I Have Been Challenged -what you think?

[starstruck5]

Some old friends from another site have challenged me to write some piano variations on a famous pop/rock song.

I am thinking -Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun by Pink Floyd or Kashmir by Led Zep -

but what is your favourite song ever? Any suggestions for a tune which would lend itself to piano variations?

[commissiona]

I might like to see Hotel California arranged for piano  .

[commissiona]

Just one more thought on that, if you don't mind.  You might want to pick something that would surely sound good transcribed for piano.  Kashmir would sure be awesome, but the song has such a big and heavy sound that might present a challenge to sound convincing on piano.

Set the Controls would maybe fit that, but then again that may be a little hard for most people to recognize on a piano, perhaps even Pink Floyd fans, as it's very dominated by by drums beats and, you know, that druggy, wandering sound we all know and love.

Anyway, just something I'd think about if I was presented the challenge.

[starstruck5]

Thanks so much for your response -I think The Hotel California has probably one of the best lyrics ever written -not sure the tune would lend itself too well to piano variations though. What I am aiming for is something which would work just as well as that aria that Bach uses to weaves his magical Goldberg Variations -not that I have anywhere close to the genius of JS Bach of course!

These days I struggle to like much pop and rock -I am having a hard time finding something which says -yes that's the one.  I do like Set The Controls -but it is hard to make any joyful variations! Everything ends up sounding menacing, spooky or Rachmaninoff!  the beat is no problem, because I don't have to focus on that -the meoldy and harmony and melodic rhythm is enough -;D Kashmir wants to be Persian all the time.

[commissiona]

I can see where Hotel California may be difficult since the melodic statement is so long, it would have to be broken down into smaller motifs to work with I suppose - eh, I don't know 

Neil Young - Heart of Gold

Beatles 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and Chicago '25 or 6 to 4' (b/c descending basslines in minor seem to lend themselves easily to theme and variation, so anything with similar progressions may work well)

Bobby Hebb - Sunny (great melody, it's been discoed, new waved, punked, just about everthinged)

House of the Rising Sun (been done sucessfully many times)

Layla (at least for the piano thing in the second half of the song, hopefully not too cheesy of an idea)

Bob Seger - Still the Same (great yet very simply structured song)

Led Zeppelin - Stairway (but you probably already thought of this one)

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (hell, if Paul Anka can do it, surely so can you! )

[starstruck5]

Some really great suggestions there! I had a lot of fun checking them out.  Finally though I reverted to my Dance roots -and chose this:  I give a link instead of embedding -cos of possible copyright implications.

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[commissiona]

Wicked!  Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

[roseamelia]

every breath you take would sound good in piano form.;D

[nickadams]

speaking of piano covers of popular songs, you guys should check out vkgoeswild on youtube; she is a classically trained pianist who has switched her career to covering rock, pop, and metal songs.

www.youtube.com/user/vkgoeswild


she was taught by lazar berman and apparently won some classical competitions before turning her focus to pop music