Keyboardist get no love

[Naer]

They're usually in the back. The guitarist and the vocalist get all the glory. It ain't fair

 

[edro]

They push buttons...

 

[Scotteq]

Could be worse: Play Bass.

The house will always mix the Drums and guitar to sound as big as possible. And if you go over to your own rig and turn yourself up enough to be heard, they'll yank you right out of the mix...

 

[Brainonska511]

Find other bands? I know of one where the two people that play keyboard and trombone are also the lead singers.

 

[lxskllr]

When you're good enough, people pay attention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-cdM93ZaI

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Could be worse: Play Bass.

The house will always mix the Drums and guitar to sound as big as possible. And if you go over to your own rig and turn yourself up enough to be heard, they'll yank you right out of the mix...

yeah but, bass players always need to turn down.. you guys show up with a Gallian Kruger stack with 4 10's and an 18 that will dim the house lights and want to play it cranked up to 11..

this-is-every-bass-player-i-have-ever-known.

OP
By the way.... seems to me an accomplished keyboardist are incredibly hard to come by. I'd kill to land one in my band.

 

[Meghan54]

They're usually in the back. The guitarist and the vocalist get all the glory. It ain't fair

Then again there are pianists that are quite successful. Witness Billy Joel and Elton John as two examples. There are more.....Donald Fagen (lead of Steely Dan) is a pianist, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, David Bryan (Bon Jovi), Stevie Wonder, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Dr. John, Rick Wakeman, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Warren Zevon, etc. Being a keyboardist/pianist is no impediment to "glory".....if you're talented enough.

 

[pontifex]

My friend saw a shirt like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Bassist-Foreve.../dp/B00ENJKFLI

except it had a keyboardist on it also and it show guy + keyboards = 3 guys.

 

[Scotteq]

yeah but, bass players always need to turn down.. you guys show up with a Gallian Kruger stack with 4 10's and an 18 that will dim the house lights and want to play it cranked up to 11..

this-is-every-bass-player-i-have-ever-known..

By way of simple rebuttal - In my own experience, it's usually the guitarist who has a Marshall stack set on 'Kill'.

 

[Ns1]

yeah but, bass players always need to turn down.. you guys show up with a Gallian Kruger stack with 4 10's and an 18 that will dim the house lights and want to play it cranked up to 11..

this-is-every-bass-player-i-have-ever-known.

this is not completely true!!

sometimes it's a 4x12 MB stack. For a bass player, there is no setting other than 11 =P


SOAD's bassist has a hilarious rig, 4 8x10's

 

[OCGuy]

EDM is very popular again right now.....which means there is many a keyboard player getting laid.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

By way of simple rebuttal - In my own experience, it's usually the guitarist who has a Marshall stack set on 'Kill'.

what other kind is there?

 

[mmntech]

Then again there are pianists that are quite successful. Witness Billy Joel and Elton John as two examples. There are more.....Donald Fagen (lead of Steely Dan) is a pianist, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, David Bryan (Bon Jovi), Stevie Wonder, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Dr. John, Rick Wakeman, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Warren Zevon, etc. Being a keyboardist/pianist is no impediment to "glory".....if you're talented enough.

Richard Wright was a very notable keyboardist. Synth was a huge part of Pink Floyd's sound.

As for bass, Paul McCartney is probably the most famous of them all. I'd even argue his fame has eclipsed Lennon. At least musically, and outside of Beatles fandom. I think John gets more remembered for his peace activism post-Beatles these days.

 

[BoberFett]

I love being a singer.

 

[BoberFett]

Richard Wright was a very notable keyboardist. Synth was a huge part of Pink Floyd's sound.

As for bass, Paul McCartney is probably the most famous of them all. I'd even argue his fame has eclipsed Lennon. At least musically, and outside of Beatles fandom. I think John gets more remembered for his peace activism post-Beatles these days.

I bet most people couldn't even tell you McCartney is a bass player. He's known as a Beatle and a singer. The fact that he even held an instrument is secondary.

The famous ones aren't rhythm bassists, they're the ones who are really out there as frontmen like Flea and Les Claypool.

 

[Scotteq]

By way of simple rebuttal - In my own experience, it's usually the guitarist who has a Marshall stack set on 'Kill'.

what other kind is there?

There was this one guy... Twenty years ago... Who used a Mesa Boogie 22cal single 12 combo amp and a single 12 extension. And he even had {gasp!! } his own direct box in case he needed a channel on the mains.

Arrogant asshole, though: "... When you're as good as I am, you don't need a giant pile of gear..."

I can't say what was worse - the attitude, or the fact he had the chops to prove it..

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

There was this one guy... Twenty years ago... Who used a Mesa Boogie 22cal single 12 combo amp and a single 12 extension. And he even had {gasp!! } his own direct box in case he needed a channel on the mains.

Arrogant asshole, though: "... When you're as good as I am, you don't need a giant pile of gear..."

I can't say what was worse - the attitude, or the fact he had the chops to prove it..

And here I am wanting to get my hands on a Crate Blue Voodoo... WTF what I thinking!? haha.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Then again there are pianists that are quite successful. Witness Billy Joel and Elton John as two examples. There are more.....Donald Fagen (lead of Steely Dan) is a pianist, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, David Bryan (Bon Jovi), Stevie Wonder, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Dr. John, Rick Wakeman, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Warren Zevon, etc. Being a keyboardist/pianist is no impediment to "glory".....if you're talented enough.

Edward and Alex Van Halen are both classically-trained pianists. Not what they got famous for playing, but anyway.....

 

[Ns1]

Then again there are pianists that are quite successful. Witness Billy Joel and Elton John as two examples. There are more.....Donald Fagen (lead of Steely Dan) is a pianist, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, David Bryan (Bon Jovi), Stevie Wonder, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Dr. John, Rick Wakeman, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Warren Zevon, etc. Being a keyboardist/pianist is no impediment to "glory".....if you're talented enough.

Trent Reznor too ^_^

 

[JEDIYoda]

Edward and Alex Van Halen are both classically-trained pianists. Not what they got famous for playing, but anyway.....

That is a mis-leading statement!
There parents when they were young tried to train them as classical pianists in their childhood!
It was their love for pop music than won out!!

After high school, the brothers played in various cover bands, and in the process, rented equipment from an Indiana native named David Lee Roth, who sang in a local band called the Red Ball Jets. As Eddie had never aspired to be a singer, he convinced Roth to join his band, which they then dubbed Mammoth. One particular gig found the band sharing a bill with Snake, which led to a meeting and jam session with Snake's bass player and singer, Michael Anthony. Impressed, the Van Halen brothers and Roth asked Anthony to join their band. In late 1975 or early 1976, the group discovered that there was another band called Mammoth, and while several other names were suggested, the quartet decided to use Eddie and Alex's last name, Van Halen.

You see just because somebody was supposedly trained as a classical musician especially as a child means little to nothing.

That being said they had a very influential father who was a musician!

 

[Pacfanweb]

That is a mis-leading statement!
There parents when they were young tried to train them as classical pianists in their childhood!
It was their love for pop music than won out!!

After high school, the brothers played in various cover bands, and in the process, rented equipment from an Indiana native named David Lee Roth, who sang in a local band called the Red Ball Jets. As Eddie had never aspired to be a singer, he convinced Roth to join his band, which they then dubbed Mammoth. One particular gig found the band sharing a bill with Snake, which led to a meeting and jam session with Snake's bass player and singer, Michael Anthony. Impressed, the Van Halen brothers and Roth asked Anthony to join their band. In late 1975 or early 1976, the group discovered that there was another band called Mammoth, and while several other names were suggested, the quartet decided to use Eddie and Alex's last name, Van Halen.

You see just because somebody was supposedly trained as a classical musician especially as a child means little to nothing.

That being said they had a very influential father who was a musician!

Eddie and his older brother Alex learned to play the piano as children. The brothers commuted from Pasadena to San Pedro to study with an elderly man, Stasys (Stanley) Kalvaitis who taught them classical piano. Eddie and Alex hated the commute, but continued as their mother would discipline them if they refused to go. Eddie revealed in an interview that he never could read the music. Instead, he learned from watching and listening. During recitals of Bach or Mozart, he would simply wing it. From 1964 through to 1967, Edward won first place in the annual piano competition held at Long Beach City College.

Now go Google their piano teacher and come back and tell me they're not classically trained pianist, and very accomplished ones at that.

They also went to Pasadena City College and took musical scoring, composition, arranging and theory.
Regardless of how much Eddie has tried to downplay his musical knowledge and education over the years, they are both highly-trained musicians.

My statement isn't misleading one bit. And yes, I know all about their history. I doubt you could tell me much about Van Halen that I don't know already. I'm 48 and they've been my favorite band since I was in 6th grade.

 

[Mixolydian]

It's all about how good you are.

 

[QueBert]

no love? George Duke was one of the greatest musicians ever.

 

[Mixolydian]

Elton John was/is pretty damn popular.

 

[ImpulsE69]

There's a difference between a person who plays piano/keyboard, and a person who is a singer who plays a piano/keyboard.