First of all, there are some things to remember about common keyboard player duties in the commercial gigging world today. Some of these things they are expected to do, some they are hired to do, and some they volunteer for. These may include:
- Artist/leader
- Musical Director
- Conductor
- Composer
- Arranger
- Copyist/chart writer
- Producer/engineer of the track, if applicable
- General "head honcho" of some sort, liason between the artist/leader/cast and the band/orchestra.
So let's go down the list. If any of these apply to the keyboard chair, each one equals what I call a different "loyalty" you must adhere to. Listen to the tune on the recording or during the rundowns/rehearsal, follow the chart at your best, and play the ink. See how it sounds, and see if the guy is happy. If you've done the job right, he will be happy. Don't ever ask the guy however if there's anything else he needs you to do, some of these guys get an inch from you and take a mile. Just smile and don't play too loud or too much.
The nature of the keyboard instrument presents many undeniable truths for the guitarist. First, they can play more notes than us, which leaves us with less options the more notes they play. Also, there are some idiosynchrasies according to the cat's origin. The cats that come from the legit world tend to have "swimmy" time sometimes, the jazz guys tend to take a lot of harmonic liberties, and the B3 guys tend to have a generally more heavy-handed approach. There are different approaches to the guitar part both texturally and harmonically that have to be discovered depending on which instrument/patch the keys chair is using (piano, rhodes, clav, organ), each sound will delineate a different approach for them, just as turning on different overdrive (or other) pedals will do it for us. All this depends on how much time you've had to get to know that particular player.
Scenario one: The keyboard player is a great musician with all the right tools and sounds, and is open to an honest and forthright adult discussion as to how you and him, along with the bass player, will approach the texture, and above all, the harmony. Remember my fellow pickers, you are no less important of a harmonic contributor than the keyboard player, even though no one ever says that. It's as true as the day is long. This guy will be sensitive to that and you will discuss voicing, bass notes, and rhythmic figures together to make the music right for the gig. Everyone's happy, the curtain goes up and the show goes down like gangbusters.
Scenario two: He's a great player and leader, his charts are good but there happen to be some physically impossible chords to play on our particular axe. Whether they be polychords, slash chords, or chords with maybe a few too many extensions. You are generally ignored, until you play something he doesn't like, then you are reprimanded. You have now officially been relegated to a percussion instrument, and the only thing left to do is turn your amp off. Meanwhile all any of the audience chooses to remember as they're walking out is the badass solo you carved out. That, my friends, is the nature of OUR instrument.
Okay, these are but two scenarios, with a million variables in between. I wish I could say I've seen more of #1 than I have of #2, but unfortunately I have not. There is one simple solution that will keep these guys at bay and ultimately allow you to be more of yourself as the time goes on, so repeat after me:
the 3rd and the 7th.
Read it down, play the lines, hit the figures, but even if the chord is notated out for you, or if it's impossible to play, just stick with 3 and 7, they are the two solitary notes that define the basic quality of every chord. Stick with that, and these guys won't bitch, because you've given them nothing to bitch about. They have all the freedom in the world because you've just handed it to them on a platter by only playing 3 and 7. That's the best place to start. Like I said, later, you'll get your freedom. You'll find your ways to sneak in the hip shit like a pro.
And please guys, keep the volume reasonable, and by reasonable, I mean reasonable to the keys chair and the ensemble, not to you. I think we all can admit that we guitarists tend to have pretty distorted perceptions of our own volume often times, but more on that for another post. So stay quiet, play your part, don't offer too much, and play less than you think you should. Let the keys chair walk away from the first rehearsal thinking you're a great player and an asset to the organization. Again, if it's a written part or a specific part on the record that contains things beyond 3 and 7, there's nothing you can do. If the part calls for power chords, play them, but watch your noise.
Another post that'll show up here soon will be all about the guitarist's role in working with the click and the track, but for now let me say this. In a perfect world, the track is designed to make up for whatever manpower cannot be employed on the stage itself, whether that be for real estate reasons, budget reasons, or otherwise. The track enhances what the professional ensemble is already doing, and makes it even cooler. Since our world is in fact anything but perfect, you may be up against playing with a track that's got so much grease on it that you might as well be sidelining or miming. Most pop gigs are this way, I've even heard from a friend who is with a prominent pop act that told me the guitar player they hired couldn't even play, he made $5000 a week to lip sync guitar parts for 157 shows. Other times, you can't even hire a sub, because your own pre-recorded parts will sub for you. Oh well, at list you're still sort of "there".
If the guy who did the tracks is on that stage with you, he obviosuly spent many more hours than you did on this particular gig, so show respect for that. But sorry fellas, the track is their baby, and you simply just can't compete. I was once in a band with two guitar players, and for some tunes there were another three guitar parts on the track. Did I like it? No, I think it's a damn tragedy, but the check cleared. Asking the gig to make sense is usually an unreasonable request.
Working with keyboardists can be so much fun, if you both allow it to be, the discussions about harmony and music in general can be great learning experiences for the both of you. But hold your ground fellas, stick to your guitarist guns, if you think somethin' ain't right, wait for the right time to question it. Remember, sometimes it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. I know what I'd rather do.
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