How do I...

[3dc]

Hello guys!

I need your expert help. I see a lot of YouTube videos of people playing pop songs with arranger keyboards with ease. Me not so much. 

1. How do I match a suitable style to song? For example which style should I use for The Lonely Shepard on my E463?
2. Which resources ( books, apps, websites ) would you recommend me for learning popular songs with my E463?

There are tons of literature for piano but I need melody, style, tempo and chords. I know about Hal Leaonard E-Z Play songbooks. Anything else on the market you can recommend for arranger keyboards like my E463? 

I am really interested in anything that will make me learn faster handle my E463 with arrangement styles.

Thanks for help and suggestions.

[Graham UK]

Myself when I have a Lead Sheet I want a style to play with. I just go through a few styles I think may be suitable...A bit of Trial & Error.
When I find a near style to the lead sheet I change the tempo to suit then select right voices.

Adjust style volume and balance, in most cases mute some style parts not needed (remember less is more).
This is all part of leaning the keyboard you play and can be a fun learning curve.

[mikf]

The arranger makes playing a lot easier, but that doesn't mean it is a pushover, even to get to a rudimentary level. There is still a lot of learning to do, and it depends where you are starting from. Some of the people you hear on line may have been playing for 30 years or more and maybe even at pro level. Many of the people coming to the arranger for the first time already have some musical background even if they did not play keyboard, so they have a head start with things like the feel of the music. You need to learn most of all to listen properly. Listen to a version of the song you want to play and hear the tempo, genre and overall feel of the music. Then try humming the tune while you play the opening chords with different styles running and try to hear if they work. There is no magic abut picking styles. Learning to do things for yourself will be better in the long run than asking others for the answers. There is no magic about picking a style, its It is mostly trial and error. And nor is there right or wrong, its how it sounds to you that matters.   
Start with easy songs, three chord simple tunes. The fake books are good but you have to be selective about what you play because they contain lots of sophisticated songs as well as simple ones.
And consider lessons. Find a local music shop which offers them, or at the very least try on line lessons.
Mike

[Fred Smith]

The first thing I do is figure out the tempo, normally by using Tap Tempo when I'm listening to the song on Youtube.

Then I look for styles which have a default tempo near this. I've found this makes it easier to find a decent style.

I've also bought the SongStyles collection from here, and sometimes you find a gem where they've done all the work.

Bottom line, trial and error, mostly.

Cheers,
Fred