http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/33416806

ahhh, Swedish

What's going to happen to arrangers when the last Shadows fan dies?! There sure aren't too many new ones...

Shadows were from the sixties. 50 years ago... Lord, I'm getting old!

So are Beatles, Stones, Creedence ... list goes on.
Anyway, the alternative to getting old is sure not very encouraging, is it?

Rock on!



Cheers
GJ

DITTO!

There's nothing post-1966 in that video. Ye Gods, thats 45 years ago! Is anyone under the age of 60 buying arrangers?

Not many.....

Yes they are overhere in europe.....

Many schools overehere in europe use arrangers with their music lessons. This works extraordiaory well.. And so people buy arrangers for their kids and they play them... and they learn ro love them...

So when they start playing real instruments like piano's and synths something deep inside them still wishes for an arranger in it.

Just for the easy accesibillity...

Generally, the age of an arranger buyer in my area, is between 40-70.

I notice lately, there are lot more younger (relatively) buyers, around early 40's.

Ian

Well, I'm not 60 ......... at least not this month ....... and I've bought more than one arranger during the years.

Maybe average age of arrangerplayers are higher in USA than Europe?

Cheers
GJ

From how few local young bands even have ANY kind of keyboard player that I've seen in my area, I'd have to say the average age of ALL keyboard players is going up, here in the US!

Sometimes one of the guitarists will have a little 37 note arp player or something like that for a few songs, but I've definitely noticed a downward trend in keyboard playing. Good news for me, of course! I'll still be playing in bands until I croak at this rate, with no-one to replace me and push me aside!

Guess every cloud has a silver lining!

Its not a downward trend per say to the elders....its really that there are so many MORE CHOICES for younger people to make music versus what we had which was essentially take lessons and learn how to play an instrument of your choice.....today its What? take lessons?...thats too hard dad.......I'll run down the Guitar center and buy some DJ gear and pump out some club music to a level beyond any human ears can withstand or heck I'll go make a few bucks down at the local gin mill on wendneday nights with my karaoke machine yeah!! Additionally the kind of music younger people like is very difficult to do on an arranger KB...why? because they weren't made on an arranger KB and instead they want to use the right tools for the job...cant blame them for that....with ALL the different types of music out there today and when the whole world listened to basically the same thing is sadly
now-a-days just a memory. Find your musical Niche and enjoy it your whole life.

I sure wish we could encourage more young people here in US to use arrangers...what Fun tey are!
And they ae good for any genre of music..not just 'home on the range'!
The schools would be a great place to start.

Too late Lee the ball has been dropped about 35 years ago on that idea.....too late now ....what will be will be embrace it jump on-board the "Que Sera, Sera" Train and enjoy the view .....we're doomed!!!....watch the news sometime ...it's nuts out there....sad but true.

Sit down at your KB, put your headphones on and
"Make The World go Away"

I'm so disgusted now ....gonna go to Atlantic City Casinos and enjoy life tonight !

That's encouraging to hear, guys. I'm 67 and bought my first arranger (a Roland E38) 12 years ago, so I was in the throes of youth at that point.

(Edited to say that I was replying to Bachus, Ian and Gunnar Jonny.)

I'm 61, and I started using an arranger for playing gigs around 1983 or so...it was a Yamaha PS-55.

That would make it around 28 years ago, which would put me at 33, fairly young for an arranger buyer...I was very interested in them a few years before that, but they weren't quite adequate with which to do a gig...the PS-55 had PCM drums, which were very realistic, although there was no On-Bass (for slash chords) and the right hand sounds were still analog....I remember it a very nice organ sound (with a neat symphonic effect, something like a B-3's chorus-vibrato), and a really expressive French accordion...pianos were mushy, and the strings were...er...rather "stringy".. Most of the sounds weren't realistic versions of their name-sakes, but they were very pleasant to listen to.

The styles were basic and fairly usable...I think they numbered a staggering 16!

Man, compare that to a new Tyros4 or Korg PA3X..."You've come a long way, baby!"

Ian

I guess it just goes to show... Learn guitar and you can get laid, learn keyboards, and it's the '50 Year Old Virgin'...!

I know that's an exaggeration, but before we lay it ALL at the feet of karaoke machines and DJ gear, remember that there appears to be NO shortage of young guitarists, drummers and bassists.

Oh, hang on! Maybe THAT is why there are so few young arranger players?



(There wasn't an emoticon for bass player, so I used the next best thing!)

This is not a scientific study, but take a poll of WHO works more among:
1)keyboardists
2)guitarists
3)bassists &
4)drummers

Solo, bands, whatever - #1 will be employed more than the other 3 combined in today's market. Sad, but I believe it to be true.

Well, I don't know where you've been playing keyboards, my friend...

Ian

It was different when I was younger, Ian. Keyboard players were rock GODS! Ian Lord, Keith Emmerson, Rick Wakeman, Billy Joel, Jerry Lee Lewis, none of us had problems back then!

But can you point to a 'sexy' male keyboard player dominating the charts any more? Can you even name ONE keyboard player in a chart band of today's kid's age?

Kids take after what they see NOW, not how things used to be, or they'd ALL be playing piano like Liszt or Chopin (the rock gods of their day!), or Lord and Emmerson.

But add DJ to that list, and knock off venues where most of the clients are 50+, and you are going to get a VERY different result...

Actually, female keyboard players are doing pretty darn good...check them out.

In actuality, I don't see too many guitar players dominating the charts either...male or female.

Music, and the music business has changed...we should feel lucky that we enjoyed the ride we picked.

I really enjoy my job as a clinician demonstrator, as I get to help those in my age group (and a little younger, and a little older) to find an instrument that lets them express themselves musically, perhaps like they never could when they were younger, and to also cultivate a hobby that brings them much joy and positivity in the lives.

They don't want to be stars, or entertainers, but they do want to "imagine" they are playing "in the band", and doing those great old tunes they grew up with. They want to play for their friends...they want to be able to record a tune or two, and email them to a friend.

I've been doing this for a very long time, and there has never been a shortage of 40-60 year olds...never...and, judging by my emails and phone calls about the Tyros4, it hasn't lessened one bit...in fact, there's more interested than ever.

I know where you live is not a good representation of a place interested in arrangers...here in Atlantic Canada, we have a thriving interest...not just keyboardists, but guitarists who want to have the OMB experience, piano players wanting to get an extra gig or two as a soloist/singer/keyboardist...quite a number of men and women who want to explore and enjoy the arranger...I wish you could be at one of my clinics...I am sure you'd have a great time demoing an arranger to a group of people wanting to be amazed...you have the talent, experience, technical know-how, and personality...you'd do well working in the business.

Arrangers sell well here because we worked at making them visible, and clients knew they'd have help, support, and follow-ups on the instruments...you know yourself, the easiest and most lucrative thing to sell is "fun"....it's infectious...watch Martin Harris sell "fun" at the NAMM...he's not just a great player...people see his genuine joy for playing the incredible arranger keyboard....and they want some of it.

Arrangers certainly don't sell sitting on the shelves in the store; even more so than synths and pianos, they need to be showcased...people already see synths and pianos played on TV and music videos...but they don't see arranger keyboards...that's why we do clinics and demos...to show the fun and capabilities that would otherwise go unnoticed.

The Internet has broken helped arrangers break through, but hands on demos and followup clinics have really helped me, and the dealers I work with, be more successful, as well as put more and more arrangers out there in the hands of You Tubers and other sites like Face Book to send out even more great promotional material.

I really believe that arrangers have a bright future...I know I'll do my best to see that they do.

Ian

But those are pianists, not keyboard players...

I don't think I've seen ONE front person do anything but piano, or maybe a Wurli or Rhodes (rare) from the current generation. Sure, they are ALL playing them in the studio (or their producers are!) but you won't see a synth solo or organ ride or basically, anything but them dance around. I definitely DO thank God I grew up when being the band's keyboard player COULD get you laid

Scott yee ?

That modesty doesn't become you, Donny!

Mind you, Fran (where's he been lately?) is the one always posting pictures of him with 'the ladies'...!