Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Just wondering what other people think? Who do you think is better then Keith Emerson and why. Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Keith Jarrett Herbie Hancock Chick Corea Oscar Peterson George Shearing Roger Kellaway Kenny Werner Joey D'Francesco Abbey Simon Vladimir Ashkenazy Andre Watts Marc Andre Hemelin In other words, there are MANY brilliant players comprising many styles. "Better" is in the ear of the beholder. Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Good answer what about Eddie Jobson Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aditunes.com Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 90% of all session players in Nashville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 What about Emersons famous left hand just listen to Tarkus Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Ever heard Art Tatum's left hand? Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 No I haven`t Lets not forget the old greats like Bach, Beatoven, ect. Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyman_sam Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 And yanni, ofcourse. Dont follow me....i'm lost too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Emerson is a great in his style of keyboard playing. But can we really compare him to even current players like Chick, Oscar Peterson, or Jarret? Or is this just a 'chops' comparison? And I'm just comparing to jazz here. I'm sure Cydonia can give us a list of current classical players that will blow him away. That's the problem with 'a who's the greatest' kind of comparison. It is not a numbers comparison or even plain chops. Each one of these players can move us in different ways. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krakit Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 WARNING: The following post is based on OPINION only! For the type of music that I like to listen to most, there aren't many (if any) better than Keith Emerson. However, when I attended Moogfest, both Wakemen and Emerson played the same night. Under studio circumstances, using albums only as a reference, I would put Emerson ahead of Rick. However, on that night at least (it was Wakeman's birthday too), Wakeman mopped the floor with Keith. Who can say why. Only recently, I've been consuming massive quantities of Gentle Giant. Kerry Minnear is giving Emo a run for his money in my ears lately. BTW, take if from one of Keith Emerson's BIGGEST fans, his left hand isn't THAT special. A more impressive south paw belongs to Billy Joel. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis D Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 And yanni, ofcourse. ---------------------------- thnx man, allthough i prefer to be among the best moustaches out there Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Emerson is the greatest at his ' genre' His left hand and independence is stone cold excellent If you have studied him, and have his solo piano CD, you will hear different styles, like ragtime, honky tonk, which also impresses me Pat Moraz also amazes me. But he is the only one i would consider as ' greater ' than Emerson Herbie and Chick are great but are not in progressive classical rock or Emersons ' genre' , thus I would not compare Another great, Lyle Mays, impressive lyricism Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe P Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Ironstorm, If you don't already have them, I highly recommend the three ELP DVD's, Live at Montreux, Live at the Royal Albert Hall and Beyond the Beginning. Best fifty bucks I ever spent. Inspiring footage of The Great One. Regards, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Keeping the question in his genre, I'll take the witty, quirky, and pomp-free playing of Kerry Minear any day. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krakit Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by Magpel: Keeping the question in his genre, I'll take the witty, quirky, and pomp-free playing of Kerry Minear any day. I'm comming so late to the Gentle Giant party. I had heard of them, but not heard them until last year (thanks to a youtube post in this forum). Now I'm buying up everything I can lay my hands on from them. It might be the novelty of discovering an entire catalogue of music all at once and having a honeymoon with GG, but they are skyrocketing up my personal charts. If they have staying power with my ears, they'll take the top spot away from ELP! Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Krakit, What fun you must be having! Take it from me, after the novelty wears off, you will still think they are incredibly musical and unique. Many prog fans consider them the finest band ever. I just attended and played at a wedding for a guitar player friend, and they played GG's "Hopes, Dreams" during the ceremony. It was great! My favorite three GG albums are "Power and Glory", "Free Hand", and "Octopus". But they are all great. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by Krakit: However, on that night at least (it was Wakeman's birthday too), Wakeman mopped the floor with Keith. Who can say why.I can. Carpal tunnel syndrome. Keith was the fastest synth-slinger in the west until his body staged a mutiny. That's not to say more musical, because I'd still rather listen to Tony Banks. But if I want to hear dazzling, inhuman chops, I listen to ELP. Wakeman could always keep pace with Emerson, but Emerson was always somehow hairier and scarier. But alas, time waits for no man, although it seems to be taking more time with Rick Wakeman. He seems not to have lost a step. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K K Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by Jazzwee: That's the problem with 'a who's the greatest' kind of comparison. It is not a numbers comparison or even plain chops. Each one of these players can move us in different ways. I agree it's totally pointless to try to compare between the best jazz musicians with the best of classical or other genres, etc. What I'll say about Emerson is that he's much more polyvalent in style that most other keyboardists. So for that reason only, he demands a lot of respect. He didn't just play prog, or jazz, or classical, or boogie-woogie, or ragtime. He played all that and many other styles. For those who believe he's not good at jazz, listen to his High Level Fugue (inspired by Friedrich Gulda) on the Five Bridges Suite album or his piano improvisations (during Hang On To A Dream) on the Elegy album or the 3-LPs album. For those who believe he doesn't have a great left hand, do what I sometimes do myself for warming up : start the Bitches Crystal LH pattern and improvise over it for three minutes with the RH. Not a big deal? OK, then try the same with his Creole Dance LH pattern. Tougher, huh? And most of all, give the man what he truly deserve : to have been an inspiration for dozens of others "rock" keyboardists. Just like Horowitz did for classical. I'm not much in the progressive thing anymore, but Emerson is certainly one of the guys who inspired me becoming a musician when I was younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krakit Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Don't get me wrong, Keith has a great left hand. It's just that I can play that stuff too. I can't make that claim on some Billy Joel tunes. Stelleto comes to mind. There's a break and solo in the middle of that tune that I can't play. I can play each part seperately, no problem, but I can't pull off the independence to play both parts together. Also, he (K.E.) still holds my top spot as favorite keyboard player..... for now Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 I thought this topic would bring out the old heads! I have everything ELP ever put out mostly because of Greg Lakes work he is a very under rated bass player. I still think the best footage of them live is at Montraul < spelled wrong i know< when they are doing Fanfair and Pirates with Lake on that Alembic 8 string Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceNorman Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 This thread has tone that is strikingly similar to about 90% of the posts on the Mlive Youth Hockey forums in which hockey parents ask rhetorical questions about who's team is best (as though it's a quest for truth) and then defend their kid's team to the death. All the players mentioned in the thread are giants of their genre - but honestly, do any of them have a decent slapshot? The SpaceNorman The SpaceNorman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88keys4me Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 It's rather obvious that there are musicians out there who are "better" than Emo. But not at what he does, HIS style, the one HE created and so many others have tried to (or sometimes) emulated. That's what makes him special - his unique pioneering approach. (Admittedly, spoken as one heavily influenced by, and enamored of, his work.) - Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delirium Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 and who is Keith Emerson? at some level there is no "better" or "worse", are we in the kindergarten? ♫♫♫ motif XS6, RD700GX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironstorm Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Also you must admit Emerson has got to have the coolist looking stage setup of all time Alembic SC Standard slim neck taper Warrior Signature fretless G&L L2000 Spalt top w/Maple fretboard Ibanez SR500 Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 Two Genz-Benz Neox 1x12T cabs Genz-Benz XB2 4x10 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundscape Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by delirium: and who is Keith Emerson? at some level there is no "better" or "worse", are we in the kindergarten? He's of a high professional standard. So are many others: Originally posted by aditunes.com: 90% of all session players in Nashville. (Actually, I don't know if that's true, but I'm willing to bet a fair few are at his level.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELP71 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 He's a great player. No one can really deny that. He is the ultimate 'rock' keyboardist, with all the required visceral manliness that goes along with such a title. He makes being a keyboard player super cool and elevates us above 'classical nerd' or 'computer geek' or 'furniture player' or worst 'background for guitar solos' status. The points made about the various styles are great...to me most of Wakeman's stuff sounds really similar. Emerson can do it all, and better, faster and ballzier than most anyone. Weasels ripped my flesh. Rzzzzzzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by delirium: at some level there is no "better" or "worse", are we in the kindergarten? Right. This is the cousin of the Yanni thread. The bottom line remains the same. There will be advanced players who remain broke, hunched over a Steinway, Rhodes or B3 while a cat who cannot find middle C on his 37-key M-Audio MIDI controller will make millions. Musician comparisions are an exercise in futility mainly because it will do nothing to enhance musical ability one way or another. Admiring the skills of a player is different. A hungry musician can learn a lot studying masters of the craft. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Norlander Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 This topic is sacreligious. Now stop it! Erik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluMunk Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by Krakit: BTW, take if from one of Keith Emerson's BIGGEST fans, his left hand isn't THAT special. A more impressive south paw belongs to Billy Joel. Carl Wow! I love Billy Joel, but it seems to me that at least half of his tunes involve not much more than octaves in the bass. He would be near the bottom of my list of "piano players I like with great left hand skills". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyb Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Originally posted by Jode: [/qb]I can. Carpal tunnel syndrome. [/QB] Actually it was an Ulnar Nerve problem if I recall correctly. Not exactly sure what that is or does. At the time he wasn't expected to be able to play after the surgery. I do remember a statement from him at the time that he wouldn't be doing any more touring. I too am a loooong time Emo fan. I see him whenever I can. I will admit that he sometimes doesn't have the speed or dexterity that he once did and that occasionally he appears to struggle a bit. Considering what happened to him I think he has done pretty well for himself. He still inspires me although I'm just a hobbyist and can't play a major amount of his stuff yet. As far as his left hand is concerned every time I watch Bitches Crystal on the Montreux DVD I'm just blown away!! There are no stupid questions but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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