Members Cyprusg Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Deep Purple was the first band I thought of. I think the problem is that 99.99% of bands stick to the formula. You're either straight ahead rock and in that case keys don't do much for you, or you have some slow tunes that are specifically for keyboard. I think if you're writing songs keys give you just one more paint brush to use, you can do it without being totally wimpy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members photon9 Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 I play in bands with keyboardists all the time and it's never a problem and only adds greatly to the music. I find your premise completely ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slushpup96 Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Piano sounds good with a clean guitar. Not so much with distorted guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Consider the source. i really don't know where to start with this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Songwriter Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Works well for Coldplay too, though Chris Martin will often play rhythm guitar instead, sounds like you needed a bigger amp in order to be heard above the rest of the band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeBoy Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 This thread will produce some great parody threads. Why do rock bands bother having ___________________________________________ (FILL IN THE BLANK) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Keyboards have been highly effective in numerous rock bands over the years.Doors, Rolling Stones, Journey, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Styx, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Rainbow and many others made good use of keyboards. have you ever seen Kansas, deep purple, the cars, or Elton John live? Go ahead and laugh at Elton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mlabbee Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 Go see a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers show and all will be revealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 I play in bands with keyboardists all the time and it's never a problem and only adds greatly to the music. I find your premise completely ridiculous. I agree. The people who disagree are lead guitar players who think the whole band should revolve around them. HEY LISTEN UP, ASSHOLES. Music is a team sport. All the players have to at least be on the same stage and your ego is pushing them off. I've gone to auditions and told them before even opening up my case that your lead guitar player is an asshole. Count me out. A good keyboard player can make the band. Y'ever heard of Greg Allman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted January 15, 2012 Members Share Posted January 15, 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Preston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 I think it's all in how the band approaches it. My last band was an indie rock band where the singer/songwriter was the keyboard player. We would simply write around each other so that we weren't playing in the same register. One of us would be playing "the part" while the other played some cool counterpoint line above it, or often didn't play at all (a concept so many rock guitarists don't seem to grasp). Bands should be able to kind of mix themselves by not all trying to occupy the same frequencies and being conscious of their volumes. At that point the sound guy just needs to reinforce what's happening on stage. Another common problem I've seen are big fluctuations in volume between key patches. Organs will be ripping loud while pianos are super soft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Two words. Billy Powell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rock-lobster Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 My band has a keyboardist. Great player but you're right about volume. Nobody in the band is particularly loud but that mother{censored}er needs some more volume for sure. His keyboard amp is larger than either of the guitar amps we use, but still we have problems. And a regular piano, forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headfilter Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Wings would never have made it big without Linda McCartney on keys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Honey, I love you, really I do, but c'mon.... You aren't really this stupid are you? You are just messing with everyone, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Don't forget this classic. Where would we be today without Meatloaf? [video=youtube;JzP61H0jHYI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzP61H0jHYI EDIT: Oops! Almost forgot this bad boy. [video=youtube;EB7h5aWPPd0] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 My band has a keyboardist. Great player but you're right about volume. Nobody in the band is particularly loud but that mother{censored}er needs some more volume for sure. His keyboard amp is larger than either of the guitar amps we use, but still we have problems. And a regular piano, forget it. I have found its not so much a matter of volume as it is cutting thru the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headfilter Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Through the years I've worked with several keyboard players. Mixing guitars and keys can be tricky. I usually end up tweaking my tone to be a little thinner and make the guitar parts a little thinner to make room in the overall sound. So basically: a lot of give on my part really made for a good sound. That's what's worked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitzilla Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 Through the years I've worked with several keyboard players. Mixing guitars and keys can be tricky. I usually end up tweaking my tone to be a little thinner and make the guitar parts a little thinner to make room in the overall sound. So basically: a lot of give on my part really made for a good sound. That's what's worked for me. This is the correct answer. If a guitarist is willing to turn down his lows and low mids, it really opens up the sonic space for keys. I just joined a band that is adding keys and am already planning on reworking my EQ. He is also going to be playing some guitar which will be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 [video=youtube;D67Nc8CxFDo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D67Nc8CxFDo&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Filter500 Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 [video=youtube;7Re30H83sIQ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 My band has a keyboardist. Great player but you're right about volume. Nobody in the band is particularly loud but that mother{censored}er needs some more volume for sure. His keyboard amp is larger than either of the guitar amps we use, but still we have problems. And a regular piano, forget it. Doesn't really matter what the instrument is. Some people just have a bad case of "look at meeee!" syndrome. It's supposed to be about music. Y'ever heard of blend? That's what it's all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cobalt Blue Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 [video=youtube;xzORu1dqEE0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzORu1dqEE0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cobalt Blue Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 [video=youtube;QyyetXvX76Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyyetXvX76Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Warfish Posted January 16, 2012 Members Share Posted January 16, 2012 (Or why do keyboardists bother joining rock bands?) Pink Floyd. /end discussion for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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