Emerson/Kronos at Moogfest

trstack · Post by **trstack** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 1:03 pm

Keith Emerson at Moogfest 2014 performing Fanfare on the Kronos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErS-ruJmlgo

Post by **Sharp** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 1:57 pm

Reminds me of watching my father trying to type with two fingers on a computer keyboard. He can do it, but it just looks wrong and you can almost see his brain searching for each letter on the keyboard as he's so slow.

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:36 pm

Very strange indeed. It felt like the keyboardist just met the band 3 minutes before the show. He seemed very confused and disconnected ...

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:09 pm

Assyrianpianist wrote:Very strange indeed. It felt like the keyboardist just met the band 3 minutes before the show. He seemed very confused and disconnected ...

Motorcycle accident, nerve damage. From Steve Fortner's interview ...

SF: We’re going to close with a question I know is sensitive. Given your arm surgery in the early ’90s, too many readers to name have inquired about the health of your hands.

KE: At this point, it hasn’t made too much of a difference in the way I approach music. I had this operation that I now know was unnecessary because I’ve seen a lot of other neurologists since. It destroyed a few nerve endings. I’ve had a long battle to overcome it, and for a time thought I was going to end up like João Carlos Martins, who had to give up playing with his right hand. I think where the original problem came from was a motorcycle accident where I got whiplash, as the ulnar nerve starts at your neck and goes down your arm. I’m getting better because I’ve learned to drop my wrists and relax my thumbs, and the good news is, I think my composition has actually improved. I may look awkward, but all musicians have their “stances”—Horowitz had very flat fingers, and Monk looked so awkward when he played that he felt embarrassed. When people at concerts ask me, “How’s your arm?” I usually respond, “Well, how did it sound?” If it sounded good, that’s all that matters. I’ll always find some way to get the f***ing music out!

http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/2392

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:31 pm

Thanks! That totally explained the situation.

In general, bad playing habits (not related to illness/accidents) can be extremely distracting. I saw a documentary of a famous pianist (Glen Gould) who used to make all kinds of strange gestures during his performance. He would talk and conduct himself during his solo performance. They even made a comment about how hard it was to record him, because he would sing/talk the parts and it would ruin the recording. He believed that was part of his performance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AirAT7gN6A0

he does little bit of it in this video...I've seen videos of him singing real loud...louder than piano

Billy McBride · Post by **Billy McBride** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 8:29 pm

Cool, thanks for sharing this video. I am a fan of Keith, and enjoyed this music.

kenackr · Post by **kenackr** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 9:17 pm

I’m getting better because I’ve learned to drop my wrists and relax my thumbs, and the good news is, I think my composition has actually improved.

Interesting thing, muscle tensions & wrists. I had to stop playing for about 5 years because of tunnel carpal. I finally found a Piano teacher who understood the secrets of how to reduce the physical stress to those muscles because she had the same problem. What she was taught after 20 years of playing saved her from having to quit.

She's teaching me those things now. Drop those wrists & relax those thumbs, it can't be done overnight because you're having to re-train muscle memory that's been in use for many years. She indicates that a large percentage of players don't know about this, including many teachers. Glad I found her so I can get back to playing again. I understand exactly what K.E. was saying.

If your wrists are not dropping and your hands & fingers are also extremely fatigued after playing for an hour (or more), you might want to check it out to extend your playing "life".

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:32 am

Assyrianpianist wrote:Thanks! That totally explained the situation.

In general, bad playing habits (not related to illness/accidents) can be extremely distracting. I saw a documentary of a famous pianist (Glen Gould) who used to make all kinds of strange gestures during his performance. He would talk and conduct himself during his solo performance. They even made a comment about how hard it was to record him, because he would sing/talk the parts and it would ruin the recording. He believed that was part of his performance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AirAT7gN6A0

he does little bit of it in this video...I've seen videos of him singing real loud...louder than piano

It's a big part of why I can't stand Keith Jarrett recordings.

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 3:59 am

SanderXpander wrote:It's a big part of why I can't stand Keith Jarrett recordings.

oh man he's one of the worst offenders. All the wrestling, dancing and singing that he does only takes away from their wonderful performance.

Kenny59 · Post by **Kenny59** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:47 pm

Although he may not be as he once was, I still look up to Keith as he was a major inspiration to me all of my life. I applaud his efforts to play even though seemingly unorthodox. I wish I had a small piece of his knowledge, even now.

God Bless him and hopefully he will play until the end. Music is not always about style points, but what one feels while he is creating it.

@Keith Emerson: Keep on doing what you do best and I will be there to support you. This also pertains to other greats whose better years are behind them.

Kenny59

jeremykeys · Post by **jeremykeys** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:07 pm

It seems that he took it off of Youtube. Too Bad. I would have like to have seen it.

I've always been a huge fan.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:12 am

Kenny59 wrote:Although he may not be as he once was, I still look up to Keith as he was a major inspiration to me all of my life. I applaud his efforts to play even though seemingly unorthodox. I wish I had a small piece of his knowledge, even now.

God Bless him and hopefully he will play until the end. Music is not always about style points, but what one feels while he is creating it.

@Keith Emerson: Keep on doing what you do best and I will be there to support you. This also pertains to other greats whose better years are behind them.

Kenny59

I agree 100% with you. KE is a true legend. He had such an advanced style. I have midi files of several of his ( or ELP) tunes. What an incredible challenge it is to play his many songs , even parts of them.

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:33 am

GregC wrote: What an incredible challenge it is to play his many songs , even parts of them.

Many of his songs have parts with bouncing pads/synths going through all kinds of filters...etc. That's not exactly a melodic/harmonic phrase that is meant to be played by someone else. The fanfare song for example ....It had parts that were very vague without a clear melody, and it had parts with exact melody and harmony.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:11 am

Assyrianpianist wrote:
GregC wrote: What an incredible challenge it is to play his many songs , even parts of them.
Many of his songs have parts with bouncing pads/synths going through all kinds of filters...etc. That's not exactly a melodic/harmonic phrase that is meant to be played by someone else. The fanfare song for example ....It had parts that were very vague without a clear melody, and it had parts with exact melody and harmony.

that does not surprise me. On the other side, his piano work is advanced, his left and right hand independence amazes me.

PianoManChuck · Post by **PianoManChuck** » Mon May 05, 2014 4:27 am

trstack wrote:Keith Emerson at Moogfest 2014 performing Fanfare on the Kronos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErS-ruJmlgo

I would have loved to see this video, but it says "video removed by the user"

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