LESSONS
N E A L P R E S T O N / M I R A G E
5 Ways to Play Like
KEITH EMERSON I discovered the seminal prog rock group ELP and their renowned keyboardist Keith Emerson soon after hearing Yes. Like Yes, Yes, ELP was heavily influenced by classical music, but they still rocked like nobody’s business! I loved the fact that in the “power trio” format, each musician had plenty of space to demonstrate his own virtuosity. Emerson himself was a ferocious musical force to be reckoned with. Both his stage showmanship
by Matt Matt Bec Beck k and his keyboard mastery—most notably on the Hammond organ and Moog synthesizer—were a deep influence inf luence on me as I honed my own skills. I practically wore out my copies of ELP’ E LP’ss albums Trilogy Trilogy and andPictures Pictures at an Exhibition.. Emerson and ELP were hugely responsible for bringing proExhibition gressive rock music into mainstream appreciation. Here are five ways to bring Emerson’s classically-influenced style into your own playing.
1. Solo Lines
One hallmark of Emerson’s playing is his seemingly effortless reservoir of technique, which is especially evident in his fluid solo lines. Ex. 1 is an approximation of his blistering solo fill towards the end of the song “Karn Evil 9.” The entire line is played over an A tonality.. This line starts tonality st arts off with a descending A Lydia Lydian n scale, only to bounce back up halfway through with ascending arpeggio fragments implying a B tonal center (over A). =140
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2. Chording With a wellspring of harmonic choices at his fingertips, Emerson covers it all, from Jazz chording and rock riffing to virtuosic classical counterpoint. Ex. 2 approximates what Emerson plays on the intro to the ELP song “Tarkus.” Note that the example is in 10/8 time, with the left hand playing an ostinato pattern—an Emerson staple. The right hand implies an almost jazzy F minor 11th sound, voiced in fourths à la McCoy Tyner. This is also a good example of Emerson’s agility and hand independence. =200
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3. Solo Pieces On ELP’s Works Vol. 1, Emerson composed and performed an entire piano concerto with the renowned London Philharmonic Orchestra. It would turn out to be one of his most critically acclaimed efforts. Ex. 3 is similar to the unaccompanied cadenza Emerson played in the middle of the piece. Again, notice his use of the ostinato in the left hand with the melody in the right. =172
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LESSONS Matt Beck is
a multi-instrumentalist who plays keyboards and guitar with Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, and Rod Stewart. His latest solo release Anything Which Gives You Pleasure is available now on iTunes and at cdbaby.com. Beck is currently working with U2’s Bono and The Edge on the Broadway musical adaption of Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man. Find out more at myspace.com/mattbecktwenty and twitter.com/mattymay. Jon Regen
4. Outside Influences Emerson continually covered a wide array of musical styles. An ELP song might shift gear mid-piece, going off into a seemingly unrelated musical interlude. A perfect example of this can be heard on “The Sheriff,” from ELP’s album Trilogy . Towards the end of the song, there’s a gunshot, followed by Emerson playing a blisteringly fast, honky-tonk stride piano motif. Ex. 4 approximates that piano break. =135
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5. Left Hand Technique Emerson is known to have a monstrous left hand. This is evidenced in the opening of “Tarkus,” as well as on many parts of his “Piano Concerto No. 1.” Ex. 5 is inspired by the third movement of that concerto. =152
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24
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/dec2010
Audio examples
Tons of videos on Keith’s
Great performance of
recorded by the author.
official YouTube page.
“Karn Evil 9” from 1974.
KEYBOARD MAG.COM
12.2010
LESSONS
5 Ways to Play Like RICK WAKEMAN
When I was coming up as a young musician, Yes was the band that changed the game for me. I loved the masterful musicianship of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, along with the soaring arrangements in their songs. Wakeman’s seemingly effortless command over his mammoth keyboard stack mesmerized me, as did the way he infused classical
by Matt Beck
themes into his music. He was also one of the first keyboard artists to embrace new technology such as the Mellotron, the Minimoog, and ARP synthesizers. Wakeman was the first true keyboard showman I had ever seen, with a stage presence as imposing as his finger dexterity. Here are five ways to “Wake” up your own playing.
1. Solo Lines Rick Wakeman often plays cascading single-note lines for solos and as fills, as well as harmonies to guitar parts. Ex. 1a is an approximation of the fill Rick does in the iconic Yes song “Roundabout” right before the 2nd verse. Ex. 1b is reminiscent of the line he plays in the choruses. The goal is to play these lines as evenly as possible. Note that both of these solo lines are played on keyboards with an extremely light action, such as a Hammond B-3 or an analog synthesizer.
a)
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2. Chording Wakeman was also known for his sideman work outside of Yes, with artists such as Cat Stevens and David Bowie. Ex. 2 is an approximation of the intro Wakeman plays on Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken.” Notice how he imparts an almost neo-baroque flavor to the harmony by pedaling the bass notes in measure pairs 1–2, 5–6 , and 7–8. This technique is especially effective in measures 5–6, where holding on to the B in the bass creates a diminished-sounding tension that resolves back to the I chord in measure 7. Also, the push and pull of alternating the measures with both eighth- and sixteenth-notes adds an even greater degree of musical interest. =155
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Matt Beck also authored the “5 Ways to Play Like Keith Emerson” lesson in this issue. See page 24 for his bio. 3. Solo Pieces Usually, Wakeman’s solo pieces are classical in nature, but he’s also been known to mix them up with rock, blue s, and even ragtime as well. On Yes’ Fragile album, Wakeman pays homage the classical composer Brahms with his solo piece “Cans and Brahms.” He does the same on the album Yessongs with “The Six Wives of Henry VIII.” Ex. 3 is in the style of one of the more challenging sections of that song. Notice how Wakeman uses ascending suspended arpeggios over the tonic to create tension and excitement.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ 4 œ œ œ œ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœ œœœ & 4 œ œ œ ? 4 4 ˙ j ˙ j ‰ ‰ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ &œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ ? ˙ j œ ˙ j œ ‰ ‰ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œ œ œ & œœ œ ? ˙ j ˙ j ‰ ‰ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ & œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # ww ? ˙ j w ‰ œ ˙ w =107
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More Online
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/dec2010
Excerpts from Rick’s Audio examples
Classic “Roundabout”
DVD The Six Wives of
recorded by the author.
performance from 1973.
Henry VIII .
1 2 . 2 0 1 0
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LESSONS
4. Outside Influences A great feature of Wakeman’s playing is the fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously in his music. Even in a spotlight solo piece like “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” Wakeman still manages to impart a comedic tone, injecting a silent film era-like musical interlude to lighten the mood. Ex. 4 is an illustration of how he does just that. =184
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5. Left Hand Technique While much of Wakeman’s acclaim comes from his right-handed pyrotechnics, he’s certainly no slouch with his left hand. Ex. 5 is similar to his opening piano solo on the Yes song “Awaken,” from their album Going for the One. Here, Wakeman proves that his left hand is just as quick as his right.
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