Hello!!
I thought I'd sign up to a keyboard forum as I'm increasingly getting more and more work as a keyboard/piano player despite me being a drummer of some 20 years!
I started playing drums at the age of 14 but ever since I was about 7 I'd always had a keyboard at hand and over the years have always contributed as a songwriter, to various bands that I've been with, by stabbing out chords (with no real knowledge of what I was doing - just finding things that I thought sounded cool).
I've been a pro and semi-pro drummer all the way through, but back in 2007 I got a bit tired with not having much of an influence over the music that I was playing due to my position in the band so I decided that I'd build up a home studio (I have also learnt a lot about engineering and production as a result of hanging around studios after my drum parts were done), write an 'album' of my own material and put it out there for the fun of it.
To do this I decided I'd need to master a front line instrument - I've always thought guitars were dumb and illogical, and always having had a keyboard around, the natural choice was Piano/Keys.
I got myself a midi controller and set about teaching myself to play 'properly'....scales, chord scales and then figuring out some of my favourite songs, youtube has been a great help, check out Pianojohn113, I learned a lot from his vids - I mainly figure things out by ear though.
Just under a year ago, a venue manager approached me after a gig (drumming) and asked if we could do an acoustic version of the set, I said 'yeah we can do a piano and acoustic guitar set' and he booked us for a mid-week gig.
I set about putting a two hour set together, singing and playing piano on 50% of the set and singing and shaking percussion for the remainder with the guitarist.
We got paid and the manager booked us up for a years worth of gigs - man it makes a big difference when you only have to split the money two ways!!!
I guess my playing level at the moment is kind of 'Phil Collins'....not fantastic but I can probably entertain you with a song......I'd like to be more 'Tony Banks', I'll keep working at it haha.
I've just been invited to play on a tribute gig to 'Dark side of the moon' with a line up of pretty serious local musicians.
Gear: -
-Technics P30 stage piano (borrowed, I'm waiting for a Kurz SP4/8)
-Emu Xboard 61
-Macbook Pro running SampleTank Piano collection2 and Vintage keys 2 (hosted in Reaper).
Influences: -
Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
Kate Bush
Rick Wright
Peter Robinson
Here's my youtube channel page - http://www.youtube.com/dazzathedrummer74
Looking forward to convos with you!