Your favorite Keyboard Mag column, past or present?

[Dan South]

What's your favorite Keyboard Mag column of all time? How about of the current crop?

[Rod S]

Master class.

 

#2, I would say the solo piano section by Harold Danko, since I'm trying to focus more on piano and less on synths.

 

I can always look up product info elsewhere, but having tutorials from actual players is invaluable for me, and hard to come by.

 

I pretty much read the mag front to back, but these as the only sections that I really end up referring back to.

[Mark Zeger]

Originally posted by Rod CA:

#2, I would say the solo piano section by Harold Danko, since I'm trying to focus more on piano and less on synths.

And, he's a nice guy, too. Harold is great asset to the Rochester music community.

 

My favorite is probably Jeff Rona's "Reel World" columns. I'm fascinated by film scoring, and I enjoy Jeff's perspective as a talented composer/performer and as part of the Media Ventures/Hans Zimmer production team.

[RABid]

I like the interviews that are educational. Whether it is Vince Guaraldi explaining a transcription of Linus and Lucy or BT explaining his method of aligning the feel of a collection of loops. I want more than what got you started and what equipment do you play from an interview. Interviews done right are sort of Master Class from the stars.

 

Robert

[Markyboard]

In a word ....Freff

[Pat Azzarello]

Freff for me too (by a mile). If it wasn't Freff, it would be extremely hard to pick a best going back the 25 years that I've read the magazine.

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

I despised Freff. I thought it was pretentious psycho-babble and a waste of paper.

 

Craig Anderton's column was good because he explained many important synthesis and recording concepts in a clear logical manner.

 

I lost interest in Keyboard Mag many years ago but I'm glad I bought every issue in the 80's and early 90's. Those were exciting times when every month it seemed there was a new revolutionary product and great ads to fuel my gear lust. I didn't even subscribe because I wanted to get every issue in perfect condition the day it hit the newstand. I'm insane.

[Dan South]

Originally posted by SteveRB:

I despised Freff. I thought it was pretentious psycho-babble and a waste of paper.

I know he's a friend of Dave's, and he's posted here a couple of times, IIRC, but I guess you either loved or hated his column. I liked what he was aiming for, I just never got into his way of getting there.

 

I agree that the Danko column has been consistently excellent. I used to enjoy the Burge column for classical performance years ago. My taste in columns is, the meatier the better. I learned a lot from Dick Grove's columns in (I think) downbeat decades ago. It's good to have a column that goes over the heads of the readers. It urges them to climb up to a higher level.

[Krakit]

I've answered this question already. Freff!

[steadyb]

June 1985 - Programming Issue

Test Yourself- How Well Do You Know Your Equipment's Exotic Possibilities, or it's orinigal title... "Getting Started In Tne Lucrative World of Porn"( just kidding.)

 

It was a great 1 page self test of programming sounds ..."For the sunken cathedral scene, we need the sound of an acoustic piano being played under water.", "We want the worlds larget cast-iron tuba.", "Get a sound you've never heard before. Make sure you can use it musically.",etc.

 

Great article.

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Dan South:

I know he's a friend of Dave's, ...

I think that'd be stretching it a bit.

[marino]

There were many, many interesting and useful columns over the the years. Among my favorites the ones by Chick Corea, Tom Coster, George Duke, Dick Hyman, Billy Taylor, Bob Moog, Jim Cooper, Andy Laverne, Jeff Pressing on technique, the great David Burge... I did stop reading Freff after a while, because I thought he ran short of ideas and just tried to be "interesting".

 

But my absolute favorite by far was Dave Stewart. Yeah, he went overboard more than once with his acidic comments, but under his cynic wittiness he presented some of the most complex and interesting music that Keyboard has ever printed.

That was the eighties, IIRC, and the magazine had started to turn heavily into an all-technology affair, so the Stewart page was every time like breathing fresh air to me. Interesting music, good ideas AND, more often than not, a few big laughs! I'd like Stewart back - when they let him go, I started losing interest in the magazine.

 

Carlo

[Dan South]

Originally posted by steadyb:

Originally posted by Dan South:

]I know he's a friend of Dave's, ...

I think that'd be stretching it a bit.

Please permit me to rephrase the comment.

 

"I know that he wrote the lyrics to one of Dave's songs..."

 

There. How's that?

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by steadyb:

Originally posted by Dan South:

I know he's a friend of Dave's, ...

I think that'd be stretching it a bit.

Freff and I used to get along, but sadly he turned out to be the sort of person that I do my best to avoid.

 

Steadyb is aware that I am currently not Freff's biggest fan. That's what he was alluding to...

 

dB

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by marino:

But my absolute favorite by far was Dave Stewart. Yeah, he went overboard more than once with his acidic comments, but under his cynic wittiness he presented some of the most complex and interesting music that Keyboard has ever printed.

That was the eighties, IIRC, and the magazine had started to turn heavily into an all-technology affair, so the Stewart page was every time like breathing fresh air to me. Interesting music, good ideas AND, more often than not, a few big laughs!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Carlo - you ARE one of my long-lost brothers!

 

I, too, adored Dave Stewart's column. I even bought some of his music because I thought his writing was so brilliant. Didn't care so much for the disc...loved the man's writing style, though...

 

dB

[eric]

I was a big fan of the April Fool's spoofs, although I believe they have ceased over the past couple of years (need to check that for sure).

 

There was one back in the 80's that had some bogus instruments like the Ronco MIDI cowbell retrofit (must be installed by certified cowbell technician) and the cliche machine that instantly detects when someone plays a boring lick and throws it out...perfect for a little silence during jazz fusion gigs and it had the inversion feature to allow for an output of cliches to allow the keyboardist to take a break.

 

Those were hilarious and I remember looking forward to the April issue to find the obscure hoaxes.

 

As for the serious content, I have always liked Mark Vail's Vintage Synth column and also was a big fan of Dave Stewart (Henry and James was a favorite in the 80's). And whatever happened to the reader Soundpage contest? That was very cool.

 

Regards,

Eric

[Jonathan Hughes]

"It was a great 1 page self test of programming sounds ..."For the sunken cathedral scene, we need the sound of an acoustic piano being played under water.", "We want the worlds larget cast-iron tuba.", "Get a sound you've never heard before. Make sure you can use it musically.",etc."

 

That was a GREAT article. I remember trying every one of those tests on my SH101 (the only synth I had at the time -- i still have it, as well as the that issue of Keyboard).

 

Currently, I find Jeff Rona's Reel World to be the most interesting. I don't (and probably will never) do film scoring, but the articles are always really interesting. Dave Stewart's colum was always interesting (and funny). I never understood what Freff was saying or why he was in the magazine. I majored in English, so I'm usually pretty good at reading comprehension, but I think analyzing Chaucer was easier than figuring out what he was getting at. The only thing I ever learned from those articles was that in the circus, they shave elephants with a blowtorch.

[synthetic]

Past- Dave Stewart's "Rock Keyboards". I learned much of what I know from reading that column - theory, arranging, crazy chords with unlikely bass notes.

 

Present- Jeff Rona's "The Reel World", although even that column is turning into a list of gear.

[marino]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Carlo - you ARE one of my long-lost brothers!

 

I, too, adored Dave Stewart's column. I even bought some of his music because I thought his writing was so brilliant. Didn't care so much for the disc...loved the man's writing style, though...

 

dB

Yaeh, same for me - I bought a couple of Stewart/Gasking CDs, and while they're brilliant, the musical substance wasn't so great IMO.

BUT I also found someone who owned a few National Health and Egg LPs, and there is really great music in there! It has all the quirkness of British prog, but it's chockfull of great ideas.

 

Oh, and I am also very grateful to Dave Stewart for displaying the music of Django Bates and other great, if a bit obscure, British musicians.

Bates' CD, "Winter Truce (and Homes Blaze)" is really a piece of work.

[Gulliver]

"Inside the Music" by Dave Stewart.

And for those who would like to check out his

music I would recommend to try "Gradually Going Tornado" (by Bruford) first, and then his stuff with National Health and other Bruford albums. Interesting, Stewart/Gaskin CDs from the 80's sound quite dated now, but his earlier stuff is always fresh and challenging as hell. Also I listened to "Space Shanty" (by Khan, one of his early bands) once and really liked it. Hard to find though...

[Raymar]

I saw Dave Stewart twice at the Roxy in LA with Bruford with his Profit 5 and Roland Space Echos. They did a tune called 'Sahara of Snow' which had a segment where all the lights went out except for a green light over Bill's Set and Dave was doing some painful and loud Ring Mod noises which scared the crap out of me, almost had a flashback!

Loved his column for the humor, how he'd refer to his Mark II as 'little Dave'.

 

I also like Freff, how could you not like him going on about quantum physics, synchronicity, philosophy, spirituality, childhood memories, and life changing events?

 

Other Windows was also a favorite, loved all that stuff as well as salivating over gear and Craig Anderton's midi secrets.

 

Steve

[Synthguy]

Because Freff was a dingbat.

 

Definitely Dave Stewart's pages. I always saved those for last, unless there was a hot snot instrument review like the Wavestation or K2000. His music was much more vibrant before he felt he should (or had his arms twisted) to do pop. Some of the early Stewart/Gaskin were outrageously cool! Much like National Health and Bruford vintage, but with just a dash of pop sensibility. I have some on tape I desperately need to burn on a CD.

 

Actually more useful to me, as always, Craig Anderton's articles. Thirdly, but not that thirdly, Jeff Rona's Reel World.

[M Peasley]

My vote is for Dave Stewart also.

 

When his column was hot, and they gave Aiken lots more copy space for his music reviews, not to mention his great interviews, Keyboard was really funny in addition to informative.

 

The mag seems a lot more lackluster these days...gear reviews, gear reviews, gear reviews, news, tips, gear reviews, gear reviews, gear reviews, etc etc etc. Oboy, isn't USB a trip (yawn)....

 

M Peasley

[Tusker]

Dave Stewart's column. Bob Moog did some tremondous articles in the late 70's that I learned a lot from. Roger Powell had a lot of synth tricks articles that were useful. Craig Anderton ... of course. No brown-nosing intended.

 

Here's an insightful quote from Craig in May 1979 (the era of what we think of as fat, drifting, unpredictable analog synths):

 

"One of the characteristics that separates synthesizers from traditional instruments is that the waveforms put out by synthesizers are far less complex and far more predictable than the waveforms put out by instruments such as piano and guitar."

 

And he hadn't played a synth with digital filters yet. It's all relative isn't it?

 

Cheers,

 

Jerry

[Botch.]

One more vote for Dave Stewart. I have a couple of his books, and only DS could photograph the difference between a major and a minor chord (dopey smiling guy in first photo, dopey crying guy in the second; what a scream!). I've lent them to our bass player and he's really digging them for understanding basic music theory, etc.

 

I also enjoyed the sometimes-regular "On the road" series by the Reverend Horton Heat (was that his name?). Bob Doerschuck and Jim Aikin, too.

[D_dup3]

Several of these have been mentioned already but here goes:

the theory columns by Burge & Fowler (father of Bruce F)(or was Fowler's in GPlayer?)...

the tech columns by Anderton & Aikin (he was/is so good at presenting things clearly )...

the film column by J. Rona & the piano column by H. Danko...

the columns by Dave Stewart & Bill Bruford...

One thing I'd really like to see (in both Keyboard & Guitar Player) is something like the column Tommy Tedesco used to contribute---the real, behind-the-scenes activities of an active session/studio player !