Thanks. For me, Facebook was NOT designed as a replacement for a focused BBS. It's designed for short term social interaction, and yes, we do that here too. But what makes this place ideal is the organization, the archiving, and the sheer history of the place.

Want to look up Donny's views on the Tyros1? No problem..! Need a source for an OS floppy for a discontinued arranger? We probably got it. Want to check into how well received an early Solton was? Want to find out who dabbled with a Lionstrac?

I think that Facebook makes organizing a decades long group very difficult, plus throws in to many distractions and don’t get me started about the fake AI profiles and their confrontational postings on any subject you want to discuss! An enormous percentage of Facebook is simply 'bots. Often 'bots arguing with each other! Go to a poster's profile. If all it is is pictures and memes (invariably stolen from a real person's account) it's a dead giveaway. Likewise those profile information fields with NOTHING on them.

I don’t mind being disagreed with, but I'd rather it be a person!

Diki

It is sad, sometimes, to read the truth, but like it or not, I am afraid you nailed it.

Bernie

I think it's time to look for a nursing home...

Hell no! But fortunately, my life revolves around MUSIC, not arrangers. They're simply one of many, MANY tools to create music, and I like to use them ALL. It's sad that one of them is in decline, but at the same time others (particularly software instruments) are in the ascendant phase and great fun to play.

I survived the decline of the organ, I'll survive the decline of the arranger. Plenty of ways to skin a cat! 🤣🎹❤️

I am having a heck of a good time learning piano on my new Roland FP-30X. With 50 plus years on arrangers, I am not starting from scratch at any rate. It has many good sounds, but I am sticking to piano now.

Bernie

That's the spirit, Bernie! No one is too old to learn something new!

Probably my favorite thing to do using the arranger section of my BK9 is to simply put it into Pianist2 mode, put on the Dynamic Arranger, turn of all the Parts except bass and drums (and maybe rhythm guitar) and just play normal piano...

It does a frighteningly good job of following the chords and inversions without adjusting away from regular two handed piano technique (you had to be a lot different back in the old Pianist1 mode!), and then just bang away at a bunch of jazz standards.

If you can, put the variation and fill triggering onto a multi-pedal, and then there's no interruption to your playing. There are times it can really fool you into thinking you simply have a great little rhythm section actually LISTENING to you! 😱🤣🎹

I agree with that and sometimes I add accompaniment from my SD40 or Event X module by Midi in and controlling what I want to play. I can also add voices at will. The only reason I don't do that more is because I will never learn to play solo piano by treating it as a arr keyboard. However, even when I do use the modules, I learn a lot of lefthand Arps and inversions by playing full piano keyboard.

I find the traditional 'three notes for a new chord' system that most arrangers have for their 'pianist mode' doesn't really translate too well to actual piano playing. Far too many passing notes and runs etc to get a really clean chord recognition. I couldn't use it on my old G70, it just went wild too often.

But Roland's Pianist2 mode adds the wrinkle of needing FIVE notes down (actually being played, not held by the sustain) before it recognizes a new chord while you've got the sustain down, and that simple addition makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

It's a common piano technique to use the sustain quite a lot while you've arpeggiate, or run through some passing notes, and that mode really helps the chord recognition ignore those notes, and just hold until you lift the pedal, which you always do on a piano at the next chord.

I know quite a few arrangers have an effective 'chord hold' feature (Roland doesn't!) but it's one MORE pedal and is used completely differently to a piano's sustain pedal (and independently of it), so for me it breaks the illusion of playing normal piano and nothing else.

I wish ALL manufacturers would 'steal' this Roland feature (Roland certainly aren't using it any more, and other manufacturers 'stole' Roland's chord sequencer and dynamic arranger without a lawsuit, apparently!). For a REAL pianist, it's a game changer... ❤️🎹🙏

There's always the FP-E50 Diki. Although Roland hasn't released a true arranger since the E-A7, the FP-E50 and GO:KEYS 5 definitely use some of their historical arranger features and programming. FWIW.