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Pieces you wish you could play perfectly?

Mickey Keys

By Mickey Keys
in The Keyboard Corner

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Mickey Keys

Mickey Keys

Posted
Posted

I've been playing for many years, self-taught which has unfortunately left me with a lot of bad habits I now don't have the patience to UNlearn. However, I've been in a few bands and am currently in a pretty darn good one; people obviously think I'm a lot better than I think I am.

 

So OK, I'm going to really blow my cover here...

 

Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy?

 

This admission is kinda embarassing because I see 12-year olds doing it nearly perfectly on YouTube-

 

Mine is Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag.

 

For some reason, I'm just not there yet, but damn it, I will be one day.

-Mike
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Dave Ferris

Dave Ferris

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Chopin Etudes Op. 10 and 25....close to or at original metronome markings.

Bach Well-Tempered Clavier Books I and II.

Debussy Etudes.

Ravel Toccata from Le Tombeau de Couperin.

Blues in F

Rhythm changes in Bb

Very Early-Bill Evans

Giant Steps/26-2/Moments Notice/Lazy Bird.

https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris

https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709

 

2005 NY Steinway D, Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515

 

 

 

 

 

 

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iLaw

iLaw

Posted
Posted
... Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy? ...

 

Nope. Too much great music, not enough time in two lifetimes.

 

And I predict that once you nail Root Beer Rag, you'll say to yourself "that wasn't actually as hard as I thought it was going to be. I bet with some practice I could play ....

 

and you'll be off on another quest and completely forget to die happy.

 

Larry.

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stepay

stepay

Posted
Posted
I've been playing for many years, self-taught which has unfortunately left me with a lot of bad habits I now don't have the patience to UNlearn. However, I've been in a few bands and am currently in a pretty darn good one; people obviously think I'm a lot better than I think I am.

 

So OK, I'm going to really blow my cover here...

 

Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy?

 

This admission is kinda embarassing because I see 12-year olds doing it nearly perfectly on YouTube-

 

Mine is Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag.

 

For some reason, I'm just not there yet, but damn it, I will be one day.

 

Mike V,

 

I'm sure you're a good player, but just a sticking point -- just because you're in a good band doesn't necessarily mean that you are any good. Often there aren't enough good keyboard players to go around to all the bands that actually want one. Like I said though, I'm sure you are a good player, so I'm not trying to insult you.

 

Anyway, Sven Golly took my joke about chopsticks, so I don't really have an answer. I just look at my level of ability and my willingness level to get better and then just determine what I want to play, and as soon as I get it to a level that is acceptable to me then I'm finished. I know that no matter how good I ever get that there will be people out there better than I am, so chasing after some sort of song wouldn't do it for me, because someone could always play it better more than likely. But, to each his own.

Steve (Stevie Ray)

"Do the chickens have large talons?"

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kanker.

kanker.

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Rachmaninoff G Minor Prelude.
The middle section of that is so beautiful, all the little voices moving between hands. One of my favorite pieces. There are recordings of Rachmaninov playing some of his pieces, including that one. The piano's a piece of crap, but his playing is amazing.
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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ProfD

ProfD

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Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy?

Nope. I agree, there are too many tunes out there. Need this lifetime to learn all of them. ;)

 

Just wish I could play like SK. He's around here somewhere. :D:cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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linwood

linwood

Posted
Posted
Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy?

Nope. I agree, there are too many tunes out there. Need this lifetime to learn all of them. ;)

 

Just wish I could play like SK. He's around here somewhere. :D:cool:

 

I'm with you.

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Joe P

Joe P

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Rachmaninoff G Minor Prelude.
The middle section of that is so beautiful, all the little voices moving between hands. One of my favorite pieces.

 

Kanker,

I assume you are referring to the part with the LH arpeggios. I agree, very beautiful and very, very sad.

 

I could deal with the march at the beginning, and the majestic E flat section that follows, but never up to speed. The arpeggio part is the only part I could play decently, probably because it's slower. :)

 

Regards,

Joe

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Mickey Keys

Mickey Keys

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I'm sure you're a good player, but just a sticking point -- just because you're in a good band doesn't necessarily mean that you are any good. Often there aren't enough good keyboard players to go around to all the bands that actually want one. Like I said though, I'm sure you are a good player, so I'm not trying to insult you.

 

Hey, no offense taken. It's exactly the attitude I take towards myself. And you're right. There seems to be a shortage of keys guys out here that don't have crappy attitudes. My bandmates told me flat-out,

 

"we like your playing although we did audition a guy who was technically better, but he was an arrogant so-and-so... we like your personality and work ethic way better than his. So you're our man."

 

Guess nice guys don't always finish last... :cool:

-Mike
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Andre Lower

Andre Lower

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... And you're right. There seems to be a shortage of keys guys out here that don't have crappy attitudes. My bandmates told me flat-out,

 

"we like your playing although we did audition a guy who was technically better, but he was an arrogant so-and-so... we like your personality and work ethic way better than his. So you're our man."

 

That's about the only reason I keep having bands asking me to join up. I am not embarrasing, but just about anybody is technically better than I am.

 

Steve, you hit the nail in the head :thu:

"I'm ready to sing to the world. If you back me up". (Lennon to his bandmates, in an inspired definition of what it's all about).
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stepay

stepay

Posted
Posted
... And you're right. There seems to be a shortage of keys guys out here that don't have crappy attitudes. My bandmates told me flat-out,

 

"we like your playing although we did audition a guy who was technically better, but he was an arrogant so-and-so... we like your personality and work ethic way better than his. So you're our man."

 

That's about the only reason I keep having bands asking me to join up. I am not embarrasing, but just about anybody is technically better than I am.

 

Steve, you hit the nail in the head :thu:

 

Yeah. I'm definitely not the best keyboard player in the world and yet I could join any number of bands tomorrow if I wanted to. I've had three different bands ask me to join unsolicited in the last few months.

 

I think there are a couple reasons for this:

 

1) People who play piano and keyboard have lots of avenues avaiable to them that a bass player for example wouldn't -- solo restaurant work, church music, power single, etc.

 

2) Not all piano players go the keyboard route and want to join bands. There are way more guitarists it seems to me, and a greater percentage of them want to be in a band than do the keyboard players.

 

Fine by me -- just means I can be in a band again any time I want.

Steve (Stevie Ray)

"Do the chickens have large talons?"

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Mr. Nightime

Mr. Nightime

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... And you're right. There seems to be a shortage of keys guys out here that don't have crappy attitudes. My bandmates told me flat-out,

 

"we like your playing although we did audition a guy who was technically better, but he was an arrogant so-and-so... we like your personality and work ethic way better than his. So you're our man."

 

That's about the only reason I keep having bands asking me to join up. I am not embarrasing, but just about anybody is technically better than I am.

 

Steve, you hit the nail in the head :thu:

 

I'm the same way about the people I play with. I refuse to play onstage with a pr**k. Been there, done that, never again. I'm a nice guy, and I insist that the people I work with are the same.

 

Getting back on topic, there are 2 songs I wish I could play perfectly - "Green Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf & "Smokin'" by Boston. I was on my way to work this morning, and "Smokin'" came on the radio. I had to crank it up. :rawk:

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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kanker.

kanker.

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I'm the same way about the people I play with. I refuse to play onstage with a pr**k. Been there, done that, never again. I'm a nice guy, and I insist that the people I work with are the same.

The way I look at it, I don't have to like you, I just have to make music with you. Screw the nice guys - send me an asshole who can play
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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Bobadohshe

Bobadohshe

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And you're right. There seems to be a shortage of keys guys out here that don't have crappy attitudes.

 

Which is why this forum is such a great place. Monsters abound, and some not so monstrous, but the humility and respect is here equally.

 

Back O.T., I forgot a very obvious one that no one has yet mentioned. There are two actually:

 

1) Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2

 

2) Liszt's La Campanella

 

but especially the first of these. It is my dream to be able to play that piece.

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

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12fingers

12fingers

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Classical music wise:

1)Beethoven's-Hammerklavier sonata or Waldstein sonata

2)Liszt -Mazepa

3)Chopin -Winter Wind Etude opus 25

 

Those three cover a ton of ground technically and musically and are beautiful pieces. The first one is a real beast but man that Adagio section is mesmerizing and that ending fugue you need four hands to play it.

 

To all you classical gods and goddesses : I salute you!

 

 

 

 

Current main gear: Korg Oasys88, K2661, Pc2x

Moog Voyager, Moog Lp, Prophet 08, Alesis Qs7.1

Korg Karma, Ob12

Others: numerous

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DafDuc

DafDuc

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Wachet Auf

Cucumber Slumber

Spain

I Will Bless the Lord (forget whose this is - uptempo gospel choir setting that's about 4 years old. There's an ascending 2 1/3 octave figure that's easy as he%% to figure out - but I just can't get my fingers to lay in place. The level of slop is unbelievable).

I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words:

"Tower of Polka." - Calumet

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Chris Link

Chris Link

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There are a couple of of standards that I should be able to pay better but have never been happy with how I sound:

 

Take Five

A Night in Tunisia

Bluesette

Giant Steps

 

 

aka âmisterdregsâ

 

Nord Electro 5D 73

Yamaha P105

Kurzweil PC3LE7

Motion Sound KP200S

Schimmel 6-10LE

QSC CP-12

Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs

Rolls PM55P

 

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