Cool Keyboard CD

[Golan]

I'm looking for a CD to buy my brother with some really good technical keyboarding. He just recently got a new electric keyboard and I was thinking something for him to learn would be nice. The only thing I could come up with was metal, like say...Nightwish, that uses keyboards to follow the guitar solos. Suggestions?

[gregjazz]

Would he be into any Jordan Rudess stuff? I love his playing simply because he is able to stand up with the rest of the guitarists and SHRED. He makes you proud to be a keyboardist.

[10th man down]

Try Rhapsody, Kamelot, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, Dream Theater(^), Sun Caged, Yngwie Malmsteen (Great Keys in his music) and Dimmu Borgir.

[gregjazz]

Originally Posted by mawdyson

Try Rhapsody, Kamelot, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, Dream Theater(^), Sun Caged, Yngwie Malmsteen (Great Keys in his music) and Dimmu Borgir.

Great suggestions!

[The Weapon They Fear]

Check out any performances by Janne Warman.
He's in COB, and Warmen. If you want to hear some skills, check out almost anything by Warmen.
In my opinion, he makes Jordan Rudess look like he's playing a keytar.

Warmen- Into the Oblivion
/thread

[Manticore Guy]

Originally Posted by The Weapon They Fear

Check out any performances by Janne Warman.
He's in COB, and Warmen. If you want to hear some skills, check out almost anything by Warmen.
In my opinion, he makes Jordan Rudess look like he's playing a keytar.

Warmen- Into the Oblivion
/thread

/Agrees 100%, especially live

But what cd is into the oblivion on?

Edit: Post 666

[10th man down]

Also, get your bro some Nightwish.

I recomend the albums Wishmaster and Once. They also have a songbook out.

[leeb]

Originally Posted by Golan

I'm looking for a CD to buy my brother with some really good technical keyboarding. He just recently got a new electric keyboard and I was thinking something for him to learn would be nice. The only thing I could come up with was metal, like say...Nightwish, that uses keyboards to follow the guitar solos. Suggestions?

Does your brother listen exclusively to metal? For a great '70s fusion/space listening experience, check out the remaster of Jan Hammer's The First Seven Days. He really goes to town! Then to hear Jan jam exclusively on acoustic & electric piano and Mini-moog, in a trio setting, get Elvin Jones' On The Mountain.

And, of course, Chick Corea really burned it up in Return To Forever, my favorites being Where Have I Known You Before?, No Mystery and (duh) Romantic Warrior.

I know Jordan Rudess is cited right and left by keyboard buffs but his playing has somehow always left me cold. I've always preferred Jan Hammer, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Chick Corea, Motoi Sakuraba, and Jens Johansson (and others). Speaking of Jens, he's another good example of combining chops and taste (except when he's doing his thing with Stratovarius). A sure-fire winner of a CD is the Johansson Brothers CD with Allan Holdsworth, Heavy Machinery.

Before I forget: Todd Rundgren's Utopia (the very first one, from 1975). No less than THREE keyboard players on that baby. Amazing album, too.

I'll wrap this up, but before I do—does your brother like any sort of prog-electronic music? Analog synths & sequencing? Like Synergy, maybe? If so, Wounded Bird reissued a real gem last year: Roger Powell's Cosmic Furnace (1973). Roger composed the whole thing on various ARP synthesizers, hence cooking up a tasty electro-fusion sort of work. But I love this sort of stuff.

[leeb]

Originally Posted by Golan

I'm looking for a CD to buy my brother with some really good technical keyboarding. He just recently got a new electric keyboard and I was thinking something for him to learn would be nice. The only thing I could come up with was metal, like say...Nightwish, that uses keyboards to follow the guitar solos. Suggestions?

P.S. For prog-metal with stellar keyboard work and soaring female vocals, you can do a lot better than Nightwish. Pick up Mastermind's Angels Of The Apocalypse (with—hey!—Jens Johansson) and get ready to be blown away.

For less-heavy intricate, Rush-inspired prog-metal with a female singer, but just as good as the above: Leger de Main's two CDs, The Concept Of Our Reality and Second First Impression, which have just been remastered and repackaged as a budget-priced 2CD.

[gregjazz]

Originally Posted by leeb

And, of course, Chick Corea really burned it up in Return To Forever, my favorites being Where Have I Known You Before?, No Mystery and (duh) Romantic Warrior.

Oh Chick ALWAYS smokes on tunes. He's incredible! Unfortunately not everyone is into jazz (or latin jazz)...

Originally Posted by leeb

I know Jordan Rudess is cited right and left by keyboard buffs but his playing has somehow always left me cold.

Jordan Rudess has good chops, but he's not the BEST out there. But the thing I admire about him is he is able to play with the presence of a guitarists. His solos are just as screaming as a guitar shred solo. He appeals to the more 'pop' or 'pop metal' crowd. He's also a synth junkie, which is very cool...

And besides, he plays one of these: http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/200/HakR216.html

[The Weapon They Fear]

Originally Posted by Manticore Guy

/Agrees 100%, especially live

But what cd is into the oblivion on?

Edit: Post 666

Into the Oblivion is on Unknown Soldier.
Another great CD by Warmen is Beyond Abilities. Shear talent I say!

[leeb]

Originally Posted by gregjazz

Oh Chick ALWAYS smokes on tunes. He's incredible! Unfortunately not everyone is into jazz (or latin jazz)...



Jordan Rudess has good chops, but he's not the BEST out there. But the thing I admire about him is he is able to play with the presence of a guitarists. His solos are just as screaming as a guitar shred solo. He appeals to the more 'pop' or 'pop metal' crowd. He's also a synth junkie, which is very cool...

And besides, he plays one of these: http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/200/HakR216.html

For a great new ELP (meaning keyboards-bass-drums) type CD, check out last year's CD Colossus ADEA by Parallel Mind. Bill Kopecky's the bass player on there, too! Some of the drummer's fills might inspire Carl Palmer, even.