Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more general term for a person who plays them. These keyboards include:

*electric pianos such as the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric piano
*electronic pianos such as the Roland Digital Piano
*Hammond and other electric organ such as the Farfisa and Vox Continental
*analog synthesizers such as Moog and ARP synthesizers
*digital electronic keyboards such as those produced today by Roland, Yamaha, Kurzweil and Korg
*samplers
*mellotron
*clavinet
*pianet
*piano (but see Pianist for a list of famous pianists)
*harpsichord
*reed organ
*celesta
*clavichord
*pipe organ
*harmonium
*keytar

It became stylish among hard-rock enthusiasts and musicians to adopt an attitude of scorn and derision towards keyboardists and keyboard music. As an example, guitarist Ted Nugent goes hunting and shoots a keyboard in one of his DVDs. However, in general, the keyboardist has seen something of a resurgence in rock music in recent years, with bands like Maroon 5, Athlete and The Killers featuring keyboards prominently.

Notable electronic keyboardists

Note: while the term 'keyboardist' can cover a wide variety of instruments both acoustic and electronic, the following musicians are mostly known as electronic keyboardists, although they may also play piano or other acoustic keyboards.

Rock and pop

:Vince Clarke (Erasure, Depeche Mode, Yazoo):Brian Eno:Martin Gore (Depeche Mode):Ralf Hütter (Kraftwerk, Organisation):Jean Michel Jarre:Booker T. Jones:Ray Manzarek (The Doors):Gary Numan:Billy Preston :Alan Price (The Animals):Florian Schneider-Esleben (Kraftwerk):Vangelis:Stevie Wonder:Richard Wright (Pink Floyd):Rick Wakeman (Yes)

Jazz

Generally speaking, in jazz music, electronic keyboard players are very often also pianists.

:Chick Corea:Jan Hammer:Herbie Hancock:Keith Jarrett:Jimmy Smith:Josef Zawinul (Weather Report)

Classical

:Wendy Carlos

ee also

*Pianist
*Organist
*List of Hammond organ players
*List of harpsichordists
*Classical pianists (recorded)

External links

* [http://www.keyboardplayer.com/ Keyboard Player magazine]
* [http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/ Harmony Central resource for keyboard/synth players]