Members Pawnz Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Hi All, Just curious regarding difficult keyboard songs that many of you have learned. You know, the ones that you have spent hours upon hours sitting in front of a tape player or sheet music learning....... Here's my "woodshed" list: 1. Hoedown - ELP2. Foreplay - Boston3. The Entertainer (original version) - Scott Joplin4. The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby5. Smokin' - Boston6. Joy - Apollo7. Fanfare for the Common Man - ELP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rocksnob Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Chopin - Waltz In F Minor Scott Joplin - Elite Syncopations, Maple Leaf Rag Booker T and the Mgs - Time Is Tight, Green Onions Debussey - Reverie Ben Folds - Landed Vince Guaraldi - Chritmas Time Is Here (extended insrumental version) And just about evry Beatles song with piano, organ or synthesizer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Trillian Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Originally posted by Rocksnob , Maple Leaf Rag Yeah, I once knew the Maple Leaf Rag. Toughest piece for me was probably a tie between 'Piece Heroic'by Cesare Frank and the Gothic Suite by Boelman. Parts of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor are a bit heavy as well. I don't even remember that stuff anymore. -Sheryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Trillian Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Vince Guaraldi - Chritmas Time Is Here (extended insrumental version) Is he the guy that did all the Peanuts music ? I love thst stuff. I picked out 'Linus and Lucy' ages ago but I do it in a different key than it was written. -Sheryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tucktronix Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Genesis - "Dance On A Volcano"Booker T & the MG's - "Green Onions"Steely Dan - "Aja" (most of it), "Peg", "Green Earrings" Vince Guaraldi - "Christmas Time Is Here" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Pro Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Originally posted by Trillian Is he the guy that did all the Peanuts music ? I love thst stuff. I picked out 'Linus and Lucy' ages ago but I do it in a different key than it was written.-Sheryl Actually I perform Vince Guaradi's entire "Charlie Brown Christmas" album during the holidays - there's some very challenging stuff in there. The biggest challenge isn't the actual difficulty skill-wise but the ability to play music in a manner that conveys emotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Foreplay (I play it better on piano) Linus and Lucy Barrelhouse Shakedown Maple Leaf, Elite Syncopations Valley Road (Hornsby) Toccata (Aram Katchuturian) Clair de Lune "Lush Life" and "Theme for Ernie" Harry Connick's version of "Little Waltz" about 3/4 of David Maxwell's version of "HonkyTonk Train" paired with Dr. John's "The Honeydripper". about 2 1/2 bars of "Spider Fingers" by Hornsby to add: "Rhapsody In Blue" in it's entirety, so I can kill about 10 minutes of a solo piano gig before someone walks up and asks for "Piano Man" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members misterdregs Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Can't say as I can really play it, but at least after seeing the transcription, I know that I never would have figured it out on my own. http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/009027.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members program_insect Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 I can play the first 2 measures of "mary had a little lamb" quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Originally posted by Pawnz Hi All,Just curious regarding difficult keyboard songs that many of you have learned. You know, the ones that you have spent hours upon hours sitting in front of a tape player or sheet music learning....... Here's my "woodshed" list:1. Hoedown - ELP2. Foreplay - Boston3. The Entertainer (original version) - Scott Joplin4. The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby5. Smokin' - Boston6. Joy - Apollo7. Fanfare for the Common Man - ELP Actually the Entertainer in its orginal form and script is one of the hardest ragtime pieces to perform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prog Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 The Ancient - Yes. It may not be technical difficulty, but the voicing and chord structure was a bit tough. I don't know of anyone who has even attempted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted September 9, 2005 Members Share Posted September 9, 2005 Originally posted by program_insect I can play the first 2 measures of "mary had a little lamb" quite well. Hot crust buns too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members snoopmt1 Posted September 10, 2005 Members Share Posted September 10, 2005 As a conservatory musician I'm not sure where I fit in all this, but when I was younger I learned Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag which is really fun! Also, the intro to Angry Young Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rocksnob Posted September 10, 2005 Members Share Posted September 10, 2005 Originally posted by Trillian Is he the guy that did all the Peanuts music ? I love thst stuff. I picked out 'Linus and Lucy' ages ago but I do it in a different key than it was written.-Sheryl yes he did the Peanuts music, but Vince Guaraldi was also a very nice sounding jazz pianist from the 50s to the 70s. Oh yeah, I can also play Rhapsody In Blue, seeing the title reminded me (heh, I have played it on one of 24 limited edition Rhapsody In Blue Steinways made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's birth. Beautiful piano, maple, stained deep blue, inlayed with over 400 mother of pearl stars, the cast iron plate is silver guilded and has the opening line of Rhapsody in blue cast into it, in addition the music stand has a lovely silver guilded New York city skyscape. The piano sounds lovely and is simply a joy to play) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Purity_Control Posted September 10, 2005 Members Share Posted September 10, 2005 My playings not that great. I'd love to be able to play a lot of Doors stuff but I'm not up to it right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted September 10, 2005 Members Share Posted September 10, 2005 Originally posted by snoopmt1 As a conservatory musician I'm not sure where I fit in all this, but when I was younger I learned Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag which is really fun! Also, the intro to Angry Young Man. If you can do "Root Beer Rag" at Billy Joel's tempo yer doin' pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pawnz Posted September 12, 2005 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2005 Originally posted by pink floyd cramer Foreplay (I play it better on piano) Me too! It seems you can really dig your fingers into this tune better with a weighted action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pilot Posted September 12, 2005 Members Share Posted September 12, 2005 Apart from a bunch of 20s, 30s and 40s popular tunes ((Once in a While, Nearness of you, etc.) the only difficult piece I can still remember and play is Clair de Lune (and I have to get the music out). Sickening to think about because I used to play the Grieg and Schumann concertos in my youth amongst other things. Can't get my fingers around them any more. Beware of old age - it's a terrible disease that we will all suffer. Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eminor9 Posted September 12, 2005 Members Share Posted September 12, 2005 Just been working for months on Satie's Sarabandes, haven't got any clue what level they are, but I absolutely wanted to be able to play them and I'm almost there. Only the second (obviously the most difficult) needs some more work.Those pieces are a lot more difficult than his Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes which I mastered in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBigScaryRat Posted September 12, 2005 Members Share Posted September 12, 2005 Beatles: Fool on the Hill Lady Madonna Intro to Martha My Dear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kansastimesig Posted November 9, 2017 Members Share Posted November 9, 2017 I've been working at Foreplay/Longtime for a few weeks now. Its somewhat above my ability, but not so much I can't get it. It's a great speed workout and has improved my playing already. The sheet music looks like an entry-level finger exercise, being that it's mostly triplets....The Kronos has the exact sound for this with a Leslie, and it DOES sound cool when you're at 180 bpm. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted November 9, 2017 Members Share Posted November 9, 2017 I know how to play a lot of very difficult keyboard lit. I just can't play any of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kbeaumont Posted November 9, 2017 Members Share Posted November 9, 2017 I tend to stay away from too technical songs. I prefer simple songs that I can learn quickly and do well. Stuff like 'Light My Fire' , 'Rockin Pnuemonia and a Boogie Woogie Flu' , 'Great Balls of Fire', 'Piano Man', 'Border Song' ,What'd I say' , etc. I started out playing guitar and I can play almost anything on the guitar from Chet Atkins to Joe Satriani. The piano is what I like to play and sing to. So I have never really cared much about being technically the best keyboard player. I care more about doing things well so I tend to try and do simple songs perfectly. I would say the hardest song I know is 'Crazy' and I only learned it because almost every female singer I ever worked with wanted to do it. I probably should woodshed more but now that I'm in my 50's its much more about having fun for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Wow I remember this thread.....2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 I'm confident my response is up to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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