A Few Questions About Rock...

[newkidintown]

First off, I'm sorry if this is in the wrong board, I'm new, so I just kinda guessed.

Basically, does anyone have any advice/tips on playing and performing rock? As in, Led Zep, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC  rock, not Coldplay "rock".

My main issues have been 1) compensating for the lack of singing (in other words, playing cantabile well), 2) being able to make the piano sound "hardcore" enough, 3) having good stage presence without being too over the top, and 4) being able to make arrangements up to my level (I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, quite the opposite; coming from a classical background and then transitioning to rock after quitting lessons, I have no clue how to do rewrites. So if there's a really easy or dull sounding piece, no matter how good a song it is, I have to look over it and find another one due to the arrangement). Also, if anyone has any experience in playing solo rock piano, I'd love to hear about it!

I know these are really beginnerish questions, but any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

[jonalexher]

you should check out vkgoeswild on youtube!

[robson]

I thought rock was dead, wasn't it?

solo rock piano? man what are you smoking 

[natalyaturetskii]

you should check out vkgoeswild on youtube!

Yes, I agree - she's really good and definitely an amazing rock pianist!

Natalya

[thorn]

My main issues have been 1) compensating for the lack of singing (in other words, playing cantabile well), 2) being able to make the piano sound "hardcore" enough, 3) having good stage presence without being too over the top, and 4) being able to make arrangements up to my level (I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, quite the opposite; coming from a classical background and then transitioning to rock after quitting lessons, I have no clue how to do rewrites. So if there's a really easy or dull sounding piece, no matter how good a song it is, I have to look over it and find another one due to the arrangement). Also, if anyone has any experience in playing solo rock piano, I'd love to hear about it!

1) Good cantabile style is an issue across any genre of music, I don't think it's more of an issue in music that was meant to be sung and there's a danger to overcompensate- for example, a lot of rock piano arrangements have the melody in octaves just to scream out THIS IS THE MELODY! Which kind of betrays a lack of cantabile style ability in the arranger?

2) A piano is a piano. I think it's about whether or not it sounds like it works to YOU. You are not going to get the different timbres of a rock band on a piano, no more than you're going to get the timbres of an orchestra on a piano if you're doing that sort of arrangement. Audience-wise, you get those who think it's amazing and those who don't think it works. This happens regardless of the quality of the arrangement!

3) Stage presence is subjective. Do what comes naturally. The ability to engage and excite an audience doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a performing monkey à la Lang Lang. Look at how someone like Rubinstein played.

4) How to arrange. Obviously if the piece is dull you shouldn't be arranging it because you won't have the interest to see it through! But don't be put off by easiness. I don't know what level you are, but I am an arranger of many things (including rock) and classical piano wise, I play stuff at the upper end of the repertoire. To arrange a piece of music of any style, in my view, is to take it and rewrite it yourself. If you don't like it, then you're at perfect liberty to add to it as you please. I've changed whole accompaniments before because I find them too easy. There are so many layers/parts in rock music that if you don't like what one instrument is doing, another instrument will usually be doing something else you can incorporate into your arrangement!

I think that's all I have to say for now...

[newkidintown]

Thank you so much, everyone! I looked at the youtube channel that was suggested, and she was AMAZING. And thank you thorn, that helped so, so, so, so so so much.

P.S. No, rock isn't dead, and solo rock piano isn't terribly crazy if you think about it. IMO, music is supposed to be a form of expression, so if you have trouble expressing yourself through one genre, why not play the genre with which you can express yourself?

[robson]

IMO, music is supposed to be a form of expression, so if you have trouble expressing yourself through one genre, why not play the genre with which you can express yourself?

well, good luck with this. Show me anybody playing solo rock with success because I have never heard of...

[elmojr]

newkidintown, one of the best ways to learn how to play rock piano is to study note-for-note keyboard transcriptions of rock classics.

One of the best resources for accurate transcriptions is the ManyMIDI Products Piano Transcriptions Page.

Included are Dr. John, Billy Powell ('Lynyrd Skynyrd'), Booker T., Chuck Leavell, Roy Bittan, Rick Wakeman, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chris Stainton, Nicky Hopkins, Ian Stewart, Brian Wilson and many others.

All transcriptions are available for immediate download, with an Unconditional Money-back Guarantee.

Also, transcriptions-to-order are available.

[pianoplunker]

First off, I'm sorry if this is in the wrong board, I'm new, so I just kinda guessed.

Basically, does anyone have any advice/tips on playing and performing rock? As in, Led Zep, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC  rock, not Coldplay "rock".

My main issues have been 1) compensating for the lack of singing (in other words, playing cantabile well), 2) being able to make the piano sound "hardcore" enough, 3) having good stage presence without being too over the top, and 4) being able to make arrangements up to my level (I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, quite the opposite; coming from a classical background and then transitioning to rock after quitting lessons, I have no clue how to do rewrites. So if there's a really easy or dull sounding piece, no matter how good a song it is, I have to look over it and find another one due to the arrangement). Also, if anyone has any experience in playing solo rock piano, I'd love to hear about it!

I know these are really beginnerish questions, but any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Some songs are just not going to lend themselves to solo piano. Rock is very dependent on electric guitar and drums. You can download transcriptions of piano parts from rock songs and learn some chops which you can use for other rock songs.  I did once play a piano solo of Stairway to Heaven but that is more of a ballad anyhow, except for the guitar lead at the end.