Rock Keyboard Solo

jeremykeys · Post by **jeremykeys** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:04 am

In my hard rock band, my guitarist AKA the band leader, has decided that it would be "like totally awesome!' to have a keyboard solo. Also a drum solo but that's another topic and I won't bore you with it.
I've always found keyboard solos to be, well, somewhat like what teen-age males tend to do a lot if they don't have a girl friend and have internet p**n. That is unless you have the chops of Jordan Rudess and are playing big stadiums and thousands of people have payed scads of dollars to see you. Oh yeah, and they are all high!

Enter my dilemma. I have to come up with something that is entertaining, show offy, not boring, and I guess blows the audience away.
I've watched a few on you-tube and so far nothing has given me any ideas that I really want to work with.
I've been to a Jordan Rudess clinic and he played a bunch of his own material with backing tracks. Sounded amazing but everyone is there to hear and see him play. My band is playing bars. Most audiences want stuff they can drink and dance to.
I'm wondering if anybody here does a seriously rocking keyboard solo on their Kronos and if the are using backing tracks when they do.
I'm kind of heading in that direction. Organ, lead synth, maybe piano over a quick grooving backing track in the sequencer.
Another quick question, does the Kronos sequencer allow for tempo changes? Different moods might be helpful.

Petekey · Post by **Petekey** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:32 am

Hey jeremykeys. Here's a video I posted of a wurlitzer sound I used on the Kronos for a jam. It's more an old school funk groove and it's live, no backing tracks so I don't know if even applies for you. Maybe give you some ideas, maybe not. Just thought I'd throw it out there for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqSOd1SNEwk

peace,
Pete

1jordyzzz · Post by **1jordyzzz** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:43 am

my own formula for rock solo=

1. Pentatonic scale
2. Blues scale
3. harmonic minor scale
4. diminished chord arpeggios..

never done it with a band though.. but it's the way most rock keyboardist go for..

Petekey · Post by **Petekey** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:45 am

Nice suggestions 1jordyzzz.

1jordyzzz · Post by **1jordyzzz** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:32 am

thanks pete! nice vid there BTW.. very funky with old wurly vibe

1 more suggestion... use MEGA LEAD voice in synth leads ---> hard
it's very cool

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:19 am

I had a similar situation in a rock band (we were more 'space rock', but this was quite a heavy sounding song).

I came up with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRmlA6tLJas

Mostly improvised but around a few pre-planned themes and techniques. I think it's more fun and it sounds more convincing if you can improvise it at least a bit.

Yatrix · Post by **Yatrix** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:11 am

Attention catching keyboard solo(improvization) in contest of hard rock band sounds doubtfull. Just as an idea..May be your leader wants something like recognizible and driving melody played on keyboard.
If that is the case just compose some kind of repetitive riff as extention to verse melody, or in contrast to it, and for right hand only.
Would say it better to press chord progression by left hand with simple piano sound while selecting proper notes for right hand.
If you will try to compose under prepared backing track then the rhythm may mislead you from good idea for your melody.

jeremykeys · Post by **jeremykeys** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:29 am

Great vids and great ideas everyone. Thanks! This will be an uN-acompnied solo. Just me by myself.
So far I'm thinking of starting on piano with something slowish that has maybe some simple drum and bass pattern and then pick it up a notch and switch to organ After that it will pick up again and I'll do lead stuff with one of my custom lead sounds. Haven't even started on it yet though. I"ll let you hear it once it's done but any more suggestions would always be welcome.

zzz · Post by **zzz** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:00 pm

Are you old enough to remember Jeff Beck's "secret" mouth tube he controlled his guitar with? Try something like that, with your voice acting as the filter/controller for your sound, but make sure the audience knows, by making your solution flash with christmas light or something (pub audiences arn't usually subtle jazz cats). If you can manage to get an 'in mouth' fix, rather than a chin mic, even better-rer!

mathieumaes · Post by **mathieumaes** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:58 pm

Buy a keytar, stage presence is more important then the actual notes in your solo...

DocBambs · Post by **DocBambs** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:25 pm

Surely this is an excuse to use a crazy KARMA sound set plus a big thick synth sound with massive amounts of reverb and complex modulations via the joystick and ribbon? I don't think that the complexity of your playing is so important - it's more about the performance... making a show of the changes which could be just KARMA scene changes! (I'm still very new to KARMA but I understand that you can set the scene changes to happen at the next bar - that allows for more theatrics too!)

I love @mathieumaes idea of using a keytar. Even without one, why not make a show of using your external controllers - how about a Korg nanoPad on a long USB cable configured with a set of massive power chords?

Don't forget the sound fx library too... you could use some of the vehicle sounds, or the army retreat and explosions, or even some of the sporting sounds for an Olympic theme!

Smooth transitions also gives you the option to start with an over the top sound fx or perhaps even orchestral led introduction.

What about wearing a cape?

You could set up a smoke machine and lighting to make the performance dramatic, especially as the singer won't be moaning about breathing in the smoke at the time.

DB (busy planning his own solo now that you've got him thinking about it!)

Darmin De'flern · Post by **Darmin De'flern** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:01 pm

Sorry for double post but Laptop crashed.

Darmin De'flern · Post by **Darmin De'flern** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:26 pm

jeremykeys wrote:In my hard rock band, my guitarist AKA the band leader, has decided that it would be "like totally awesome!' to have a keyboard solo. Also a drum solo but that's another topic and I won't bore you with it.
I've always found keyboard solos to be, well, somewhat like what teen-age males tend to do a lot if they don't have a girl friend and have internet p**n. That is unless you have the chops of Jordan Rudess and are playing big stadiums and thousands of people have payed scads of dollars to see you. Oh yeah, and they are all high!

Enter my dilemma. I have to come up with something that is entertaining, show offy, not boring, and I guess blows the audience away.
I've watched a few on you-tube and so far nothing has given me any ideas that I really want to work with.
I've been to a Jordan Rudess clinic and he played a bunch of his own material with backing tracks. Sounded amazing but everyone is there to hear and see him play. My band is playing bars. Most audiences want stuff they can drink and dance to.
I'm wondering if anybody here does a seriously rocking keyboard solo on their Kronos and if the are using backing tracks when they do.
I'm kind of heading in that direction. Organ, lead synth, maybe piano over a quick grooving backing track in the sequencer.
Another quick question, does the Kronos sequencer allow for tempo changes? Different moods might be helpful.

While most people are saying to go loud and proud my advice is less is more sometimes. What I mean is this if you have a melodic piano or piano string melody thats nice haunting tune maybe on minor scales primarily. This will contrast with the heavier type of music your band plays to.

While I didn't play a solo when I was in an hard rock (with goth edge) I did play a fair amount of the middle eights and/or intros. If you have a hard music song a two minute melodic solo then straight into another song then that type of contrast can really work well in a set or even within a song.

Paradise One Second Album is an excellent example of using Piano and keyboard to give that contrast. Type O Negative do the same however their music tends to be slower anyway

.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:26 am

I don't know if you have any classical piano training but that always does well in a metal(ish) setting. Also, personally I would much rather opt for a two minute build up piano solo, and having the band join at the end to continue to the next song (so basically like a very long intro) than for arranger-type Karma tricks. If you do the Karma stuff I'd say use it for rhythmic synths or something, not drums. That (to me personally) just seems lame in a rock band setting.

jeebustrain · Post by **jeebustrain** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:54 am

I had the same thing come up in a band I was in late last year. I ended up doing this (which was about 90% improvised - hence the carpet crawlers section). Twas a bit sloppy, But people seemed to like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC8J4_Z4ZlQ

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Rock Keyboard Solo

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