What song turned you into a keyboard player?

[StanC]

For me it wasn't necesarily a song. Although I began piano lessons as a 6 year old, I first started playing in bands in high school but as a drummer! It didn't take long to realize that drummers were a dime a dozen and (at least in my little corner of the world) keyboard players were rare. Soon after acquiring my first Farfisa, I had more offers than I knew what to do with.

 

 

[Dave Ferris]

The organ lick on "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees.

And have you learned that lick yet?

 

In every key but Db. Today's the the day however.

 

I'll post my efforts later on today in the Re-Harm Room.

[marino]

ELP's Pictures at an Exhibition, Duke Ellington (heard on the radio), plus a classmate in elementary school who was a child prodigy; he used to play Debussy's "Danse" and other early-20th century pieces at great speed, leaving everybody stunned. These were the three main 'moments' which greatly influenced my decision to play piano/keyboard for life.

[Moog_Man]

The doors light my fire inspired me to become a keyboardist. but I think watching this guy play Bach at a concert when I was 4 inspired the piano thing.

[kanker.]

The organ lick on "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees.

And have you learned that lick yet?

 

In every key but Db. Today's the the day however.

 

I'll post my efforts later on today in the Re-Harm Room.

I'm gonna hold you to that...

[JeffLearman]

When my older sister started taking piano lessons, they shipped my mom's piano (Acrosonic piece of ... well, it played) up to Michigan from her folks' house in W.Va. After that I had no choice: the piano was there, it must be played.

 

That's how I got started on guitar, too: folks got my sis a cheap but serviceable classical guitar and lessons. She showed me the root position chords, for which I'm still grateful. She also later had a boyfriend who became my mentor, just as I was so frustrated at my lack of progress that I wanted to quit.

 

I never really had any choice in the matter. If there's an instrument around, I can't help but play it. Thank goodness there wasn't a violin or I'd have driven everyone nuts.

[linwood]

Hip Hug Her

[Yamis]

In the beginning, I never wanted to play keyboards. I wanted to play guitar. I was forced into keys by my mother who made me take accordion lessons. I took lessons for at least 10 years, joined a band and switched to the Cordovox (an electronic accordion where the black buttons on the left could sound like a bass guitar and the keys could sound like an organ, etc). It actually didn't sound bad because I pumped the right hand through a Leslie 147 and the left hand through a bass amp with 2 15 inch speakers. I eventually switched to a Farfisa and then a Crumar portable organ. Still pumped through the Leslie. I think the Crumar T1. I also had an Elka Rhapsody. Then I switched to a DX7, Korg Poly 800 and others. Still I longed to play guitar. THEN, along came Jan Hammer and keyboards became my passion along with emulating guitarists. I was also influenced by Steve Windwood's work on the Finer Things.

[wmp]

I remember the day. It was just over fifty years ago that my grandfather got me to see the advantages of using fingers instead of fists and taught me my first tune. Thanks to the internet, I was able to look up that tune before mentioning it. The lyrics aren't what you'd call politically correct. In fact, they're downright offensive. The words too. So I don't think I'll name that tune.

 

I always thought that my grandfather gave me that piano lesson to get even with my dad for something. That was my favorite tune for years because it annoyed the crap out of my parents. But I did not understand until this day exactly why.

 

 

 

[NewImprov]

For me, it was Switched on Bach and the solo at the end of ELP's "Lucky Man".

[The Real MC]

In every key but Db.

 

Dave Bryce is a key?!?

[David R]

Billy Joel's 52nd Street album. No one song in particular, but I heard that album at such a young age that I point to that as the catalyst for everything else.

 

The album that made me want to study jazz was Brubeck's Time Out. From the beginning of "Blue Rondo a la Turk," I knew that was what I wanted to do. I'll never forget that moment.

[B3bluesman59]

Ray Charles What'd I Say 1959 Atlantic Records

 

Even went out and bought one of the first Wurlitzer Electronic Pianos, model 120 as I recall, $395, $5 down, 6 weeks shipping from the factory. Had the have the piano to get that sound 'cuz nothing else sounded the same. Played the Wurlie thru a Magnatone Amp, 2-15" with stereo vibrato which was a Magnatone exclusive. That amp was clean and loud until you turned on that stereo vibrato and then it really got funky. Nothing has ever sounded as good to me since.

[ewall08530]

Well I'm going to date myself here too.

 

Good Lovin by the Rascals. Man that B3 sound was "the shit"!!!

I had been playing guitar for a few years and just exploring the keyboard a bit. (had an old beat up player piano in my living room). Around that time I dove into the keys and gradually moved away from guitar.

 

ewall.biz

[b3keys]

Billy Joel in Concert 1980 - Right before the release of "Glass Houses." My first concert ever - and I've never been the same!

[Musicale]

Stairway To Heaven did it for me.

 

Regards,

 

Musicale

[playstation]

Elton. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

[ProfD]

The instrument inspired me to become a KB player. But,the first song I wanted to learn was "Mister Magic" by Grover Washington Jr.

[Bobadohshe]

Maple Leaf Rag.

[DanL]

There wasn't one particular song that got me going. One of my Dad's friends was a talented organ player (and multi instrumentalist) who gigged at this place called the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ. He'd come over and hang out and got my Dad to buy a Hammond L100. I'd sit and watch him play, and watch him teach my Dad, then they'd leave and I'd sit down and play back what I heard them doing. I was about 6 at the time. I didn't take it seriously, just sat down once in a while and experimented.

 

When I was about 9, I discovered Elton John, but I didn't want to be a keyboard player, I wanted to play bass. When I asked for a bass my parents said "if you want to play something, play the organ". So I did, and here I am now!

[Blues Disciple]

I took organ lessons in my home on a Hammond E-300 for about ten years but never really saw me doing anything with it until the following three things happened when I was in like 8th or 9th grade:

 

I heard "Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers and realized that the Hammond could be something more than living room entertainment.

 

I saw The Sanford Townsend Band on American Bandstand play "Smoke from a Distant Fire" with the keyboard player playing a big white Hammond B-3.

 

I learned to play "Foreplay" on my own from sheet music without assistance from my organ teacher.

 

After these three events, I had to play keys in a band. It took me a while but about twenty years after that, I bought my own Hammond C3.

 

BD

[dirkpiano]

Honky Tonk Train Blues - Meade Lux Lewis

[orangefunk]

For sure a lot of the 70s synth oriented rock tunes...

 

e.g.

Airport - The Motors

Just What I Needed - The Cars

...

But on a more soul vibe...

Superwoman - Stevie Wonder (gorgeous Arp and Moog sounds with lovely rhodes suitcase)

 

I first heard this Wonder tune on the K-Tel compilation "Super Bad" from '74... and it contained lots of other great keyboard tunes (Everybody wants to Live Together, If you Want Me to Stay, Will It Go Round in Circles etc..)

 

 

 

[SK]

The organ lick on "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees.

And have you learned that lick yet?

 

In every key but Db. Today's the the day however.

 

I'll post my efforts later on today in the Re-Harm Room.

The Reharm Room is all booked up for the holidays. You'll have to open the Transposition Room.

[MusicWorkz]

It was Earth, Wind & Fire's "Sungoddess" off the 1976 "Gratitude" live double album... You can hear Arp and Moog all over it, but it is Larry Dunn's solo on the Rhodes that caught my attention...

[Mickey Keys]

Elton. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

 

Going along with that one, myself ....

 

Specifically it was Bennie And The Jets for me.

[MushMusic]

It was not a song, it was a machine that did it. I was born smack in the middle of keyboards. My mom was an organ teacher at my dads Hammond dealership. My grandfather who started it worked for Laurens and sold the first Hammond to Ford. Across the street from that dealership was the infamous Hamburger Hamlet where my grandfather put the Leslie and Hammond deal together. My mom also owned an organ music publishing company. I grew up working in both my parents music businesses. In our house we had all kinds of Hammonds and pianos. We had many of the great players visit and jam at our house when they were in town while on tour. As a youngster I was interested in how the great classical players praticed, I got to watch and listen to many. In my dads basement there was 20 or so Steinway cancert grands, many of the big touring recitalists would pick one for they'r concert and pratice on it down there before it was delivered to the venue.

[orangefunk]

It was Earth, Wind & Fire's "Sungoddess" off the 1976 "Gratitude" live double album... You can hear Arp and Moog all over it, but it is Larry Dunn's solo on the Rhodes that caught my attention...

 

... wasn't that Ramsey Lewis? I have a best of EWF and I recall an announcement for that track where they introduce Ramsey. It was also the name of his own LP for that year...

 

 

[execlass2]

"We don't talk anymore" by Cliff Richard. Don't know why but that organ sound just got my ears and instantly I realized I wanted to play keys. I should have been 6 or 7 at that time. Later on "Magnetic Fields II" from Jean-Michel Jarre was what directed my attention to synthesizers.

[MusicWorkz]

It was Earth, Wind & Fire's "Sungoddess" off the 1976 "Gratitude" live double album... You can hear Arp and Moog all over it, but it is Larry Dunn's solo on the Rhodes that caught my attention...

 

... wasn't that Ramsey Lewis? I have a best of EWF and I recall an announcement for that track where they introduce Ramsey. It was also the name of his own LP for that year...

 

 

 

Ramsey Lewis indeed wrote the original and they recorded a studio version which EW&F covered live on the "Gratitude" album