Mike, I played a piano when I was very young and after a few months, I was OK with the weighted keys. I was not very good at it, but I still practiced and played every day.
When I began playing for a living, which was more than 30 years ago, I first tried using a piano to go with my vocals. I performed in piano bars, some nite clubs and upscale restaurants. They all had their own pianos, many of which were out of tune to some degree, and the very first thing I noticed was the audiences were really not paying attention to the entertainer or the music. They sat at their tables, drinking lots of booze, eating overpriced meals, but the music singing was not getting their attention. After months of trying to determine what I was doing wrong, I had the opportunity to hear a duo called Carlos and Santos performing at a local restaurant. Carlos played both guitar and a PSR500, while Santos played a guitar and sax. They sounded great, the dance floor was constantly packed, and they performed mainly 50s and 60s music. The PSR500 was the star of the show, though, mainly because of the great styles that fit those song so perfectly. Carlos usually played his own intros. Both players were good singers as well, which only added to their performances.
When they took a 5 minute break, I got up talked with both gentlemen and got some very good answers to my many questions about their on stage rigs and performances. They were a great help way back then, but Santos has long since passed away and I lost contact with Carlos when he moved to another state.
When I first tried playing the PSR500, that at the time cost exactly $500 at MARS, I found myself pounding on the keys and in no time at all, destroyed several of the upper keypads. It didn't take me very long to determine that you didn't need to hammer those keys like I was when playing the piano, yet I still got most of the same effects out of the instrument. It was then that I began exploring the many, many styles available from both Yamaha and several 3rd party suppliers - WOW! This was exactly the sounds that I was looking for, and for a change, the timing was perfect, I was able to transpose to the singing chords I was comfortable with, there were some great intros and endings, excellent fills and breaks, none of which were available on a piano. Within weeks, the phone was ringing off the hook, my bookings skyrocketed, and I quickly noticed that after a 4-hour performance, with just 5 minute breaks per hour, my hands no longer hurt. Several arranger keyboards later, almost all Yamaha, a couple Korgs and other brands, I was in 7th Heaven.
Now, for those members that are not full time, on-stage performer/entertainer/vocalist, fully weighted keys will not be a problem. You can stop playing when your fingers get stiff, stop singing when your throat becomes sore, etc... Those members that ARE full-time on-stage performer/entertainer/vocalist know exactly what I am talking about. We are and were on that stage 7 days a week, 365 days a year, every holiday, playing to audiences that wanted to be entertained my the music and spend time on the dance floor. They were not all great dancers, some were ballroom dancers, while others had just a few steps, but the music from an arranger keyboard got them out of the seats, onto the dance floor and more often than not, you could see them singing the songs along with you. That never happened when I was playing piano.
So, now you know why I prefer an arranger keyboard, with those light touch keys and fantastic features over a CVP or any other kind of weighted key instrument.
Sorry for the rant,
Gary
