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Billy Joel vs Elton John ... Who's a better player?


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I recently got into this discussion with my cousin, who also is a piano player. He believes that Elton John is the better piano player. I believe that Billy Joel is based on his ability to play a broader palette of music. Your thoughts?

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I recently got into this discussion with my cousin, who also is a piano player. He believes that Elton John is the better piano player. I believe that Billy Joel is based on his ability to play a broader palette of music. Your thoughts?

 

I prefer Elton. I like his song writing[ with Bernie Taupin]

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I think Billy Joel has better technique but I very much prefer Elton's style.
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Billy Joel. Not even close. Technically he is better. I like Elton John but don't think of him as a pianist.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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Billy Joel. Not even close. Technically he is better. I like Elton John but don't think of him as a pianist.

 

Have you ever heard Elton John in a solo context? I saw him about 10 years ago with just piano and percussionist Ray Cooper. Astounding! It was like hearing a completely different pianist. His playing was virtuosic, funky, emotional and all out ballsy. I was floored. After that I'd rate him way above Billy and I'm a huge Billy fan.

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Billy Joel. Not even close. Technically he is better. I like Elton John but don't think of him as a pianist.

 

Have you ever heard Elton John in a solo context? I saw him about 10 years ago with just piano and percussionist Ray Cooper. Astounding! It was like hearing a completely different pianist. His playing was virtuosic, funky, emotional and all out ballsy. I was floored. After that I'd rate him way above Billy and I'm a huge Billy fan.

 

virtuosic?

 

 

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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In terms of technical ability, I think it's safe to say that Billy is better than Elton. In the same way that it's safe to say that Bruce Hornsby is better than both of them and Keith Jarrett is better than all three. But I prefer Eltons playing to Billys, overall.
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there is no better
Who's better, Mozart or a 10 year old who's taken one piano lesson? Someone is a better player....
Who is a better composer: Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven?

There is no "better."

These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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Billy Joel. Not even close. Technically he is better. I like Elton John but don't think of him as a pianist.

 

Have you ever heard Elton John in a solo context? I saw him about 10 years ago with just piano and percussionist Ray Cooper. Astounding! It was like hearing a completely different pianist. His playing was virtuosic, funky, emotional and all out ballsy. I was floored. After that I'd rate him way above Billy and I'm a huge Billy fan.

 

virtuosic?

 

 

Yup. I always heard him live with the band. He was the band on this particular gig. He was churning out very tasty rnythm and blues as well as some jazz stuff. His recordings he comes across as a nice pop pianist but this gig it seemed like he threw caution to the wind and just played regardless of the audience. It was a real treat to have seen it.

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Right. I think that Jordan Rudess is the "best" keyboard player I've ever seen yet there's a lot of keyboard players I'd rather listen to.

You want me to start this song too slow or too fast?

 

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I vote Billy Joel using this criteria: if I could expose a piano student to just one of these two, I would choose Billy. Perhaps Elton John has some underutilized virtuosity such as Dockeys experienced, but Billy Joel's body of work provides a much broader range of techniques, riffs, and overall bag of tricks than Sir Elton's body of work.
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You better believe its not butter.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Have you ever heard Elton John in a solo context? I saw him about 10 years ago with just piano and percussionist Ray Cooper. Astounding! It was like hearing a completely different pianist. His playing was virtuosic, funky, emotional and all out ballsy....

 

Nice! I've never seen Elton John's solo piano performances. I'll see if I can find some footage of this event.

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Apples or bell peppers? There's no objective criteria for better... :crazy:

 

However, I believe that Elton has a more recognizable style, while Billy adapts his playing more to fit the song. If you didn't know, you'd probably never guess that Just The Way You Are and Scenes From An Italian Restaurant were played by the same pianist, let alone on the same album. :keys2:

><>

Steve

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I, too, do not believe there is a "better" when speaking of artists of any ilk. There's too much opinion involved and an artist may "speak" to someone in different ways and intensities.

I was a fan of both, but I looked at Elton as a singer/songwriter that played well enough to put his songs across, and Billy as a great piano player that also wrote some cool tunes.

Then I saw some footage (long after it was recorded) of an MTV Unplugged featuring Elton. I thought his piano playing was excellent. His chops and gospel-ly feel blew me away.

Professional musician = great source of poverty.

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Correct answers:

  • Linux. 1st runner-up is VAX/VMS.
  • Veronica, since she was a keyboardist.
  • Mary Ann for the long haul.
  • Surprisingly Keaton. I thought he was an oaf until he did Batman. I note that Clooney didn't even make the list.
  • Tap water. I hate beer, and I ^$*ing hate light beer.
  • Jennifer, although with the Mary Ann vote it shoulda been Bailey
  • 5.1 audio channels minimum, considering moving to 7.2
  • The 10 year old kid is the better player. Mozart, being dead, can't play a lick.

Oh, and Billy Joel, since the question wasn't "who is the better entertainer" but "who is the better piano player." I never met anyone who woodshedded for weeks to learn how to play Buh-Buh-Buh-Benny and the Jets.

 

-Tom Williams

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