I play arabic music mainly but I do some turkish/greek/persian sometimes. Its a totally different ball game for arabic music when using arranger, compared to western music.
The struggle with arrangers and keyboards for someone who plays the music I play is too tough, cause only recently did keyboard companies start making arrangers that have sort of what we need, yet still, it will take years before I can simply buy an arranger or a keyboard that is "arabic ready" vs. buying one that is "western ready" with sounds, styles, operating system, microtuning buttons.
A few are out there such as the Vega, X1, Yamaha PSR-A1000, and now KORG made the PA80. Only what comes with ready is not enough. Usually I have to work at least a month on making my own sounds, styles, samples before I can perform with a keyboard that I would buy.
Another problem is the synth market...there is yet a company to make a synthesizer that is tailored for arabic music...and I really don't understand why, cause there is a huge market for it...I mean we are talking about the whole middle east population plus other countries such as turkey and greece and other countries such as bulgaria, romania and others that would be interested in such synth. Musician's like me still have to buy a Korg T3 for example (which is what I own) and put numereous ours to make sounds on it that would fit playing solos (which is the major part of our music). I have spent as long as 4 hours editing a Bartitone sax sound to make it fit the music I play. Also spend 3-4 hours making a solo sound from an Oboe mixed with a Clarinet. For me or anyone who plays this kind of music to be competitive...being a good musician is not enough...we have to know how to make those sounds, and how to build our own styles (rythem section on an arranger), and how sample an ethnic instrument such as buzuki or kanoun onto the keyboard and many other things....other wise, we would be dead in the water.
Was that enough
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