This could be accomplished with Multipads programmed drums, snare & cymbals crashes also during style play...

Everybody who plays a arranger keyboard off course .

Impuls

My point is that there are many others ways of playing without arranger styles which has become a sort of crutch to many.
Sometimes the old way of playing before arrangers is just as good and in many ways much better as shown in the video, & more realistic to live play without all the receptions styles give.

I'm going to disagree with my learned friend, Donny. Those onboard and third party arranger styles are fantastic features that provide OMB entertainers with the fullness of an entire band, which I guess is why arranger keyboards were created to begin with. The old way is just fine, but the bass, drums, and other layered voices do so much for a song, and yet they still allow you to be creative. That's why I'm working every day of the week and nearly all the piano and organ players I know that did not switch to an arranger are sitting in the audiences and not working. That's why we need drums, Donny.

All the best,

Gary

No one said we don't need drums?.....what I mean is there are other ways of using drum machines backings, left hand bass,bass pedals, chords, RH solos, etc, etc, That said there's is still the "repetitive nature" of styles as a whole vs what Alan is doing.
For me I do it all, ...always have before & after don't matter to me I create music in many ways and sing period. A one trick Pony is boring to watch.

No one gives a crap how I do it, ....all I know they love it.

carry on

Of course styles are repetitive, but then again, so is every song that was ever written. The styles just mimic those songs so perfectly. Styles have never been a crutch - at least for me. Instead, they're a wonderful asset and that's one of the many reasons I switched from being a guitar player/entertainer to being a keyboard player/entertainer.

I, like many of us, have played other instruments. But nothing has provided me with the fulfillment of an arranger keyboard and all it's wonderful features. I loved playing the guitar, I loved playing the mandolin, and I had a ball playing a half dozen harmonicas, but the keyboard is just one of those things that makes me want to sit down, play and sing, even when lots of things around me are going to Hell. I can select a style, hit a key and instantly, I'm transformed into a song.

Now, I've never had the skill level to use bass pedals, and at this stage, I'm not about to try to learn how. Same goes for LH bass - just not interested, AND, I really don't think that if I did master LH bass that it would do anything to enhance my performances. For ME, styles are still king.

All the best,

Gary

Almost all music (especially Pop and Country) has a high degree of repetition...but, that's also what makes it interesting...that's what makes the hook.

I've always maintained that I create songs by using styles; I don't just use them to color my tunes...they're a crucial part of what I do.

Like Gary, I've never considered styles any form of a crutch...to me, they're part of the art of playing an Arranger.

I also find using styles far more flexible and spontaneous than using an SMF, but that's my preference...to each his own.

I like playing the same tune to my own choice of different arrangements, and Styles let me do that with ease.

You notice that guys who play Jazz (like Alan) are more likely to use bass pedals, as Jazz has far more variations.

Obviously the best tool for that particular job.


Ian

Some styles can work for jazzy type tunes/arrangements...and do not sound very repetitive.

This a one take recording on my Tyros4, a tad hot, so there may be a little distortion. It's the song, Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

http://www.4shared.com/music/V3OOAFx4/OverRainbow.html

Some of you have heard this before.

The style, ModJazzBallad, taken from the CVP-509 and edited very slightly, consists only of drums (and brushes) and mega Acoustic Bass and Mega Jazz Guitar.

The solo voices were SA2 Sax, and SA Jazz Clean Guitar. Nothing fancy...just chords in the Left Hand and melody in Right. I just sat down, hit "Record" and played from memory.

Ian

Talk about repetitive. Same old topics, same old endless discussions, same old back-patting, same old arguments, same old counter-arguments, same old self-congratulatory claptrap, same old desperate craving for approval. We should just rename it from Synthzone to Rehash-zone. Of course the 'wily old veterans' of the board know exactly which topics, subjects, or even phrases, will get a response, and it appears that most times that is all they are looking for and have no real interest in starting a serious MUSICAL conversation.

In all my years in music, I don't think I've ever heard a first-rate musician brag about his musical prowess or how much his audiences loved him/her. They have all, with few exceptions, been content to let others sing their praises. Pro's don't need to remind people every five minutes that they are pro's.

Arrangers, Styles, MP3's, SMF's.......they're ALL crutches. Using them doesn't necessarily mean that you 'can't play', but they ARE crutches. And we all know that there is a lot of mediocre talent out there USING these crutches to make a mediocre living playing to what are essentially captive audiences. The question is, will people dress up, go out, and pay good money to see you......or go next door to see the live band?

The dilemma here is, the Arranger keyboard was designed, built for, and marketed to, amateur HOME PLAYERS. This board, however, is essentially driven by a handful of people who are NOT home players (even if they should be). Therefore, the opinions expressed on this board by the very vocal 2% of the total membership of this forum are not necessarily the opinions of the majority (and probably should not be taken as such).

Anyhoo, been away for awhile and just thought I'd chime in.

Peace,

chas