Sundown Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Hey all, I was inspired early on by keyboardists who weren't big on bending (e.g. Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Geoff Downes, etc). They were all great players, but they definitely approached the synth like an organ. You might find some glide in their sounds, but not much use of the pitch/mod wheels. In contrast, guys like Steve Winwood, Jan Hammer, Jordan Rudess, Chick Corea, and Rick's son Adam are big users of the pitch/mod wheels. (A side note: If you ever wondered what Rick Wakeman might sound like if you cross-modulated him with Jan Hammer, listen to the live version of "Paint it Black" on Wakeman with Wakeman - The Official Bootleg... Adam Wakeman's two Wavestation solos using the "Mini Lead" patch are pretty amazing). So who else has great pitch/mod technique? It's something I'd like to improve upon, and I'd be curious to listen to other artists. Steve Winwood did some very expressive playing on "The Finer Things" from 1986's Back in the High Life. I'm not sure what instrument he was playing, but it sounds great. I've seen some of the old Mahavishnu Orchestra performances with Jan Hammer, and there are a few Youtube clips with Jordan Rudess working the wheels (along with some old Return to Forever clips with Chick Corea). Any other suggestions? Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; They Live, We Groove Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 There is Jan Hammer and then everybody else. I would also mention David Sancious' Minimoog leads on "True Stories", and Manfred Mann's rather unique downward bending. Moe --- "I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. " - Tusker http://www.hotrodmotm.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyboardwizz Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 George Duke is a great bender, he can make a synth talk......... Kurzweil Forte, Roland Integra, Korg Prologue 8, KeyB duo, Korg Radias Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Arc of a Diver-Steve Winwood. Patrick Moraz Yes Relayer Tony Hymas -Jeff Beck's There & Back Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonksDream Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 +1 on George Duke and David Sancious. Also check out Bernie Worrell and Herbie Hancock. Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyS Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I always liked the bending of Kevin moore in the earlier Dream Theater work. The keyboardsolo on take the time is a good example. Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 George Duke is a great bender, he can make a synth talk......... So true. Ran across this gem recently (with Cobham, Sco and Alphonso Johnson). George Duke's solo begins at 4.20 .... [video:youtube]bN9Vaml0dZE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danimuschi Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 +1 for Duke and Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Coda Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Jan Hammer George Duke A.C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks Guys - I forgot about Kevin Moore (especially on Images and Words). The solos on "Take the Time" and the guitar/synth unison lines in "Metropolis, Pt. 1" are pretty incredible. Sundown Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; They Live, We Groove Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Kenny Kirkland on "Shadows In The Rain" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Roger Powell on any of the Utopia 4 piece stuff from the late 70's/early 80's. Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1 Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6 www.bksband.com www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgregg Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 +1 on Roger Powell. He had a slightly different style from the Jan Hammer school of bending, but very evolved. A lesser-known Duke solo to check out is on "In Spiritual Love" by Jean-Luc Ponty; it's one of the gruntiest, most soulful Minimoog solos I've ever heard. Also... Adam Holzman, T Lavitz, Wayne Famous, from The Producers--incredibly underappreciated soloist, David Cutler Lewis, from Ambrosia, Donald Fagen--his synth harmonica stuff is just smokin.' Steinway L, 1958 Hammond B3, Kurzweil Forte, Prophet-6, Minimoog Voyager, Kawai VPC-1,Oberheim SEM-Pro, Doepfer Dark Energy, Nord Rack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Also, New Year's Eve... I was totally wasted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Jan Hammer "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Ladies and Gentlemen, "Quadrant Four". [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVufDh_r7Fg Moe --- "I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. " - Tusker http://www.hotrodmotm.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/bender-smoking.jpg "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Listen to the minimoog starting in the second verse. [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMxDbFmVi0&feature=related Moe --- "I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. " - Tusker http://www.hotrodmotm.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/bender-smoking.jpg I can't believe it took that long for a Futurama reference. That was my second thought when I saw the thread title. The first involved large quantities of fermented beverages. I don't really have a favorite, but one bender I thought was poorly done, and I hope I don't get banninated for this, was Ray Charles. I never liked what sounds he was bending. Really deterred from the overall performance IMHO. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meisenhower Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 For me, it's George Duke! He's the bend master, as far as I'm concerned! Yamaha C7 Grand, My Hammonds: '57 B3, '54 C2, '42 BC, '40 D, '05 XK3 Pro System, Kawai MP9000, Fender Rhodes Mk I 73, Yamaha CP33, Motif ES6, Nord Electro 2, Minimoog Voyager & Model D, Korg MS10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moj Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Tom Canning's skillful minimoog flute solo (at 2:48 mark) on Al Jarreau's "Mornin'". [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la0eUKD9kNw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP3 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Add Kit Watkins to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Mate Stub: That Jan Hammer bit is one of most incredible things I've heard... I've seen him improvise to the Miami Vice theme with distortion, and I've seen some of the old Mahavishnu Orchestra clips (e.g. "Noonward Race"), but I've never heard anything like that opening run... Until I heard Tusker's contribution of George Duke... Holy s..... I showed it to a non-keyboard player, and even she was blown away. People aren't accustomed to hearing a keyboard bend like that, and the immediate assumption is that it's a guitar. Amazing... Absolutely amazing.... Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; They Live, We Groove Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hard to pick between Duke and Hammer. But here is a cool track with awesome minimoog soloing from Mr Duke around 2:10 [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVWzWYUG3E and Jan is on fire on this... love the bit around 1:39 [video:youtube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piktor Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 You folks got most of the greats. For me, the most expressive playing in the past usually involved guys like Hammer, Duke and Sancious playing the pitch wheel of something like a Minimoog. I must have worn right through four or five pitch ribbons on a Multimoog trying to capture that fire. I would add to the list Stu Goldberg on his duophonic Minimoog (a Steiner-Parker mod, I think) and the rockin' version of Tom Coster. More recently I also came to appreciate Neil Alexander's playing. (http://www.nailmusic.com/site.html) Also check out his Youtube channel. There a quite a number of older players that have been added to our list. I wonder if any of you prefer the older playing because keyboard players weren't able to set their mechanisms to bend exactly one whole tone up. I prefer the expression and tension that players get when they have to work harder to nail pitches that include a variety of intervals. I also love the personality that comes through when people do vibrato manually with the pitch bender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicbysterling Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 A 1978 John McLaughlin tune entitled New York On My Mind. A very tasty MiniMoog solo by Stu Goldberg. Reminiscent of Jan Hammer. �Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!� J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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