In my first band with a keyboard player...

[Rocks]

I haven't met the keyboard player yet. This is a new band of all seasoned players from around the area. Two guitarists/vocalists. The keys player also plays guitar on the songs with no keys and the other guitarist takes over lead vocals/frontman position. The one comment I heard last night makes me think this will work out well was when they all said how good it finally sounds with a good solid bottom end. This leads me to believe that the keyboard player won't be taking over "my territory" in the mix.

The other thing that was nice was the drummer played in a way that I could stand right there without being pounded back from a heavy handed drummer. Actually, everyone played quiet enough so it wasn't bad at all playing with no ear plugs. A very welcome change!

 

[MNAirHead]

Pull the keys guy out for a beer and come up with some discussion of how to plan out spectrum and activity.

 

[Session1969]

Having a keyboardist is great. A hammond on intros, breakdowns, and just that all around fullness. Keeping him from stepping on the bass is as easy as asking him to think all right hand stuff. Piano and Keys people sometimes have two jobs. Left hand is bass and right hand is melody. Doesn't mean you shouldn't see him use his left hand , just not for bass parts.

 

[Nickthebass]

When I started playing in the big band at university the pianist (also MD) took to sitting on his left hand sometimes to remind him that he (at last) had someone playing those notes for him.

After a couple of months, between the two of us we could play 11 note chords.

 

[Rocks]

Considering they said at my audition about how good it sounded to finally have some bottom end I'd guess this guy doesn't use much. The keyboard player is also a guitarist so maybe he started on guitar and added keys. I don't know, I just know they were happy to have "some bottom end" and thats what I'm there for.

 

[markkoelsch]

Pull the keys guy out for a beer and come up with some discussion of how to plan out spectrum and activity.

Exactly. Being that keys can play in any range you need to work through these things ahead of time. Sit down and talk through how you want to arrange each song...makes it much easier than having competing bass lines.