Jazz+ Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I know it's a silly question, but who is the fastest jazz pianist? To qualify, the jazz pianist must play fast with clarity and with a straight ahead melodic sense, not just technical patterns, no pre-written parts, no smears or "free improveisation." He must be ad libbing inside the changes. I give it to Oscar Peterson for his fast swinging consistently melodic eighths. Runner up would be Art Tatum for speedy descending runs, which Oscar can also match. Art Tatum"Tea for Two"triplet sixteenths at 165 bpm = rate of 990 single notes per minute Oscar Peterson Eighths at 344 = rate of 688 single notes per minuteshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mJ8lHRVWY0 Gonzalo Rubalcaba "Giant Steps"Eighths at 350 bpm = rate of 700 single notes per minute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4HPqJyBMrU For comparison: Sviatoslav RichterSixteenths at 192 bpm = rate of 768 single notes per minute Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 800 of Harry's solo piano arrangements and tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/HarryLikas These arrangements are for teaching solo piano chording using Harry's 2+2 harmony method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 Submit some other jazz piano contenders and I will try to clock them. Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 800 of Harry's solo piano arrangements and tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/HarryLikas These arrangements are for teaching solo piano chording using Harry's 2+2 harmony method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjwilcox Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Clock this.... www.wjwcreative.com www.linkedin.com/in/wjwilcox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 It's gotta go to Oscar. A little ot, but look at this kid. OP has to be smiling at stuff like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ferris Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 That Richter playing of the Chopin Etude #4 Op. 10 that Marino posted would have to rank high on the list for me....maybe Mitsuko Uchida playing the "four finger" Debussy Etude #6 from Book I is right there as well. Sorry no utube examples, unless you can find one.I'm talking classical, so apples and oranges. https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709 2005 NY Steinway D Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ferris Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 +....you know those are 16ths on the Chopin #4 not triplets. I have him around quarter=192 https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709 2005 NY Steinway D Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 linwood, Oscar Peterson playing "Just Friends" clocks in at around 344 bpm playing eights (688 notes per minute) Good catch, Dave. I mistyped my findings up above, he's playing faster than the jazz guys.Sviatoslav RichterSixteenths at 192bpm = rate of 768 single notes per minute: Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 800 of Harry's solo piano arrangements and tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/HarryLikas These arrangements are for teaching solo piano chording using Harry's 2+2 harmony method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Crazy! So who's the fastest on KC? Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I am the slowest Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krakit Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Crazy! So who's the fastest on KC? This is all I have online: http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=3373&alid=-1 Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 It's gotta go to Oscar. A little ot, but look at this kid. OP has to be smiling at stuff like this. This was on MTV Europe?? That sums up the difference between Europe and the US right there. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Also a contender: ELDAR: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1p8oGdeZAMY&feature=related Although there aren't a million clips of him playing lightning fast on You tube. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 takes a few minutes to get going this is good also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdEMnJ6OXjQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Point the radar gun at this one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UbU_N102vIY Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Clock this.... I think he's playing a non-weighted board though. Kind of unfair to make a comparison if he is playing an non weighted board. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 That's amazing. I can't play Proud Mary at Tina's tempo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Pointless thread. Fast? Silly. Sorry J+. I'll take slow and soul-drenched over robotic speed any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I had a girlfriend in college once... Kind of a hairy, chubby, hippie chick... never shaved her pits... or her legs. I never thought of her as fast. Eager was probably a better description. Very eager. Eager Beaver. Ahahahahahahahaha. Yeah. That's it... Ummmmmm. Nevermind. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Pointless thread. Fast? Silly. Sorry J+. I'll take slow and soul-drenched over robotic speed any day. I doubt that Jazz+ meant for this to be taken too seriously. Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Although not a jazz pianist, Charles-Valentin Alkan, the man whose technique even Franz Liszt called the most perfect he had ever seen, composed some of the most demanding piano music ever written. His etude "Comme le Vent" (op. 39, no. 1) requires the player to play 32nd-note triplets at a tempo of 16th note = 160, which is the equivalent of playing eighth-note triplets at quarter-note = 640. That equals out to somewhere close to 2000 single notes per minute. No pianist since Alkan has been able to match the tempo marking. Then again, Alkan lived long before the days of Youtube (and even the wax cylinder, for that matter), so I guess there's no concrete way to verify that Alkan himself could play the etude. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Although not a jazz pianist, Charles-Valentin Alkan, the man whose technique even Franz Liszt called the most perfect he had ever seen, composed some of the most demanding piano music ever written. His etude "Comme le Vent" (op. 39, no. 1) requires the player to play 32nd-note triplets at a tempo of 16th note = 160, which is the equivalent of playing eighth-note triplets at quarter-note = 640. That equals out to somewhere close to 2000 single notes per minute. No pianist since Alkan has been able to match the tempo marking. Then again, Alkan lived long before the days of Youtube (and even the wax cylinder, for that matter), so I guess there's no concrete way to verify that Alkan himself could play the etude. Ok - this is just nuts: I'm going to bed. Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delirium Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d20/simonthedude/chickenrabbit.png ♫♫♫ motif XS6, RD700GX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Although not a jazz pianist, Charles-Valentin Alkan, the man whose technique even Franz Liszt called the most perfect he had ever seen, composed some of the most demanding piano music ever written. His etude "Comme le Vent" (op. 39, no. 1) requires the player to play 32nd-note triplets at a tempo of 16th note = 160, which is the equivalent of playing eighth-note triplets at quarter-note = 640. That equals out to somewhere close to 2000 single notes per minute. No pianist since Alkan has been able to match the tempo marking. Then again, Alkan lived long before the days of Youtube (and even the wax cylinder, for that matter), so I guess there's no concrete way to verify that Alkan himself could play the etude. Funny you should mention that. I just discovered Alkan 3 weeks ago when I was hanging out with Steve Weingart and he started raving about him. He played me some of those op. 39 etudes on his computer, and I was blown away. I set myself on a quest to find Alkan's stuff in print, and it turns out that it's only available from overseas publishers. You can get it online though, you just have to wait a couple weeks. Shit, it's way too hard to play anyway. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ferris Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Kad...I was going to throw Marc-Andre Hamelin out there as well. His Grammy winning recording of the Godowsky studies (Hyperion) on the Chopin Etudes could very well be one of the most incredible feats on the piano. I've worked on this first one that he plays here for about 5 yrs. now....I can't seem to ever get it past half-speed. Check this out: This guy is arguably king of the mountain as far has technique in the classical world today. Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938)...do check this guy out piano aficionados. https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709 2005 NY Steinway D Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keysplease Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/6242/636571f17a104e04b63cb01ar5.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moj Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 This is pretty fast. Only Cziffra and Katsaris play it faster!http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfP-ag6i5o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 He he, I love this forum. First, a lot of philosophic discussion (in the Gonzalo thread) about what's of value in playing fast etc. - then, a shameless "who's faster?" Well, I think the keyboard is quite conductive to fast playing. But of course it depends on what you're playing. I know I can play very fast if *I* am the one who chooses the notes. Brahms is not very fast usually, but his music is very hard to play nonetheless. Listz and Chopin are hard *and* fast. Playing a blues very fast is much easier than playing "Giant Steps" at the same speed (wow, really?!). Boulez Second Sonata is not consistently fast, but deciphering all those rhythms and dynamics is mind-boggling. (give me 10 years, and maybe I'll able to do it) And so on. I've searched for another example of lightning-fast piano playing, but frankly, I can't think of a better one than Richter's Chopin Etude which I had already posted. I find that really on the border of impossible, guys - *especially* since he keeps it very musical, with melody and form always in good evidence. I enjoyed the videos very much, especially the wonderful Hamelin playing Alkan. Funniest of all was the following comment from YouTube: alkan my ass,,,clayderman and yann can kick hes ass on the piano It's wonderful to be a keyboard player, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Let me add this one. http://youtube.com/watch?v=rk-7fbHBvOY Slightly OT because is not always fast, but as virtuosic playing goes, it has few peers. It's Glenn Gould's solo piano transcription of Ravel's orchestral masterpiece, "La Valse". I first saw it on TV more than 25 years ago, and I remember sitting there with my mouth open for the whole time. This piece has been criticized because Gould replaces all Viennese "schmaltz" with Bachian clinical precision, but what can I do - I just love it. I couldn't find a high-quality one-shot version, so it's in two parts. I strongly recommend to watch it to the end - the final bars (of part two) are quite incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Please, calculate this one, anybody... local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Maple Leaf Rag is at around 160 bpm playing sixteenths (4x160 notes per min) Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 800 of Harry's solo piano arrangements and tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/HarryLikas These arrangements are for teaching solo piano chording using Harry's 2+2 harmony method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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