Keyboard Confab

May 12th, 2008. Filed under: Generic Stories.

As we do every year, Music Connection has again pulled together a stellar group of players. Not only the guys in the spotlight, but legendary sidemen┬а and session cats who've contributed something unique to some of the greatest recordings ever made. As you read the following comments, please remember that you can check out the life and work of each of our interviewees via their personal websites.

FRED MANDEL

Alice Cooper, Queen, Elton John
mailfred@earthlink.net

Whether playing for Alice Cooper, Queen, Elton John, Supertramp, or Pink Floyd, Fred Mandel got the gig and the job done. A guitarist, as well, he has applied a unique sense of phrasing and vibrato to his leads, but was always spot-on when it came to accompanying a famous lead singer. As a writer, Mandel contributed songs as well as sounds, and you can look for updates on his future music projects at www.myspace.com/fredmandel.

тАФCURRENT RIGтАФ

I use an Alesis QS8 for my piano sounds, because I really like how it can poke right through a rock & roll mix. I use a Roland VR-760, which is kind of the platypus of the keyboard family; itтАЩs really a B3 organ with waterfall keys, nine drawbars, and Leslie simulation. I really like the way it feels and I have a lot of confidence in its live sound. It also has some good Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds. I also use a little microKORG for keyboard leads. ItтАЩs got three octaves and is good for little soloing stuff.

тАФBUYING TROUBLESтАФ

I broke the Rhodes keyboard after about two days of rehearsing with Alice Cooper [in 1977], so we had to get another piano. I remember seeing Daryl Hall using the Yamaha CP-70; it had just come out and everyone started using them, so I went to a major music chain in L.A. to get one. I was with Dick Wagner [CooperтАЩs guitarist/co-writer], and we tried it out and really liked it. But when I told the salesman I was interested in buying it, he played hard to get. He told us he wasnтАЩt sure he could sell it to us, because the Beach Boys want a couple and then Alice Cooper wanted one as well. He was playing the name game, but didnтАЩt realize that heтАЩd just dropped the wrong name! It was so embarrassing; we just looked at each other like, тАЬArenтАЩt we in that Alice Cooper band?тАЭ That guy blew a $3,000 deal because we went ahead and ordered it from Chicago.

тАФALICE COOPER RIGтАФ

There was a lot of gear back in those days, so IтАЩm not sure if I can recollect everything, but for sure I had the Yamaha CP-70 with an old Boss chorus. I had an ARP Solina string-machine, and I ended up with a four-voice Oberheim. That was really cool because, before that, I had a MaxiKorg that was only capable of two notes at a time; it was great for soloing like Jan Hammer, or for horn shots, but for $5,600 I could get the Oberheim four-voice. It had four modules, which you had to tune, and it was a temperamental little thing that I would sometimes tune by hitting with my shoe. I had one of the first modifications when they added a bender on to my Oberheim. I always thought in guitar terms and I always wanted to bend notes when I was soloing on a synthesizer.

тАФTHE QUEEN GIGтАФ

I had to learn all the Queen music in about a week, which wasnтАЩt so easy, because they had just come out with Hot Space. Freddie Mercury was experimenting at the time so it wasnтАЩt a symmetrical record; theyтАЩd do a verse, chorus, half a verse, two-thirds of another chorus, and so on. They also needed someone to play the bass on the keyboards, because by this point John Deacon was playing more rhythm guitar on some of those tunes. That was rough, because if you donтАЩt know the song so much when youтАЩre playing a string patch, you can just stop. But there I was, out in the open, playing the bass for the band, and thereтАЩs no stopping. I used two Roland Jupiter 8тАЩs and the Yamaha CP-70. Freddie liked my rock & roll playing and he started to bring me out front to play тАЬCrazy Little Thing Called Love.тАЭ It was a great honor, because they would all take solos and then they gave me a solo, and Fred would drag me out and introduce me to the crowd.

тАФKEEPING A GIGтАФ

I impressed Elton John, because not only did I learn the keyboard parts, but I listened to the record and figured out all the intricate orchestrations тАФ which I then incorporated into the live show.

тАФGETTING PROPER CREDITтАФ

When we [Queen] were recording тАЬMan on the Prowl,тАЭ for The Works, Freddie was playing it up to a certain point and then he said he wanted me to take over and solo. I asked if he was sure about giving me the solo, and he answered, тАЬYes darling, theyтАЩll think itтАЩs me.тАЭ But on the record it says, тАЬSpecial thanks to Fred Mandel for the rip roaring solo on тАШMan on the Prowl.тАЩтАЭ That shows you what kind of guy Freddie was. Queen credited me for everything, but I play on other stuff that you may not know about: I played on Cheap TrickтАЩs тАЬIf You Want My LoveтАЭ [One On One, 1982] and also on the Heavy Metal soundtrack. Then thereтАЩs Pink FloydтАЩs The Wall, where I got credit on the soundtrack, but not the actual album. I did the Hammond B3 stuff, but I remember when we did that session David Gilmour got us Chinese food and was showing us slides of what the wall was going to look like, and I think the album covers were already being printed.┬а

DARYL HALL

Hall & Oates Wolfson PR, Jonathan Wolfson,
wolfsonpr@hotmail.com

The Best Selling Pop Duo of All Time. It's a title that Hall & Oates can cherish despite getting overlooked by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The duo's worth, however, is not lost on BMI which is honoring the act with an Icon Award.
A couple of days after that, on May 22-23, the duo will celebrate at The Troubadour, an L.A. venue they havenтАЩt played since 1973. But itтАЩs not all nostalgia and back-pats for Daryl Hall; if you go to www.livefromdarylshouse.com, youтАЩll see that the singer/songwriter has entered the cyber age with a site thatтАЩs bringing his soul to a new generation of fans тАФ some of whom are the very artists he jams with on the show.┬а

тАФLIVE FROM DARYLтАЩS HOUSEтАФ

Simply put, Live from DarylтАЩs House is a website [www.livefromdarylshouse.com] dedicated to live performance. I go on with a different show every month, and itтАЩs free, by the way. ItтАЩs basically T-Bone Wolk and myself playing songs with a guest-of-the-month, sometimes two guests. ItтАЩs very intimate and really loose, itтАЩs in my house, and itтАЩs just what it says, Live from DarylтАЩs House. You really get to be a fly on the wall from the rehearsal process, and the interaction between my band and the guests. One of the advantages of doing it at my house is that we donтАЩt have an audience, so it feels even more live than live. We can stop if we need to learn a song, and immediately after learning it we play it, and sometimes the camera captures the whole process. I love collaboration and working with new people, because you never know whatтАЩs going to happen; everybodyтАЩs on their toes and no oneтАЩs phoning anything in.

тАФCURRENT SET-UPтАФ

Most of the time I play with my old Wurl-itzer, because I like that old funky sound. Occasionally IтАЩll play my Yamaha Motif. ItтАЩs all about keeping it simple; you know, that whole organic thing.

тАФUNCREDITED PHILLY SOULтАФ

Philly Soul was the sound of the city; it was just what we did. I canтАЩt remember everything, but I played on some Delfonics records, some Three Degrees records, some Jerry Butler records, a lot of stuff with Clyde McPhatter. My first record that I ever made was with Gamble & Huff, so we werenтАЩt just playing Philly Soul, we were Philly Soul. We were all just teenagers making music together, so we were just as much a part of it as Steve Cropper was with the Memphis sound.

"John and I were the first people in America to have a Mellotron." - Daryl Hall

тАФPIONEER STUDIO GEARтАФ

My whole musical life in the studio parallels the rise of technology and keyboards. What was around when I started? There were Farfisa organs, Hammond organs, Wurlitzer pianos, and the odd Fender Rhodes, and that was about it. Nobody knows this, but John and I were the first people in America to have a Mellotron. We went to a warehouse in New Jersey and we bought the first one ever brought into the United States. I was so excited about it that I called up my mother and played it for her over the phone. It was incredibly revolutionary. IтАЩll give you another example: I was working with a guy in the 70тАЩs named Larry Fast, an innovative synth person working on the PolyMoog with Bob Moog. This was another revolutionary instrument, because before it came out you could only play one note at a time. So this opened up a whole new world of keyboards. I saw the prototype and we got the second one ever built. I used it on the Sacred Songs album with Robert Fripp, and I think it was the first time it was ever used.┬а

тАФDRIVING THE BUSтАФ

My keyboard parts are unique and IтАЩve been told that itтАЩs very hard to copy them. ThatтАЩs because I play in a certain way with a certain feel. It means that the whole band is playing off my rhythm; thatтАЩs what I call тАЬdriving the bus.тАЭ Any drummer I worked with successfully has always played off of my singing and my keyboards, and the other guys are secondary; that even crosses over to the way my monitors are set up live.

тАФMUSIC LESSONSтАФ

My mother was a music teacher and a singer in a band, so music was around me from zero. I took up piano at five and stuck with it until about 13 when I said, тАЬFuck this!тАЭ A lot of what I learned was from Leon Huff and Tommy Bell. I did so many sessions, and was in the room playing along with these guys, and I really learned a lot about voicings. While they were both very churchy, they had different styles, and I would say that Bell was probably more formally trained.
To get technical about it, a lot of what those two did came from how they played the bass with the left hand and a lot of octaves in the right hand. There were also a lot of 2nds too; for instance, if IтАЩm playing an A minor7 chord, IтАЩd play the G and the A together with my thumb. ItтАЩs a gospel sound, really.

тАФPLAYER/SONGWRITERтАФ

Generally, there are two kinds of musicians; session guys and songwriters. I wouldnтАЩt call myself an amazing technician; IтАЩm a really sloppy player. I mean, IтАЩm pretty good, but IтАЩm not a dazzling player; thatтАЩs because when I sit down at the keyboard I do it to accompany myself and my voice, not because I want to play like this player or that player. For me, playing has always been more about working out a song.┬а

PAUL HUMPHREYS┬а

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Kayos Productions, Carol Kaye,
Carol@kayosproductions.com

OMD was the ELO of a new genre of music called synth-pop. When they started, there was no such thing as MIDI, and with homemade gear they were making music that was brand new. Sure, the Pretty In Pink soundtrack will forever make OMD a prom classic, but itтАЩs albums like Architecture & Morality that will put them in the synth hall of fame. The band recently reformed and brought the album back to life for a live audience (and new DVD), and Humphreys recalls the challenges of reviving old gear. ┬а

тАФRECREATING CLASSICSтАФ

When we toured last year we got some help from Roland. They gave us access to the top-of-the-line Fantom-X8 тАФ it not only has a brilliant sampler, but it also has a fantastic synth built into it. When we toured last year we played a lot of the older songs, but some of that old gear stopped working, so I spent time on eBay buying up the old synths and sampling them into the Fantom. We also baked our old two-inch masters and ran them into Pro Tools where I separated-out and sampled whole phrases and then cut out and looped each individual note that I played. I own many of the old synths, but now theyтАЩre virtually represented in our performances, and they sound so close that hardly anyone would ever know the difference.

тАФKEYS FROM EBAYтАФ

When my last Korg fell off the back of a truck and smashed into a million pieces I had to go on eBay to find another one, and it was a nightmare because I was outbid four times and it drove me mad. Everyone has their own eBay techniques, donтАЩt they? Obviously I try to bid in the last 20 seconds, even though, as you can see, it doesnтАЩt always work. IтАЩve gotten over the suspicion of buying from eBay, because IтАЩve had so many transactions now and theyтАЩve all been fine. The other day I bought a big console on eBay and I went up to Scotland to get it. The thing is, if you use PayPal, youтАЩre protected. I heard a couple of nightmare [eBay] stories, but when I buy old synths I ask for a lot of detailed photographs and so far I have no complaints.

"I spent time on eBay buying up the old synths and sampling them into the Fantom."

тАФPaul Humphreys ┬а ┬а

тАФCHEAP SYNTHSтАФ

There was a very interesting transitional time between the late 70тАЩs and early 70тАЩs, particularly with electronic music and gear. You know, Kraftwerk led the way because they were having things made for them; their parents were rich industrialists and they had all the money they needed to get the most amazing machines built. But Andy McCluskey and I came from working class backgrounds, so the question became how to make electronic music if we donтАЩt have money. Fortunately I studied electronics so I used to make our first synths, even though they were never very reliable; IтАЩd switched them off and theyтАЩd make a different sound when I turned them on the next day.

тАФTHE MELODICAтАФ

Only a couple of months ago I was thinking about how much I used to play the melodica onstage, and how IтАЩd lost the last one I had. I was saying to my partner that I want to start playing the melodica again. I just found it a very inspiring instrument, I love the harmonic, the tone, I mean, just the whole feel of it. Every time I picked it up I wrote a good part with it. We used it quite a bit in OMD, really, on songs like тАЬSea LandтАЭ where I played the lead line with it.

тАФFAIRLIGHT CMI VERSES MELLOTRONтАФ

The Fairlight was like the 80тАЩs version of a Mellotron. You could sample anything into it. In the mid-80тАЩs we spent about $50,000 on a Fairlight because at the time it had a brilliant sequencer. With hardly any sample time, the sequencer was an┬а 8-track monophonic sequencer, so that if you wanted to play a triad you were using three of your eight tracks already. The Mellotron was also an amazing machine, although they were pretty unreliable. I remember we played a big gig in a small French town and we couldnтАЩt get it in tune, so we got a volt-meter and checked the voltage of the town. Since everyone in town was cooking it dropped the voltage down so low that it could barely run the MellotronтАЩs motor. I couldnтАЩt get it in tune until everyone stopped cooking! [laughs] But there was a technique in playing Mellotrons, because you know, its not a tape loop, but rather a tape that would last for about twenty seconds, and then the tape had to rewind before you used it again. So you had to plan your chords around that tape being allowed to reload before you could play it again.

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STATIC REVENGER

Madonna Rephlektor Inkorporated, Justin Kleinfeld
Justin@rephlektorink.com┬а

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Best known for his worldwide club hit, тАЬHappy People,тАЭ Dennis White (aka Static Revenger) is also known for making tracks for Madonna, and the Weekend Players (who he collaborated with on тАЬInto The Sun,тАЭ a No. 1 club hit), and is putting out his latest release, Love Song Surprise, all by himself. A guy who doesnтАЩt like being told what to do, this producer/player is proof that you can overcome your formal training.

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тАФBORING LESSONSтАФ

I started drums from about fifth grade to eighth grade, but as I got more into music my dad gave me a good piece of advice when he told me that the majority of the song royalties werenтАЩt going to Ringo of the Beatles, but to Lennon and McCartney who wrote most of the songs. I started taking piano lessons the regular way, where I would sit down with the Hannon exercises, then a little Chopin, etc. IтАЩm telling you, I just couldnтАЩt get may head around it; I was completely bored. It was around that time that I saw the David Bowie Serious Moonlight Tour, and I think it was Mike Garson who was playing тАЬChangesтАЭ; he was just fucking around at the end of it, and that was my moment. тАЬThatтАЩs what I want to do!тАЭ I needed to find a teacher who would show me what notes go with which chords, so I could do whatever I wanted to do. Then I heard Irving Berlin couldnтАЩt read music, and that was the end of my relationship with notes on a printed page.

тАФGEARтАФ

IтАЩm not one of those guys who collects a bunch of synths, though I often regret it. IтАЩm usually the first guy to get rid of shit. I got into this phase where I bought into the whole soft-synth thing, and before I even got that into it I sold off most of my other gear. I do have some things left over that I still use, like an original Roland Juno 6. I have my Nord Lead from 1996, and I still have my Sequential Circuits drum machine. But my most recent piece is the Moog, Little Phatty [the last synthesizer Bob Moog worked on]. Man, do I love being able to turn it on and not have to fuck with a mouse! For me, getting around the Little Phatty was instantly gratifying and fun, and my last few tracks almost only use that.

тАФOUTSIDE INFLUENCESтАФ

Today, more often than not, hearing conversations тАФ rather than other peopleтАЩs music тАФ is inspiring me. I pay attention to the cadence when people speak, and itтАЩs especially effective when IтАЩm traveling and I donтАЩt know the language. Back in the 90тАЩs, when I was on a major label, I could afford to go abroad and just hang out. So when I was getting ready to do an album, I would go to a place where I didnтАЩt understand a word I was hearing, particularly in Japan where the language is very rhythmic and melodic.

тАФVOICINGSтАФ

I instantly go for the Sus4тАЩs the sixths, the ninths, and the elevenths. I instantly go for the relative minor, and anytime IтАЩm going to bother to play that Minor chord, IтАЩll always play the relative Major on top of it. For me, the color is outside of the triads; itтАЩs not the solid black on the painting, but the color in between.

тАФFAVORITE PLAYERSтАФ

I always liked Thelonious Monk, from an irrationally young age. I can now say that I love the way he was fucking around with notes, and that thereтАЩs something really nervy about the way he played. As far as synth players, Thomas Dolby (The Golden Age of Wireless), Tomita (Bermuda Triangle), and Brian Eno (Before and After Science) were really important to me. I wish I could give a more creative answer than Brian Eno, but what the hell? ItтАЩs the truth! There were electronic artists that I didnтАЩt really go for, like Wendy/Walter Carlos.┬а

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JOHN BEASLEY

American Idol, Pussycat Dolls,
Queen Latifah
DL Media, Don Lucoff,
don@jazzpublicity.com

You know how people say, тАЬHeтАЩs the real McGyver?тАЭ Well John Beasley is, having played keyboards for that show and a host of other television and movie hits (from Cheers to Godfather III). Today heтАЩs the musical director of the Pussycat Dolls show, as well as the arranger and musical director of American Idol. And while he knows all about making amateurs look good, heтАЩs also Queen LatifahтАЩs musical director and has toured and recorded with the legendary Miles Davis. Now BeasleyтАЩs got a tribute CD to one of his biggest influences, called Letter to Herbie.┬а

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тАФHERBIE HANCOCKтАФ

For the tribute CD I didnтАЩt want to try to recreate Herbie Hancock, because that would be impossible and itтАЩs not in his spirit. My idea was to find tunes and to be able to flip them and change them up, and put my harmonic and rhythm sense to it. IтАЩve taken some of his more straightahead songs, like тАЬEye of the Hurricane,тАЭ and I put in a little Afro-Cuban thing. Then I combine тАЬTell Me A Bedtime StoryтАЭ and тАЬMaiden VoyageтАЭ so itтАЩs kind of a mash-up. The reason why I felt comfortable doing it was because he really set it up for me and my generation тАФ to come from a jazz background and play with funk, rock, and electronics, and not just staying in one place. We have to give him a lot of praise for that.

тАФCURRENT RIGтАФ

My home studio is pretty well equipped. I have a Yamaha T7, a Fender Rhodes 73 suitcase that IтАЩve had since 1978, and it has been tricked out by Ken Rich. I have a Wurlitzer Blacktop, the Nord Lead 2, a Nord Stage 88, a Roland Juno 6, and I still have my Minimoog. IтАЩm really crazy about the Kurzweil PC3. What a great axe that is: theyтАЩve got the organ thing down, and theyтАЩve finally got the Rhodes samples together where you can dig in and make them growl. Then, of course, the orchestral stuff is great. IтАЩm endorsed by Native Instruments and I love Reaktor, Kontakt, Massive, and Absynth тАФ itтАЩs all really great. So basically now itтАЩs mostly in the box. I go out there with one keyboard and one laptop.┬а

тАФTODAYтАЩS SESSION MANтАФ

Now [my work is] all built around songwriting and producing tracks, be-cause [the session work era] is mostly over. Nowadays a lot of composers have already done the bulk of the synth work using their keyboards, so you need to be able to play stuff that they canтАЩt play. I get a lot of piano work, Rhodes work, and B3 stuff. You make less money in the studio nowadays than you do on the road, but in both situations you need to have a real feel for the music. In the film world you still need to be able to sight read, and if you get a classical piece you need to be able to nail it pretty soon, because no one wants to pay you to learn it.

тАФPLAYING WITH MILESтАФ

In 1989 I spent a year with Miles Davis. IтАЩm on Live In Europe and Time After Time. It was fantastic! I had my Kurzweil, my Korg M1тАЩs or M2тАЩs, and the Roland D-50. Miles was way into Prince and R&B. For the most part weтАЩd start out with a groove and then heтАЩd ask people to make their solos short and funky. I think one of the reasons he hired me is because he liked my harmonic concept, where I play off the pocket. Some nights I just didnтАЩt know if I had the stuff, and he was like, тАЬIтАЩm going to feed you.тАЭ He started feeding me riffs from an OBX, or even with his horn; heтАЩd look at me and start playing a rhythm and IтАЩd pick up on it, or heтАЩd play some riffs and IтАЩd answer. I really learned how to listen to everyone in the band, and my timing got better because I ended up leaving more space тАФ I learned to be fearless of that space.
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тАФFAVORITE SCALESтАФ

I love the triple-diminished, but in my right hand IтАЩd go up a minor third, or a half-step, and I learned how to play on top of it to create stress. You can also play a hexatonic scale over anything. Then thereтАЩs polychords, where you have all the scales under your fingertips.

тАФIDOL ACCOMPANISTтАФ

The art of it is trying to break down those songs into a minute-and-30-seconds, and thatтАЩs a craft in itself. You want to stay out of the way of an amateur vocalist, and you have to remember to watch what you play because a professional singer may be able to handle some things that would be totally distracting to an amateur. ItтАЩs great for young musicians to back up singers, because you learn how to follow instead of leading. ItтАЩs great to know the lyrics and the melody, not just the chord changes, because then you can voice a chord around the melody instead of stepping on it.┬а

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FRANK SACRAMONE

Bushwhack Chipster PR, Chip Ruggieri,
Chipsterchip@chipsterpr.com

They may be looking for a singer now, but until that happens Bush-whack are an amazing instrumental prog-metal act тАФ and most in the band are still too young to vote. Frank Sacramone is still enrolled in the Berklee College of Music, but heтАЩs driven to get his band to Madison Square Garden someday. With a self-titled release out now, the young player tells us what itтАЩs like to grow out of your instruments and into success.┬а

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тАФHOME/SCHOOLтАФ

IтАЩve always had this battle between what I learn in school and what I taught myself. I started the piano at age six or seven, and IтАЩve studied classical music for the 12 years, but when it comes to composing, IтАЩm self-taught. I developed the skills by looking at this little electronic keyboard that would tell me the name of the chord whenever I would play a group of notes тАФ so if I would play, C, E, and G, it would tell me that itтАЩs a C chord. That little keyboard was a Yamaha my parents got me in the fifth grade, and now IтАЩm playing the big guy. ItтАЩs taken a while, but you grow with your instruments.

тАФTECHNO-GENERATIONтАФ

My generation may have an advantage, since weтАЩve grown up with such advanced technology. But it depends on the person, because while I may be comfortable working on CuBase or Logic Pro, or programming the Yamaha Motif, there are other kids who can only do basic stuff on Garageband.┬а

тАФCURRENT RIGтАФ

I have the Yamaha Motif 8 and the Motif SX, and then I have the Kicker, which is the signature Roland Keytar; I have that set up wirelessly so I can run through the crowd or do 360тАЩs off amps and stuff. We try to make our technical rock a lot of fun. IтАЩm a Yamaha guy so IтАЩm going to keep on working towards an endorsement one day. I also use a mini-rack that has two Lexicon MX 200тАЩs, multi-effects processors that I could use for delay, flanger, etc. IтАЩll usually have one of my Motifs on one sample, and the other Motif on another sample, and then IтАЩll have the Nord on the side. I run the MotifтАЩs through the two processors, and that goes out to a little mini mixer that sits on top of my Motif 8, which then goes out to the direct boxes.

тАФSTOCK VS. CUSTOM SOUNDSтАФ

IтАЩll take some sounds right from the keyboard library, but one thing I like to do is layer two different pre-made instruments to create a completely new sound. For example, on the song тАЬHonorтАЭ I created a sine-wave/triangular wave that I made with a Nord combined with another sound from the Motif.

тАФTRACKING KEYSтАФ

When laying down a lot of keyboard parts, we did separate tracks for low keyboard parts, for medium keyboard parts, and for high keyboard parts; that way, when we mixed them together, you can have more control over the dynamics of the song, and it prevents things from getting too mushy.
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