the more sophisticated of them will use the following: LH bass split, layer
of strings on piano, Rhodes sound, Jimmy Smith
organ sound. That's about it..if rhythms are wanted some might use an old drum machine.
Maybe it's because I'm a converted saxman and not a legit pianist---but I like to use the bass and
drum parts in an arranger piano rather than play
LH bass..and I employ the transposer frequently-
so PSR's that require going onscreen are out for
me (someone said the T2 doesn't behave that way--true?) I also use a limited amount of sounds..but many more than the average jazz
guy..to the above listed I add vibes, marimba, 2 or 3 guitar sounds, muted trumpet, brass section, flute, piccolo, cello, voices, and a small
sprinkling of others. I'm still a long way from more advanced users who create trax and loops, use full arrangements, import sounds and styles, etc.
I'd like to learn some of that, but basically I want
a board that's most ideal for me for live gigs: which means under 40 lbs, synth action or a
real light action if semiweighted, ease of switching keys, sounds, styles, variations on the fly rather than going into menus, really
good-sounding built-in sounds for the ones i use
most, really good chord recognition for bass,
drum variations that progess logically through the 4 usually offered, and lotsa cookin' rhythms that are not stiff in Swing, Bop, Fox, Funk, Bossa, Latin, Blues, Shuffle, etc..the ones jazz
players use..don't care about the other sounds
and stylesat all. I have been using a Korg is35
and a Technics kn2600 for past 2-3 years, and
recently got a Gem Genesys Pro, which i am trying to love but not succeeding( thought i would and was beguiled by the future recording
possibilities, which I would need to learn) and am wondering now if a T2 or SD1+ or a light 76-key controller with a midjay or other outboard box would be better or worse for me for my gigs. But
enough about me, what about you other jazz
guys who use arrangers..are you like me or tekkies who know do it all w/sounds/styles/trax and play many other kinds of music..and if you do do you use a separate board for your jazz gigs? Or..whatever else any other Jazzer wants to kick around..let's start the forum here?
Miami Mo

You need to talk to BrickBoo! He does jazz/standards on an I30 and plays a mean sax to boot.
DonM

Ok Don M..how do i find BrickBoo? my is35 is very similar to i30...i had an i30 for a hot minute but didn't like the touchscreen and it was heavier

Email me and I'll give you Boo's info. You don't list an email address.
DonM

Welcome...not too many members who try to make it playing jazz in the marketplace today. Sadly, I suspect that's not because of lack of interest and ability on the part of members here, but rather, jazz is a more difficult sell. My experience is, arrangers are not the choice of many "diehards"

I hava had a love-hate relationship with arrangers since I got my first one. What I do most of the time is use the drums and a Ketron 13 note pedal for drum breaks. On the top, i use a Yamaha tone generator and one of several midi boards. I usually use 6 presets:
Hammond bass, upright bass, DX-7, Clavinova, grand piano and B-3. I use a Motion sound top box with real horn for doppler/Leslie effect.
I get vibes and a few horns from the Ketron
(an old MS 60-Solton). As often as I can, I use a real drummer and bypass the drums on the arranger.I add guitar, horns, etc. when I can.

Occasionally, I slip and will use the full arranger functions for fusion-type tunes if the venue calls for it, but then only for selected tunes.

As a "diehard", I still keep a B-3, 147 RV, suitcase Rhodes and DX-7 at a country club I play about 30 times a year.I'd never move this monster around, but am a member of this club and have an open invitation to "play for pay" when I want to.

That's the way I do it, and don't claim that's the right approach for anyone else.

Will probably buy the SD-5 when it's available, but really don't plan to change my approach much, unless the market just completely dissapears, and that hasn't happened yet. There's a small market, mostly at upscale restaurants and horse farm related events (I'm in Kentucky), but theres a very small number of people playing what I'll call "coctail jazz". Luckily, the customer base is extremely loyal.

Frankly, I don't think there are enough jazz players here to warrant a forum, but we can always talk here.

Glad you've joined this forum...


Russ

Miami Mo ...... welcome... it's always great to have another jazz enthusiast around here ... ... Unfortunately I do not have the training, chops, or ear to play jazz, but I do love it ... and I will play 'jazz tunes ... the Real Book is a prime source of material for me ... standards, bossas, etc. ...
I play a technics kn6000 and if I have a disappointment it is that the kn6 doesn't have (for me) a really good jazz ballad style, and also has no jazz style where a variation goes to 'double time' ... other than that I love the board ... changing keys, sound, style on the fly in real time is a snap ... it's a damned shame they've stopped making kb's ...
t.

Miami Mo,

My music education & performance background is playing jazz standards. Please email me.

Scott

Hello

This is an interesting post as I was just thinking today about posting some topics on using an arranger keyboard for jazz which I have done since I started using them along with the necessary variety of genres. I'm thinking their must be a few other people out there doing this and it would be interesting to see how those that are doing it at any level of playing and frequency are playing their version of jazz on an arranger.

I use a Tyros 2 which as I understand it has about the best set up for jazz chord recognition of them all.

For me presently, I think unless a player is an Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson type of player a 61 note keyboard is enough for many people, myself anyway. I have my piano voice set up so it is available in two different octaves as a preset. I prefer to do this with any sounds I like to play in a different range rather than rather than mess around with the onboard octave changer because it is too easy to forget when it is on or off, at least to my way of thinking.

If a player prefers 76 or 88 notes, or in my case anyway, if I play more and more piano voices and feel like switching to a larger keyboard, I'm thinking a good way to go would be to have a 76 note controller midied to the Tyros 2. I also understand the PSR3000 replacement may have 76 keys.

Since I have only recently taken an interest in the possibility of having a larger keyboard I have not tested out many electronic 88 note instruments except for the DGX5XX. On that keyboard I found the extreme high and low notes sounding pretty bad and would not consider using them anyway.

I am also thinking that most players that prefer more than 61 notes would find 76 keys enough for playing and wouldn't really need or miss the few extras. It would also be a bit easier to move and take up less room. If there are any players that use 88 notes I'd be interested in hearing their slant on it as what I'm saying here are mostly my present thoughts for my present and possible future needs.

I might also state that my comments are geared especially to my playing background and interests and being a trumpet and sax player, so I tend to like to sound like anything from a big band, which is my favorite to the combo sound. So, in other words I am speaking more as a horn player, former Hammond organist than a pianist, so others with more of a piano background may have some other ideas, which I'd love to hear about because as I've said am changing to a little more piano sounds and am also testing out using midi bass pedals which I was used to using on organs anyway.

Well, I have to run now, but I think some topics that would be good to talk about would be what fingering mode do you use under what circumstances, what chord voicing the different players are using comparing what a standard pianist would use on an acoustic piano as compared to what can be read properly with the automatic bass, or if some players are using standard piano voicings and just letting the auto bass play some occasional "wrong" notes or if playing Yamaha's version of voicing for the arranger is what they find better so it plays better bass notes and if you use a split or not if so where and how.

Just a few ideas for now.

One other thought. Hey, ScottY, are you passing along illegal info or what? What do you have that the rest of us shouldn't hear

Scott
http://ScottLMusic.com

When I lived in CT I did a dueling piano gig with a guy who also did jazz gigs on a G1000 and he sounded great. So you can use it on those summer jobs in CT.

Just a short contribution here.
I think that different players have different ideas of what is 'jazz'.
A number of players believe that they are playing jazz when they play the standards in mostly swing time.For me, jazz is the stuff you hear from Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. I have tapes of both these great jazz players which I listen to often and still I can't play their range of interpretations But I'll keep trying!
I have to admit that without arranger kb's I would not be even attempting to play my kind of jazz.
One bonus I would like to come out of this thread is the possibility to hear the professionals on this Forum, their thoughts and also perhaps their own jazz.
Unfortunately, as has alread been said , the audiences for jazz are limited today. There are virtually no opportunities to earn a living by playing jazz unless you are another A.T. or O.P.
cheers

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Eddie from Rotherham
Skype:eddiefromrotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info