Musicians on Prog Archives ?

3 minutes, must be a record

we don't have a real name yet, we're just going under the name Four Guys and Nathaniel (a playful jab at one of the band members)

http://myspace.com/4guysandnathaniel

I am a classically-trained piano and organ player (mostly Hammond organ). My influences are pretty diverse, and I feel that they all contribute to my personal playing style.

I have been playing the organ at my church for a few years now, so I have been influenced by the long, expansive organ chordal style of playing (and have played more music in B flat than I'd like to admit).

I play in my college's jazz improv group (though I only did it to challenge myself), and have been influenced by the jazz styles of playing (modes, advanced 9th and 11th and 13th chords, extended improvisations).

I have been classically trained on-and-off since 10 years ago, the off-period being a moment in time where I only wanted to play by myself. I feel in retrospect that was just as important as continuing the lessons.

A group of my friends are very involved in the local folk community. And I don't mean folk as in whiny singer-songwriters; my friends go to contra dances and ceilidhs, folk festivals, and Morris and rapper dances. We 5 have formed a folk-style band, with myself on piano, electric piano, and Hammond organ, one member on fiddle and mandolin, another on fiddle and bouzouki, another on solely fiddle, and the last member on lead vocals (when applicable, we play a lot of instrumental folk tunes), acoustic guitar, and electric bass. I'm not going to post a link to our myspace page unless someone really asks.

I'm trying to make myself the kind of person you would NEED to be in your band, because these days keyboards are just given the short end of the stick and the guitar is overglorified as the most important instrument in rock music. My greatest fear is to be just another prog keyboardist.

I play prog when I have a chance to.  Drums primarily but have a home studio and touch all the stuff eventually.

Web project anyone?  I've had good luck doing this, it's usually a timing issue (finding the time).

I'm 54 so I love all the prog bands/players, grew up learning to play to these guys.

Thanks to my 2 kids I have a good job and am not out there burning up all my money trying to play prog for a living (anymore)

StarsongAgeless wrote: Atomic_Rooster wrote: I play somewhere between 20-33 instruments (no I'm not joking) and at least 10 of them at a professional level.  I write a lot of music in my spare time also Holy crap!  I find myself outdone and outclassed!!!!!! I play lots of instruments... non-professionally. :)  I'm pretty good at piano, guitar, and singing, I think... guitar being the least good of those...  but 10 instruments at a professional level?  How old are you?  You don't have to answer if you don't want to of course, I'm just wondering how much time you've had to get to that level...

I'm in my very early 20's, currently at college, so I haven't had the kind of time I'd like to really get into some instruments, but I used to practice guitar 2 hours a day and I started on piano around 6 or 7 (trumpet around then too), and once you get proficient at a few, the others come much, much easier.

Of course, there are tricks to nearly mastering an instrument in 3-4 months.

Drummer.

I play somewhere between 20-33 instruments (no I'm not joking) and at least 10 of them at a professional level.  I write a lot of music in my spare time also

I've been playing multiple instruments for over 10 years.  I live in US, state of Louisiana, which is pretty dry from a prog standpoint.  I play keys, guitar, bass, drums, some woodwinds, sing, etc.  Because I play so much stuff, I haven't had time to really become a virtuoso at one particular instrument.  I write and record stuff at home, but I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so I've yet to make anything public (but I will hopefully by the end of the year).  My stuff is kind of minimalistic--complexity by the interaction of instruments, not really one instrumental performance being high on the technical wow factor.  I know tons of theory, but don't have a lot of showy flourishes or know many complete cover songs.  Heavy influences are King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Radiohead, Brian Eno.

I play piano (and by default that means keyboard most of the time, even though I prefer acoustic piano), and guitar.  I'm just learning how to use a guitar pedal, though!  I'm also trying to learn violin.  I love singing, too.

My first and foremost prog influence is Yes, followed closely by Opeth, then Renaissance.  I also enjoy Rush, Porcupine Tree, Jethro Tull, Glass Hammer, and lots more.  But I have many other not-prog influences such as Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Korn, Lacuna Coil, Leaves' Eyes... the list goes on.

Here's the stuff I have up online so far:
http://www.myspace.com/sonolumina

http://www.myspace.com/thejamexperiment  -  this band is breaking up, but the music was still stuff written by me.

erik neuteboom wrote: We play Dire Straits covers so we are prog .. !

erik neuteboom wrote: We play Dire Straits covers so we are prog .. !

Hey I love Dire Straits...cmon dont knock that band! Listen to their 15 minute songs!