Is it determined by the number and quality of on board styles?
Or by the number or type of sounds?
Or the features?
Or whether or not it has specific features?
Or whether or not it works the same like another brand?
Or whether or not it is user friendly?
Or does it depend on the objectivity/subjectivity, competency, openness, and skill level of the player?


With all the talk about these newer keyboards it seems like there are some purist that believe that there is no other way an arranger can be constructed and operated other than the way they were built 8-10 years ago.

Look at the mediastation for example, there are some that are still trying to understand the benefit of a mediastation. Because they are not able to understand, they then conclude erroneously that it is not really an arranger. Although it has everything that an arranger is known for (styles, left hand operation of styles, at least 8 tracks for styles, intros, endings, variations and fills) they still want to call it a workstation not an arranger.
Its just that they don’t think they could operate and use these newer keyboards.

Another example is the new Yamaha Motif XS. Now Yamaha does not call it an arranger but put it in the right hands, it could function as an arranger with chord recognition, variations to the beat and a spontaneous live feel.

The real fact is that all of us use an arranger differently. Some of us use it with a band, some use it as part of a duo or threeo and some of us use it as part of our solo act. We all have different skill and abilities and as such need and use different features on a keyboard.


Some of us need a keyboard that can make us sound like a CD recording with the minimal amount of playing ability. We just want to turn on the keyboard press the start button and with 1/2/3 fingers we can sound like a CD. No real keyboard skills needed. And for some of us that is an arranger.

There are others of us that want a keyboard that could help us augment our playing and electronic music abilities. What the factory gives to us is not as important as what they give us to make us sound like ourselves. We are not closed minded and think that there is just one way to skin a cat. We like to have our own individuality when playing. We are not lazy and are not afraid of doing some work to accomplish that. Because we know in the long run that the work will last us for a very long time.

We are not caught up with words and terminology but use what ever tools are available to give us the most flexibility to express ourselves musically.

I think that an arranger is a keyboard that gives one person the ability to at most sound like a ban with the flexibility of being spontaneous on the fly.

I think that that would cover any arranger from the
$100 Casios to the TOTL Mediastation.

Now whether it sounds “good”, live, easy to use, and the number and quality of sounds and styles is up to the subjectivity and skill level of the user and the manufacturers development workers.

But I don’t think that “good sounds and styles” and usability defines whether or not it is an arranger. If that were the case, you would not call the $100 Casios arrangers.

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MUSIC IS ONLY AS GOOD AS YOU MAKE IT