Originally Posted by Bass Thumper
Originally Posted by MarioD
I have stayed out of this conversation as I have little knowledge about chord sequencer keyboards but I hope someone can help me understand. I watched the video and it looked like it took a number of presses on the touch screen to get a chord sequence.
Mario, I may not be able to help you understand the finer points of arranger keyboards, indeed, the reason this thread exists is for me to learn more about them.
Both of those statements make me a bit concerned that there's possibly a misunderstanding going on here.

"Arranger keyboards" are not necessarily "chord sequencer keyboards". The subject line conflates the two things.

Generally what an arranger keyboard does is recognise a chord you play in the left hand end of the keyboard and play a backing pattern that fits with that chord. They very often do not include any kind of built-in chord sequencer. The button or touch-screen presses control variations on how the backup 'players' play, usually (invariably?) from simplest to most complex.

Some do include a chord sequencer, but one would have to look fairly closely at the documentation to be sure what and how that's done.

I think it's likely that most or all arranger keyboards can be controlled from a MIDI sequencer, e.g., like the BiaB "chords" track, though again one would have to look closely at the documentation to be sure.

Unless the arranger has a built-in chord sequencer, one would still need an external sequencer for it. Edit: That is, to get automated chord sequencing, rather than having to play them yourself.

Arranger keyboards take some practice to use ... the chords often have to be played at the right time, usually slightly ahead of the beat, to avoid messy or missed chord changes, and those other buttons or pedals usually have to be pressed as well, if only to switch to the end sequence. They have rigid timing, which also isn't always what one wants, though a bit of planning can often get around that.

None of that is intended to discourage, but it is intended to help assure that you understand the tool better.

As ever: caveat emptor.

Last edited by Gordon Scott; 10/21/25 05:54 AM.
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