madmax:I've been playing classical piano for a few years now. Anybody else play?
As a player of classical piano, what is your take on the keyboard?
I know you werent asking me...but I am going to share my opinion on keyboards anyway...probably not in the same sense that madmax would, its just how I like/dislike them in music
As long as they arent overused its fine with me...sometimes they really ruin the rest of whats going on, and definatly make music seem softer than if they werent there, I do think that they got overused in TSOK, I dont even care for them too much in Spellbound...some songs they add to though-like Magic Power...intro to Fight the Good Fight, and Lay It On the Line, guess it depends on the sort of music it is...John Lord with Deep Purple made that stuff sound great! same with when they're used in bands like Boston or REO...
Another style I like to hear them in-probably not something many people here listen to...but I like how it used with power metal-particularily Gamma Ray, the keyboards and guitars sound great together, I dont think many here have given them a listen...but No World Order! by Gamma Ray is a great ablum-uptempo heavy metal is pretty much what it is, not even a whole lot of double bass drumming, some big guitar riffs mixed with a bit of keyboards, and Kai Hansen's vocals-its some pretty good stuff, he has pretty good range...beginning of Heaven orHell and then just getting to the chorus of the song is a big difference...their cover of Long Live Rock n' Roll on the bonus tracks for Powerplant is a good cover, all right I'm done rambling...if used correctly they add quite a bit to the music...too much just annoys me though, I could live with none at all for some bands-I think the riff for Spellbound would sound better if there was no keyboard part to it, I'm sure the people on the softer side of rock have a little bit of a different take on it
Oh...not completely sure, but I think there's some cool piano(could be kbs but I'm not sure) on the album Moving Waves by Focus
I once made a stab at playing, really just because so many bands I'm into have bassists who double on keys (Rush, Triumph, Zepplin, Zebra) it seemed like it would be useful. But, I really didn't want to allocate the time, nor the money for equipment, when it could be invested into my main instrument, instead.
I tend to like keys in moderation... more as ambiance and embellishment than as a main course. Signals was always one of my least favorite Rush discs, and some of that's because the lead role is often given to the synthisizer on that one.
One form of keyboard I've always enjoyed is the B3 organ. For example, I love Tony Kaye's playing on The Yes Album. Rick Wakeman is really impressive as a keyboardist/synthesist, but in some ways he was overkill on top of Howe and Squire, IMO. I understand there is a software package now called the B4 that allows you to totally emulate the B3 sound-- that would be fun to play with!
I opted instead to get some synth and rythm guitar type sounds of my bass by getting an eight string bass and using a multi-effects processor. I usually play in a one guitar/bass/drums configuration, and that has been useful for filling in some almost synth like sounds now & then in places where I needed something other than a conventional bass sound.
I always thought it would be cool to have a midi footboard... like the old Taurus pedals that are basically a one octave keyboard, to play some synth & strings type backings while I'm playing bass, ala Geddy. But of course with those you still have to have a synthesizer to plug them into (not to mention a seperate amp) and there were just always other things I wanted to spend my money on instead.
I often like unadorned piano by itself... or accompanied by a vocalist. That can be really great to listen to, if the talent is there... I tend to prefer piano that way rather than in a rock band context. It's also of course a great instrument for songwriting and arranging.