That would be 'Different Strings' by Rush ... Great song

OF COURSE! shame on me i even listened to permanent waves last week

And prog inspired me to take up keyboards recently my main influence probably being tony banks i am very slowly learning apocolypse in 9/8 and after a month on it i am about 40 seconds in. Well i'm sure i'll get there eventually

I'm not doing any prog yet... just doing Jazz to get my grades! Jazz is nice as well and comes into prog quite a lot, but a lot of prog is just rock to play! 

I guess I was inspired to do keyboards by just prog keys in general and maybe some jazz fusion (Return to Forever!) but also the composition aspect. 

I've been thinking of trying my hand at a keyboard. At the moment I'm 'classically trained' but I really want to at least have a go.

What I wanted to know is whether when us Prog fans take up an instrument, unlike most people who will pick up a guitar and have a mess around with it once or twice, we dedicate ourselves to trying to become the best we possibly can, because most of our favourite musicians are such masters at their instruments.

It's the same with me. I mean, I love Jazz, and almost all Jazz-Influenced Prog is great (love Return To Forever),

On that note we seem to have an uncannily similar taste in music... 

I've only been playing for a year but I play guitar and bass guitar, though I've taken a little unorthodox route for it.  I play an 8 string guitar and a fretless 5 string bass.  My biggest influences have been musicians like Tosin Abasi, Paul Masvidal, Misha Mansoor, John Petrucci, and other notable prog metal guitarists, and then bassist like Les Claypool, Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee.

I love the way that Prog inspires people to try out a whole range of different instruments . 

Most of us young 'uns nowadays just want to learn guitar because whats'isname from whichever band is popular at them moment can sort of play one ... and he's 'COOL' 

My main influences in terms of keyboards are Keith Emerson and Jon Lord, although I'll never be able to play like them even if I played for a thousand years.
When it comes to guitar, my obvious choices are David Gilmour and Andy Latimer.

 

My two cents...

I'm a prog-influenced keyboard player too, and I know exactly what you mean. The idea of being able to play like Tony Banks or Keith Emerson is much more interesting than being able to play "Cinema Show" or "Karn Evil 9." Don't get me wrong, though, I'd love to be able to play either of those, too. :p 

I later turned to bass and keyboards influenced by Camel and Marillion.

I've never been able to play like Trewavas or Bardens, of course. I'm not a musician, just a fan of music.

The vast amount of snobby Classical musicians and teachers out there in the real world? My God, it's like they are trying to take your soul. My dad was really tough. It was like the military. I would be playing Bach's Corrente while the sun was rising, sleep for 2 hours and then start practicing Segovia'sbook of scales. It did make Hackett and Howe's pieces seem a lot easier to play. Hackett and Howe were not devoted to Classical guitar like John Williams, Julian Bream, and Christopher Parkening. They were 15 hour a day guys and nylon was their complete life as Hackett and Howe (although being great), played in rock bands. When I started performing Classical guitar in mansions for snobby Classical people, I was greatly excepted but, my nerves were shot. I was so drained from the pressures of that audience, I would pass-out in the limo. They were very judgemental. I would see Segovia performing in the White House and he would sometimes play a Classical piece of music that lasted for 15 minutes, played perfectly without an indication of a mistake or a slip-up. A constant flow of notes that would guide the listener through some kind of fantastic journey. I never went that distance and kept classical nylon playing as a side hobby. I loved electric guitar and it drew me away. I wrecked my nerves playing for those people. Half the time I felt like a beachball sweating inside a furnace.

Then, in late 2007 (probably after playing Guitar Hero 2) I started listening to Rush. Geddy's tone inspired me to pick up bass. Bought me a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz bass and defretted it after a year.

I'm good at it; I can play all Rush songs from the '75-'81 period, some Jaco Pastorius stuff, and can learn songs by ear.

6 months ago, I decided to take drumming lessons (this time inspired by both Neil Peart and Gavin Harrison). A prog listening background made me go through odd time sigs easily. Learned most rudiments out there, also can learn some stuff by ear, can't play 16th or 32th notes repeatedily without getting tired quickly, except for ghost notes on the snare. Stopped a couple of months ago because I don't have time/money for it, until high school's over.

I plan on learning to play the bouzouki, the oud, mandocello and the baritone guitar.

 

Keyboards have been my greatest dream and I have now setup a computer and am already starting to play things on various programs, including Jupiter 8V and some others, off the midi board I have.

 

I know music well enough, but not well enough. Music theory is by far one of the most boring things ever invented, next to math basics. I can create pieces of music, with two things going, and I can create poetry over it, which I am trying to clean up as I go along. I don't know how to manipulate the sequencer well enough to be able to do more with it all around, but I will get it down sooner or later.

 

I was once told that if someone had locked me up with a keyboard for 30 days, that I would become really good with it, because I have the ear and the feel for translating what I see inside ... which, I can not translate to music, and is the basis of a lot of my discussions here. But I can do the opposite ... I can create a mood and add poetry to it, and that is nice ... considering how much poetry I wrote by listening to music instead!

 

My mentor now is Billy Cobham (best.drumming.ever) and I try to use some of his tricks in the deathmetal band I play in now. Very effective I must say!!