Do you use STYLES when you play your organ or keyboard? If you do, how do you choose a STYLE? No doubt hunt around for something that sounds right with the song you are wanting to play. And then what? Do you use it 'as is' (with all the backing parts playing)? Do you ever change any of the 'voices' selected for a Style 'part' (I am referring here to the voices allocated for the various parts of the STYLE, not the voices you are using to play the melody) .. and that includes the 'voice' for the Rhythm Kit?
You will no doubt have four 'variations' of that style and can ring the changes as you go along. Lucky you! On my AR organ I only have two variations, a MAIN A and a MAIN B. And sometimes some of the backing ''parts' don't suit the song I am playing. For example, in one of the pieces I played, using piano as my main voice, there was a piano in one of the backing 'parts' which was at the same octave as the piano I was using for the melody. The two blended together and made it sound as if I was playing a load of 'bum' notes as I played the tune! And then sometimes there are backing 'parts' that just grate on the ear as they go on and on, and on, and on .. in every bar.
So I like to try and 'adjust' the existing 'default' style from my organ, either by changing the 'voices' used, or the 'balance' between the various parts, and even turn some of those backing parts OFF! ie. MUTE them, or turn their volumes down to zero. Also, if I have something in my head that I would like to include as a backing part I will REPLACE a backing part with something of my own. Like an Arpeggio .. or a Repeating Piano.
Now I know that you keyboard players have MULTIPADS that enable you to do this. You should be so lucky! On an organ we don't have 'multipads' so have to do these things via the STYLE.
A STYLE is made up of it's component PARTS (AR organs), or CHANNELS (PSR, Tyros & Genos), or ACCOMPANIMENTS (Korg). On the Roland Atelier organs you can alter the volumes of the Rhythm and Automatic Accompaniment (Music Styles) separately so you can get a balance between those two, and the rest of the music you are playing. But you are not able to get at any of the 'parts' making up that accompaniment. Until you get to the Roland AT-900 which has been designed to enable you to do this.
On Yamaha organs & keyboards the names given to these are:
Rhythm 1; Rhythm 2; Bass; Chord 1; Chord 2; Pad; Phrase 1; Phrase 2.
On the Korg they are called:
Drum; Percussion; Bass; Accompaniment 1; Accompaniment 2; Accompaniment 3; Accompaniment 4; Accompaniment 5.
There are different sounds in each one, and together they make up the complete STYLE.
Now when wanting to play something, you could use the Style you have found 'as is', but it is quite fun (if you have the inclination and the time) to 'Customise' a STYLE and have it as you want to hear it in the backing. There are several basic things you can change.
1. Each 'part' in the STYLE can be brought 'IN' or 'OUT'. So you can select which bits of the STYLE you want to accompany your piece, and change this as you go along. Maybe have all the Parts 'IN' for a crescendo towards the end.
2. The volume for each can be changed to get a different 'balance' between the various PARTS (maybe you think the volume of one of the PARTS is too quiet, or too loud). For most keyboards this has to be done 'on screen', but on the Genos you can do it 'live' by physically moving the sliders.
3. The VOICES used in the STYLES can be changed to different ones.
4. You can customise the PAN so the drums or voices can be put more to the left or right, although the 'defaults' are fine. The PAN gives you an overall 'stereo' effect for the STYLE.
5. You can also create your own PART to REPLACE one of the existing parts; then SAVE it as a USER Style. So you could have eg. an 'arpeggio', a 'repeating piano', or any other 'pattern' of notes coming into the backing of what you are playing. This can be really exciting, but you have to know what it is you are trying to achieve in your backing.