Keyboards in Hard Rock
 

Hey guys, need some recommendations. My band has just added a keyboard player to our lineup, and for most of our music it works OK, but we're having a difficulty getting her to mesh with some of our music, particularly when we play funkier rock stuff and heavy stuff.

In particular, we're trying to avoid the more "classic" rock keyboard / organ sounds - say Deep Purple 'Highway Star' solo sound that tends to be used by bands like Dragon Force, Dream Theater and the like. In the funkier songs it makes it sound way too Stevie Wonder, and in the rock songs it sounds far too retro.

So far we've looked at Faith No More for the more Funk-Metal stuff we do and Nine Inch Nails for some of the harder stuff.

What I'm looking for is more modern rock bands that make good use of keyboards, especially in a funk-metal / hard rock sound. Suggestions?

Aha excellent question:

Tetrafusion, Thanatopsis, Travis Dickerson, Planet X although they're similar to the sounds Rudess uses in Dream Theater...

I highly suggest Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains - Elephant Ghost

Got an old-school original funker Bernie Worrell on keys, but its modern and funky and jammin.

Maybe Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad...

I know there's better examples if I thought of different subgenres but I'm brain farting. Let's see if anyone else has any suggestions and meanwhile you let me know if that helps at all.

Another idea is to embrace the alternative/prog/classic rock sounding keyboard at times because it could stand out. Don't rule it out completely.

Thanks Mrd00d,

forgot about Bucket of Bernie Brains. Definitely adding it to the list... somehow they manage to make the organ sound work...

Thanks for the Tetrafusion recommendation. It's not that I don't like the Rudess sound, but where I am, rock bands that include keyboards do one of two things: there are the Evanescence lite bands, and the older bands doing Rush and King Crimson covers, so we run the risk of sounding like the later at the moment.

I understand, although being fans of Rush and King Crimson I wouldn't mind bands influenced by them. Must find way to modernize those sounds. Just got off work. Will add more recommendations by tomorrow but it will be easier to remember if you respond and bump the thread. Let me know specifically what worked and what didn't out of those reccs.

So far, Bucket of Bernie's Brains and Tetrafusion (when I can find songs that feature the keyboards clearly) seem to fit.

Trying to find Strapping Young Lad songs where the keyboards are clear, so if you can recommend some let me know.

My guitarist also has the prog-metal side well covered - Firewind, Sonata Artica, Dream Theater... I'm trying to build in some others - NIN, White Zombie, Faith No More, Mr Bungle...

I was about to mention Sonata Artica! :)

Why discount earlier music. THE CARS AND DEVO do it better then anyone mentioned. And their sound could never be pidgeon holed in a time period.

Has the urge to go find some Dream Theater to listen to now

So true!

Both The Cars and Devo inspired me to write and to play.

Thanks for all the advice, guys. The difficulty has been meshing keyboards with a bunch of existing songs.

The hardest ones are still the funk-rock songs. Basically we end up with an organ sound, so it always sounds a bit like an old Stevie Wonder song rather than a more modern rock feel.

I'm trying to find some references to describe what I hear in my head. The best way I can describe what I'm looking for is a funk - rock / metal band that uses keys the same way a ska band uses horns... if that makes sense.

I love Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and all Mike Patton's projects. And Zombie projects as well. They just don't often bring the keys to the forefront, so what you're saying is you might want to have your keyboardist take a backseat and jump into things for a measure or 4 or whatever and drop out. Apply where necessary, have her sing backup vocals or something to occupy her. I dunno. Oh and I'm not sure which Strapping Young Lad's songs I should recommend right off. I'll think on it, flip through them, hit youtube and get back to you.

I don't really like keyboards in metal, but some bands can pull it off, like Faith No More. Fear Factory was good with keyboards on Demanufacture, but the other albums after were just trash because of how techno-y they got (overuse of keyboards, electro beats and cleaner vocals).

So yeah, if it doesn't sacrifice heaviness, then yeah, keyboards are fine.

"so what you're saying is you might want to have your keyboardist take a backseat and jump into things for a measure or 4 or whatever and drop out. Apply where necessary, have her sing backup vocals or something to occupy her."

Yeah, when you say it like that it doesn't sound too inviting, does it... but in these particular songs when the sound is constant - or when she mimics the guitar rift - it sounds really hokey. Maybe its the choice of sound on the keyboard - we've tried it with piano / organ / strings...

It's just the way it is. Either it will work out or it won't. I moreso suggest trying to get her not to compliment the music but juxtapose it. See if that might make for nice sounds?

Thanks for all your help and suggestions, guys... especially Mrd00d. Played our first set with the new keyboard player and worked out fine... All came together at the last minute. If I get a decent enough recording I'll post here on day.