Well freaks, I'm going to try to pull out the ol' plastic ivories and add some keys to some of my songs this weekend. As you may well know, I can play keys REAL good - about as well as I play the tuba, so this should be fun.

I'm ear-trained - so, my approach will be primitive and limited at best.

DO you guys have any suggestions on adding keys to existing songs? I know some of you folks work exclusively on keys - Vinablue comes to mind, and JDodson - I don't remember if you have guitars in your stuff - Paisley - another accomplished ivoryman. Thumpinhard definitely has the keyboards going... chickengrease has a good blend of keys and guitars, if I recall correctly - DANG! AM I THE ONLY non-KEYBOARD player in here?

I'm interested in your approach to adding keys as a supportive instrument as opposed to the main instrument to a funk song.

Horn hits? House music type chords - what's your line of thinking on adding stuff to a song? And even you keyboard-only folks - how do y'all successfully layer the keys, so that you don't end up with a big nasty mess? (which is what I keep ending up with).

Keys have always been my main instrument. I use keyboards for drums, synths, loading real bass and drum sounds, etc, mainly because I am not real good on bass (never really had the time or tried to learn how to play professionally) and I don't have a drum set.


Peace,
JD

I have guitar on one track, Flutter, but that's my friend playing.

Otan said:

I used to only write melodies, baselines and counter-melodies. I guess that's how I avoid a big jumbled mess. I wont add chords until the end, if I feel it needs more of a full sound.

When I took music theory classes in high school and college, I was always fascinated by the concept of counterpoint. I always start with a melody or baseline and then add accents wherever I hear they should be. Does that make sense? Probably not. You see, it's hard for me to write chord progressions and I can't even imagine writing a song where there are guitars and keyboards playing chords and a baseline and a melody.

My best advice would be to keep it simple!

Which of your works are you wanting to add keyboard to and are you wanting to add some power chords or melodic elements. I'm learning classical piano so I'm not really qualified to comment, but I'd love to have a listen to the works you are thinking of and add my two bits anyway.

I have no idea which ones to add keys to.

Here's the songs: www.mp3.com/prints

There's three songs
- As Good
- Star69
- Too Rich For Me

As Good would benefit from some gospel-church organ kinda stuff, I imagine.

Star 69 is just full on disco - I'm thinking of yanking out a lot of the guitar solos in there - it's just overkill by the third one.

Too Rich - I have no idea what I'd do.

I REALLY REALLY like what Nikka Costa's last record sounded like - the great blend of keys, guitars, etc, to get a solid 70's vibe... on "Some Kind Of Wonderful" for instance - a Stevie Wonder Clav kind of feel going... I could probably program something like it, or hit the riff once and then sample it, loop it, etc, but to play all the way through a song? Everytime I try, my wrists end up killing me.

WHAT A WIMP!

otan said:

I'm at work at the moment so can you tell me what the chords are for As Good and Too Rich. I'll have a muck around tonight and see if I can come up with any ideas for you.

toccata said:

As Good is just a plain ol major I-IV progression over E.

Too Rich is a one-chord vamp over G, that goes up to C in the bridge. Thanks.