Greg V

Joe, Thanks for asking. I was with Fuzzy Side Up for 11 years, then left for a while. Now I'm sharing the guitar chair with another guy, filling in when he can't make it. I'm playing Jimbos Road House off 290 Friday next week. I'm also doing a set of Journey as a promo for the school I work for. I'm doing a set opening for the Hightailers renion at Last Concert in October. I used to play with E Kolflat and the late Scott Daniels.

You're referring of course to the tendency to play too many notes. I agree. Guitar players often generate too great a "volume" of notes, when a smaller "volume" of notes in the same place might be more musically appropriate. I haven't heard it put in those terms, but I take your point. (You guys use some archaic terms in this group.)

In fact, I'll go first. Keyboard players can be psychologically inflexible when it comes to music, vis a vis guitar players. But guitar players are a lot more likely to lose their car keys or need a jump. The stereotype of rock guitar players as functionally musically illiterate, especially reading rhythms, is well-deserved. Rockers rely on memory and living in the moment. But one problem with that strategy is how often it breaks down with age. Old rockers not only have a hard time learning new tricks, they can't completely remember their old ones.

Thanks everyone. So, you're mostly self-taught as far as rock goes. Is that because there aren't that many books on rock piano in general? I've got a couple of Mark Harrison's books from Hal Leonard, and a couple of other from that series. I've picked out a few things from them, but they're not for beginners. Not that I'm a complete beginner, I teach beginning piano and rock piano. I'm just assessing them as books. There are not nearly as many titles on rock piano as rock guitar. Take single-line lead solos for example. There are lots of books, lots of theoretical approaches to leads based on scales, arpeggios etc. for guitar. I've looked through Amazon. I don't see that same content in keyboard books. Lots off piano players just aren't into lead solos. That's what I love about Auger - the long, complex lines. I've developed my rock keyboard style, such as it is, based largely on voicings from guitar. Four and five notes for a chord is about the right amount of 'sonic real estate' for rhythm chords in many band situations. I'm thinking of a kind of classic rock, ballad musical context. And I wish BbAltered would expound on guitarists and keyboardists existing in the same room. As a teacher, I'm trying to understand the differences in how guitar players and keyboard players think about music. (I'll leave drummers to the psychiatric community.) I'll give you one example to chew on: Many keyboard players were forced to lean to play. They didn't have a choice about playing, or what to play. Hardly anyone was ever forced to learn rock guitar. I think that has a big effect on everything about how you see music, including how much and whether you're allowed to beak "the rules." So what's your least favorite thing about guitar players??

Yes, "Guitar." I hope that doesn't offend anyone here. Hello, I'm Greg in Houston. I'm a guitar player, but I double on keys. I'm almost completely self taught on keys. I've been kicking around on Twitter and Facebook, but I'm not finding many serious-minded people either place. I haven't checked out forums since the early 2000s and alt.guitar, etc. (I wonder what ever happened to them?) I've been reading a thread from last year about what everyone is listening to, and what keyboard music influenced them. I'm almost surprised to find a group of people who relate to the same music as me, especially music from the sixties seventies and eighties. Since I missed that thread (I'm still reading it), I'll introduce myself by saying as an eight year old kid, I was knocked out by ELP and RW from Yes. I also liked Brian Augers Oblivion Express, early Santana + Moonflower, Traffic, Blind Faith, Allmans, Hopkins. A few years later I discovered Asleep At The Wheel and western swing. I always loved how they incorporated big band piano styles from songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company D. It might surprise y'all to learn that some of us guitar players are a little puzzled by piano players and your approach to music, especially rock music. How did you learn rock piano, as opposed to what you learned in school? How many of you guys can pick out all of your parts by ear like us guitar players? I'm interested in any insight you care to share. -- Best, GV