Creating Gig Disks for my Tyros Keyboard

Gig disks are a collection of style files that have been renamed with specific song titles that fit that particular style. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of third party style files with the same name. They use different voices, different tempos, different fills, or different instruments. Some fit well with certain songs, while they would be awful for others. This led to the creation of Gig Disks, which allow a keyboard musician to select a style that is well suited for a particular song.
In the 1920s jazz musicians used the word "gig" to describe a job they got that paid them money to play music at a bar, or nightclub, or a recording studio, or a dance. So "gig" meant a paid job playing music.
In the "old days (15-20 years ago) we would store these styles on a computer disk, thus the name "gig disk". Today I store all my styles on a USB thumb drive, which plugs into my Tyros 5 keyboard. But we still use the term "gig disk".
If I'm a keyboard musician and I'm going to go out and play my keyboard for three or four hours at some dance or party, I need to be able to quickly locate a specific style for each song I'm going to play that evening. I would create a gig disk, filled with songs that I had carefully selected a style that fit that particular song. Now all I have to do is load in the style file, which is listed as a song title on my gig disk. Now I can search for songs....not style names.
If someone makes a song request, I can quickly scan through my songs, arranged alphabetically by song title, and load in the style needed to play the requested song.
So simply put, my gig disk is a USB thumb drive, containing thousands of styles that are listed alphabetically by the title of the song that fits that style. So on my thumb drive I search for song titles...not style names. I can put 500 songs into a single folder, but I can put thousands of folders on a single USB thumb drive. For example, on my 64GB thumb drive, I can store 3,200,000 style files, arranged in 6,400 folders, all listed alphabetically by song title.
Is every song in a gig disk the perfect style for a particular song ? Not necessairly. I can play a song with a dozen different styles, and I may like half of them and you like the other half. It's like asking me what is the most beautiful flower, or who is the prettiest girl or what is the best wine in the world. We each have our likes and dislikes and what I may like you may not. The same is true in choosing a style for a particular song. There is NO PERFECT style for a particular song. I could play "Silent Night " dozens of different ways with any one of dozens of different styles, and I may like all the styles, and you may only like a few of them, or maybe none of them ! We're all humans.

[@memorylane1980s]

Learned loads there..what a great teacher..ive been on that site before thx to you and didn't know what that gig thingy was!! Now at 73 I'm.STILL learning!! Just got my Tyros 5 this week so ive lots to do and learn..Thx a million really great vids. Thx Ian

[@angeloirto9636]

Good evening mr Reece i just want to tell you a million of thank for your helping tovwe can organizing our yamaha keyboards, you're special person☕☕🎵🎶👍👍👋👋👋

[@boatsandotherproblems5780]

Excellent, very relaxing tutorial, my favorite songs too!

[@erikacooreman9283]

Thanks Morrie, you are an angel.Greetings Erika

[@jesusardaiz8405]

Thanks a lot for share it. It’s a great idea. Best regards from Spain., Morrie.

[@janmenzinga]

Hello Morrie Reece, recently I discovered your videos on KZbin. Very nice, I used it for downloading the thousands of styles (your other video) for my Tyros 4. I even sent you an e-mail. Hopefully you're doing well. Best regards from The Netherlands.

[@waldemarbehrends2660]

Das ist eine tolle Idee 💡 die Style nach dem Titel zu benennen 🙏 ich denke das dieses auch für den Genos geht - Danke für die Info Gruß aus Ostfriesland, Waldemar Behrends

[@kaiwenwu1947]

Hello sir. Your instructions could tell a caveman how to to those things. Very awesome and I thank you. Do you have instructions to put these " gig discs". ( I can pronounce em lol) on the hard drive," and also. On that website most of the downloads are for psr this or that. Will they work on my tyros 5?? Thank you

[@TonyDiSarro]

Hi Marty. I live in Naples and i have a Tyros 5 .... and i can relate completely to your dilemma... maybe we could collaborate one day.. Thanks

[@MrBigMalT]

Hi I noticed the files in the gig disk section on the PSR tutorial website were all in zip format. Did you have to unzip them on your Mac, or can the keyboard read them as zip files? Thanks :)

[@morriereece5007]

You must unzip them…but they usually automatically unzip when you download them

[@MrBigMalT]

@@morriereece5007 excellent thanks…. And thanks for the super fast reply… I only watched your vid and asked the question about 10 minutes ago 😮

[@erikacooreman9283]

Hello Morrie ,Can I do that from a Yamaha 463 tou.Thanks Erika Its verry intrested. Sorry for my English.

[@morriereece5007]

Erika, A gig disk is really just a USB thumb drive with thousands of style files stored on it, so yes, my E463 can plug in a USB thumb drive with thousands of style files on it, and that becomes my "gig disk". I have a thumb drive with over 800 styles on it that I plug into my E463. There is a catch though.... only certain older style styles will play on a PSR E463 keyboard. So you are limited to which styles you can use. See my KZbin video about loading styles into an E463 for more details. Here it is..

[@stephenbonkowski9782]

Everything in your video is very informative. However what you do not address is the gig disks were put to gether on a Tyros 2 from what I seen. How does that effect using them on a Tyros 4, or Tyros 5 as the arranger keyboard are not exactly the same. How much modifications need to be done. Also balance settings between the rhythm and the melody being played. I have found both in certain songs have to be adjusted again. But again thanks for the informative video along with others you have done. Very Helpful.