fraroc Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Geddy Lee is a man of many skills. Starting from 1977 onward, he's been playing the keyboard as well as the bass guitar. At first it was just a few synth lines on a few songs (Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato) to songs that are predominately synth driven (Subdivisions, The Weapon) to songs with no bass guitar at all, just synth bass and keys (Red Sector A, Afterimage) Where would you say his skills as a keyboard player are? Do you believe he's proficient enough to get away with more songs like Red Sector A? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relayer2112 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 He plays keyboard like someone who has talent, but hasn't had a whole lot of formal training. He's fine for the kind of music that Rush plays, knowing that he'd probably rather be playing the bass rather than the keyboard most of the time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtmed Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 To be honest, I think anyone on this board can play the keyboards just as good as Ged. He's average on the keyboard and even on recent live releases he's reduced a lot of his playing to triggers that he normally played live himself. This is not his main instrument, but a "Fly by night" passion (mid 80s - mid 90s) that he was interested in. Where I think he has skill is the music he has written for the keyboard, but again playing is not his forte'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Geddy has said that he's no expert on the keyboards and he's limited as to what he can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue J Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 To be honest, I think anyone on this board can play the keyboards just as good as Ged. He's average on the keyboard and even on recent live releases he's reduced a lot of his playing to triggers that he normally played live himself. This is not his main instrument, but a "Fly by night" passion (mid 80s - mid 90s) that he was interested in. Where I think he has skill is the music he has written for the keyboard, but again playing is not his forte'. Well, I wouldn't say that I could play the keyboard as well as Geddy. I don't know about the rest of you, but anyway... Nobody has ever lauded him as one of the best keyboard players ever, I don't think. But it's still incredible that he's done what he has done. Especially when synth technology was fairly primitive, in the very early '80s- bass, vocals, and Taurus pedals, and the Oberheim, all at once...it's just astonishing, I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBlaze Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 To be honest, I think anyone on this board can play the keyboards just as good as Ged. "Anyone on this board"? Plenty of us have admitted to having no musical talent whatsoever. Even those that ARE musicians might not be able to play a song on keyboards. "Anyone"? That's a stretch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 I feel like he plays much more complicated parts in the studio as opposed to live. For example, the fast synth line in Middletown dreams, he samples it live but I can only assume he played it for real in the studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I feel like he plays much more complicated parts in the studio as opposed to live. For example, the fast synth line in Middletown dreams, he samples it live but I can only assume he played it for real in the studio. I figured it was Andy Richards and/or Jim Burgess doing those parts on the studio version. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I think what he does, he does well. He doesn't need to be a great keyboardist to do intros or fills during a song. The keyboards aren't the highlight of a Rush show....or they aren't now at least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toymaker Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I like the Countdown solo. It's not that flashy, but it's a neat little moment. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I like the Countdown solo. It's not that flashy, but it's a neat little moment. I like that too. One of my favorite parts of the song, but I really enjoy the entire outro section 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) No matter what he is using - bass, keys, vocals - Geddy has always approached music with a "let me take you there" attitude as opposed to "let me tell you something" That what I love about him His keyboard parts are indicative of this, and they always fit the song perfect I love the interlude in Circumstances, for example .. it adds so much to the song Hi talent is not simply limited to the fact that he's sat in a room and practiced ... He can transport the listener And this might be simple, but the vibe he and Alex create here starting at about 43:30 is awesome . Edited October 21, 2015 by Lucas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 No matter what he is using - bass, keys, vocals - Geddy has always approached music with a "let me take you there" attitude as opposed to "let me tell you something" That what I love about him His keyboard parts are indicative of this, and they always fit the song perfect I love the interlude in Circumstances, for example .. it adds so much to the song Hi talent is not simply limited to the fact that he's sat in a room and practiced ... He can transport the listener And this might be simple, but the vibe he and Alex create here starting at about 43:30 is awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT0kWaLfHzY . A lot of people say that sampling is easy, but when you break what he does down on stage in your head, it doesn't become that easy afterwards. Rush is unique in the fact that even pre-recorded sounds and music are being triggered not by some guy by the soundboard, it's triggered by the guys on stage. Geddy has to be extra-vigilant to not miss a certain cue in a song and hit that pedal or that key at that specific moment to keep in time with the the rest of the band because if he f***s up, the entire song gets messed up as well and I can't recall one story where he or Al weren't on time with the sampling, meaning that 99.999999999% of the time, they were perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disembodied Spirit Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The following sentence has never been said by anyone prior to Right Now! Geddy Lee is better than Eddie Van Halen.On the keyboards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 The following sentence has never been said by anyone prior to Right Now! Geddy Lee is better than Eddie Van Halen.On the keyboards Well to be fair, both VH brothers started out as pianists who picked up different instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disembodied Spirit Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The following sentence has never been said by anyone prior to Right Now! Geddy Lee is better than Eddie Van Halen.On the keyboards Well to be fair, both VH brothers started out as pianists who picked up different instruments.And both VH brothers are insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x1yyz Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 To be honest, I think anyone on this board can play the keyboards just as good as Ged. Not me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflex Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I dunno, talent to me is relative. I define talent as playing something I enjoy listening to. So, to me geddy is immensely talented as his synth riffs perfectly fit the songs. Is he as technically skilled as a trained concert pianist, no. But i don't care 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geddy's Soul Patch Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I feel like he plays much more complicated parts in the studio as opposed to live. For example, the fast synth line in Middletown dreams, he samples it live but I can only assume he played it for real in the studio. I figured it was Andy Richards and/or Jim Burgess doing those parts on the studio version. It definitely could have been one of those two who had the idea, but regardless of who "played" it, it definitely sounds like it was done on a sequencer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBlaze Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 To be honest, I think anyone on this board can play the keyboards just as good as Ged. Not me!I play like you! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMCXII Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The following sentence has never been said by anyone prior to Right Now! Geddy Lee is better than Eddie Van Halen.On the keyboards Doubt that. but nice "right now" reference.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 The following sentence has never been said by anyone prior to Right Now! Geddy Lee is better than Eddie Van Halen.On the keyboards Well to be fair, both VH brothers started out as pianists who picked up different instruments.And both VH brothers are insane. Geniuses with screws loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiBeers Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I feel like he plays much more complicated parts in the studio as opposed to live. For example, the fast synth line in Middletown dreams, he samples it live but I can only assume he played it for real in the studio. I figured it was Andy Richards and/or Jim Burgess doing those parts on the studio version. sounds like some type of robo-keyboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiBeers Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 He plays keyboard like someone who has talent, but hasn't had a whole lot of formal training. He's fine for the kind of music that Rush plays, knowing that he'd probably rather be playing the bass rather than the keyboard most of the time. This is alot of my frustration with the synth period. Geddy was stuck behind a keyboard plucking away while his bass talent was wasting away. The keyboard parts really only fill space and aren't nearly to the same level as his bass playing. EVH fell into the same trap. As I've said before, no one comes to see the keyboard player at a rock concert unless it's Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 He plays keyboard like someone who has talent, but hasn't had a whole lot of formal training. He's fine for the kind of music that Rush plays, knowing that he'd probably rather be playing the bass rather than the keyboard most of the time. This is alot of my frustration with the synth period. Geddy was stuck behind a keyboard plucking away while his bass talent was wasting away. The keyboard parts really only fill space and aren't nearly to the same level as his bass playing. EVH fell into the same trap. As I've said before, no one comes to see the keyboard player at a rock concert unless it's Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman. BUT, if someone is multi-tasking on stage like Ged does, people like to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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