Čtenáři, možná vás zaskočí, že na českých stránkách nacházíte anglický text. Není to chyba. V současné době pro časopis Muzikus píše newyorský klávesista a pianista Brian Charette. A tak jsem si v redakci řekli, že bychom mohli něco udělat pro zlepšení vašich znalostí angličtiny. Určitě nám dáte za pravdu, že angličtina se na pódiích objevuje stále častěji a potřeba domluvit se na pódiu i v zákulisí se stane brzy samozřejmosti. Proto zde naleznete originální verzi přímo od Briana a na stránkách časopisu Muzikus v čísle 11/2013 článek přeložený Petrem Štikou. Navíc zde máte audio ukázky, které do časopisu jaksi přeložit neumíme. Enjoy reading!
šéfredaktor časopisu Muzikus Ing. Vladimír Švanda
Rock Organ 8
Playing Behind Big Riffs
Finding a great keyboard part for a powerful guitar riff can be a tricky business. This month I'll investigate a few ways to accompany a rocking guitar part. We will be analyzing three classic tunes, "Feels Like the First Time" by Foreigner, "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin, and "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple. Notice in the examples how the keyboard complements the guitar without getting in the way and at the same time provides some interesting contrast and harmony.
In example 1, let's look at "Feels Like the First Time" by Foreigner. The tune begins with a crunchy guitar over a pedal point. As the band enters, the keyboard provides a glittery sextuplet line that works over the whole chord progression. This illustrates a very common technique for keyboard parts in this idiom; playing one repetitive line that works over a few bars of moving harmony. On your synth or plugin at home, dial up some sparkley buzzy Prophet 5- like sound and try our arpeggio in ex 1. The keyboard part is an arpeggio of a G sus chord that keeps repeating as the harmony in the guitar changes. the dissonance of the C and D together help to give us a very open color and are a nice contrast to the triads in the guitar. When you are trying to come up with your own parts, try to find a few notes that work over the whole progression. Add a little flashy technique and you will be there!
Example 2 shows how John Paul Jones plays behind Jimmy Page's killing guitar on Led Zeppelins seminal fourth album. This example shows how powerful a minimal piano part can be in the middle of a Marshal stack. Just like in ex 1, our part stays static over a guitar part that moves underneath. This example just uses octaves to achieve its effect. The octaves keep rolling over the whole progression, basically an A Blues, and supply a driving anchor for Pages masterful Les Paul work. keep your arm loose and relaxed. it's important to not get tense when playing a part like this. Stay loose to keep good time and not get fatigued.
Example 3 moves to the B3 with Jon Lord of Deep Purple on "Smoke on The Water". Many people quote the chorus riff of this song, but there is a really interesting organ part in the verse that we will investigate here. Against Ritchie Blackmore's arpeggiated riff, the organ drops simple triads in the cracks creating a nice counterpoint. This illustrates another main tip for keyboard parts; playing in the spaces of the guitar part. Don't be afraid to choose something really simple. Sometimes a very simple direct idea is all you need. Jon plays this part with great variation so I've enclosed a composite part here. feel free to place the comps on different beats and with variation. You can change the inversion of the chords also occasionally.
In closing I would just like to give a few more tips. Keep an open mind when coming up with parts. Listen to what your other bandmates are playing for inspiration. Your ears will tell you which way to go if they are open. Think of it as having a musical conversation with the guitar, and, don't be afraid to try something unusual.
