trend setting keyboardist

[R.S.M]

Who set trends in keyboard stiles Keith Emerson in the old days Trent Reznor in the new day Who else yall think brought synths to the front line more in the rock world?

[Superbobus]

Jon Lord, Rick Wakeman, David Paitch, Jordan Rudess, to name a few...

I'm not so much of a rock guy but these come to my mind and I dig them.

[Pim]

Eddy van Halen

[BP3]

The Captain.

[progfusion74]

Jon Lord, Jan Hammer, Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, Jordan Rudess come to mind

[Dave Pierce]

For synths in rock: That Guy from The Cars (I don't know his name). Yes, cheesy, but still.

 

For organ in rock: Gregg Rolie

 

Today? Hell, I don't know. I doesn't seem like anybody in rock music is doing anything innovative with keyboards these days. Or maybe they are and I'm just not hearing it.

 

--Dave

[Postman]

Here's another vote for nobody. Kids today can't play keys worth a damn, or for that matter, guitar (with the exception of Dave Matthews). I do hope musicianship comes back into vogue some day before I die. I miss it.

[Mark Zeger]

Stevie Wonder

 

Brian Eno - had a influence similar to that of The Velvet Underground, about whom it was said: "They didn't sell many albums, but everybody that bought one formed a band".

 

Unfortunately, '80s synth pop (Soft Cell, Human League, OMD, Depeche Mode, Flock of Seagulls, etc.) on a fledgling MTV "dumbed down" musical tastes and the value of talent. It's so sad to see the "I Ran" video, with that poser fop of a frontman "playing" chords on a mono synth. Howard Jones seems to have been one of the few artists from that era to have any chops.

 

(Dave Pierce: "the guy from The Cars" is Greg Hawkes)

[Felix_dup1]

Roger Manning (Jellyfish, Moog Cookbook, Beck)

[bearded yeti]

Oh please. There's more to being innovative and musical than having (constantly using?) showoff chops. I don't care how many notes you can play in a second, it doesn't make your music any good, and it certainly doesn't make you a trendsetter.

[RABid]

Manfred Mann, Pink Floyd and Alan Parson's Project in the old days. Oh crap. The guy who played with the Moody Blues? How could I forget his name?

 

Now it seems that if you want to here good keyboard chops you have to listen to jazz or country.

 

Robert

[BP3]

No love for the Captain?

 

How about -

Thomas Dolby

Larry Fast

Jan Hammer

Joe Zawinul

Brian Eno

Dave Stewart

Herbie Hancock

George Duke

David Sancious

[Steve LeBlanc]

Originally posted by DM:

Oh please. There's more to being innovative and musical than having (constantly using?) showoff chops. I don't care how many notes you can play in a second, it doesn't make your music any good, and it certainly doesn't make you a trendsetter.

Who said that it did? Postman said something about kids not being able to play these days...he didn't say anything about "showoff chops"...whatever that is.(??)

 

You're either a great player or you're not...how fast or slow doesn't determine that but most of the great players do have something in common...practice time.

[Postman]

Originally posted by Steve LeBlanc:

Postman said something about kids not being able to play these days...he didn't say anything about "showoff chops"...whatever that is.(??)

 

You're either a great player or you're not...how fast or slow doesn't determine that but most of the great players do have something in common...practice time.

Yes, you understood me: I don't think flashiness is required. In fact pyrotechnics can be used as a substitute for substance.

 

No, I'm accusing today's kids (and I think kids define rock, not old hackers like me) of being marginal musicians. Strong words, sure. I'd really like to have someone say, "What about so-and-so?" so I could go listen, because right now I am bored to tears with pop music.

 

The song writing is ok, I guess. I don't know if I could pick anyone as a great songwriter, but there are some decent ones.

 

It used to be I could turn on the radio and here some guy play guitar or keys and think, "Wow, how does he do that?" I don't get much wow anymore.

 

It has to turn around. It just has to. The recording industry sold it before. They can sell it again.

[RABid]

I dont think musicians are allowed to draw attention away from vocalists and rappers. That would be counterproductive to current marketing models in the pop music business. Its all about the face in front.

 

Robert

[Mats Olsson.]

Booker T Jones

Bernie Worrel

Roeland Byrd (aka Professor Longhair)

Art Neville

Dr John

Taj Mahal

Alain Toussaint

Sly Stone

Trevor Horn

Martin Rev (Suicide)

Ralf & Florian

Boris Blank

Jean Michel Jarre (I'm not a fan, but he sure made an impression)

 

And what about Linda mcCartney? (just kidding!)

 

/Mats

[bearded yeti]

Originally posted by Postman:

I'd really like to have someone say, "What about so-and-so?" so I could go listen, because right now I am bored to tears with pop music.

EXACTLY. Postman and I in fact share the same view. The problem is that todays pop music is simply uninteresting and shallow. Of course this depends on your interpretation of what POP is. I've heard Bjork's music been called pop, and I find her stuff inspiring and extremely groundbreaking. She also has world-class musicians playing all over her album.

 

I guess I took offense to the statement "today's kids can't play keys worth a damn", but I failed to see that "today's kids" really meant "today's POP MUSIC kids".

 

This is why I hardly ever turn on the radio anymore. With very few exceptions, I haven't been impressed by any new radio-friendly music. I also think that innovation in songwriting and popular music has moved towards the production side of things rather than the performance end.

 

Rocksynthman's original post asked who has brought synths to the front line in rock music. To be honest, I really don't see synths in the front line in rock music anymore. For trendsetting and groundbreaking synth work, I think we need to look to look to the various genres of electronic music. Of course much of this is sequenced rather than played live, and this can lead to the old argument of whether or not this still requires "musicianship."

 

For interesting or groundbreaking stuff, I listen to various types of jazz and electronic music. Mainstream radio has grown boring to my ears, but perhaps I'm just maturing too quickly, or have learned too much about music to appreciate simplicity anymore. But I will agree that past popular music is a hell of a lot better than what is currently popular.

[Superbobus]

Geez, some people out here sound like old guys! Rock music from nowadays? Well, as I said I'm not a rocker but there's sure some great keys on the records of D'Angelo, Maxwell, Macy Gray, Me'shell... FUNK, that's where it's at!

Of course Jordan Rudess is still impressive, a great example of pyrotechnics used in a good way to compliment the music. Other rock bands I like are more guitar oriented, like the Peppers.

[VerySoon]

Pete Townsend

[bearded yeti]

Originally posted by Superbobus:

Geez, some people out here sound like old guys!

Old? I'm only 23 for crying out loud!

[progfusion74]

and I am 28 and Emerson is still the GREATEST!!!

 

That said, no one ever makes my jaw drop like Jordan Rudess.

 

Some other contemporary keyboard players I really like (not counting Jazz guys like Larry Goldings), Jens Johannsen, Erik Norlander and Kevin Moore.

 

Also, I would probably include Chester Thompson among the all time greats

[Blues Disciple]

I agree that there really are no keyboard or synth superstars out there in secular music. Personally I also think that the music style is only one piece of the puzzle. There were musicians like Emerson, Wakeman, Kansas, etc. who took synths to new levels when synths were analog and the keyboardist created the sounds from scratch. Today's keyboards sound so much better than ever before, but are mostly already-created patch-based. This I believe takes away from the unique creative use of the synthesizer as exemplified by Emerson, Carlos, Zawinful (sp?) and others. As I have said before we can't fully cite the enemy without listing musicians and keyboard creators in the mix. Yes the music is more vocal-dance-rap oriented with keys in the background--but then again the keyboards themselves don't necessarily inspire radical sounds. (Just my humble opinion).

 

I think that the area of music now that is most keyboard oriented with the piano, synths (albeit they are mostly soft pad sounds) and organ upfront is Contemporary Christian and Praise and Worship music. There are keys all over that music. And so some of my votes for todays prominent keys players go to Michael W. Smith, Shawn Groves. Bands and artists like 3rd Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, Hillsong, Ron Kenoly, Newsong and others feature keyboards in all their songs.

 

I don't hear much head-turning keyboard based (outside of sequences and samples) in today's pop or rock music myself. For now all I can say for secular keys player who is a standout with regard to synths is Michael McDonald.

 

BD

[r33k]

Originally posted by Postman:

No, I'm accusing today's kids of being marginal musicians. Strong words, sure. I'd really like to have someone say, "What about so-and-so?" so I could go listen, because right now I am bored to tears with pop music.

Go listen to Radiohead's last three studio albums, O.K. Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac. Go do it right now! Hurry!

 

Michael Erwin

Synthtank Studio

[Postman]

Originally posted by Michael Erwin:

Go listen to Radiohead's last three studio albums, O.K. Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac. Go do it right now! Hurry!

Ok, will do.

 

That's it? No other suggestions? Wow, you guys are hard to rile up. I thought for sure I'd get a flood of responses. Hmm...

 

Oh, and, yes, my comments were limited to rock musicians. There are plenty of good young jazz players out there.

[Felix_dup1]

hmmm... Ben Folds or Tori Amos? Or do they only count as Pianists.

 

There were some pretty glowing comments about the newest Bruce Hornsby disc a while back...

 

I thought all the Rock Keyboardists had been replaced by DJ's

[Mats Olsson.]

Suggestions?

 

OK, I have a great one for you: Spritualized. last 3 albums are really really (for lack of a better word) good.

 

Here's another one(that you probably have heard several times already): Massive Attack.

 

A lesser known good band that has a healthy dose of keyboards: Komeda

 

/Mats

[Geosync]

I would think Wendy Carlos and Tomita should be on the list.

[The T Dot]

Originally posted by Mats Olsson:

Massive Attack.

 

/Mats

Nice choice, Massive Attack are excellent.

[progfusion74]

Originally posted by Postman:

Here's another vote for nobody. Kids today can't play keys worth a damn, or for that matter, guitar (with the exception of Dave Matthews). I do hope musicianship comes back into vogue some day before I die. I miss it.

Well any self-respecting prog rock band (often European), usually has a killer keyboard player. For example all of Arjen Lucassen's projects are heavily keyboard driven. There are killer boarders like Matt Guillory from Dali's Dillema, Ryo Okumoto from Spock's Beard (and Neal MOrse for that matter) out there, but not too many get to hear them. Of course, there's always John Medeski. Where does he fall? Not quite jazz, not quite rock.

 

prog

[Superbobus]

John Medeski? Progressive fusion... Hell, I don't care about styles. JM rocks, is funky and swingin'.

DM, I didn't say there are old people in this thread. I just don't dig things like "The problem is that todays pop music is simply uninteresting and shallow." Sounds like "in the early days it was much better" and that sounds like old, frustrated people to me. I think there always has been Good and Bad Music (in terms of compositional and performance qualities) and it's for everyone him or herself to decide what you like. I bet you can name me a lot of crappy pop music from the '60s and '70s so please stop that "pop music nowadays is uninteresting" thing and explore.