16/11/2016

5WaystoPlayLikeRickWakeman|KeyboardMag

5WaystoPlayLikeRick
Wakeman
December1,2010

11

byMattBeck
PhotobyLeeWilkinson
WhenIwascomingupasayoungmusician,Yeswasthebandthatchanged
thegameforme.IlovedthemasterfulmusicianshipofkeyboardistRickWakeman,
alongwiththesoaringarrangementsintheirsongs.Wakemansseeminglyeffortless
commandoverhismammothkeyboardstackmesmerizedme,asdidthewayheinfused
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5WaystoPlayLikeRickWakeman|KeyboardMag

classicalthemesintohismusic.Hewasalsooneof
thefirstkeyboardartiststoembracenew
technologysuchastheMellotron,theMinimoog,
andARPsynthesizers.Wakemanwasthefirsttrue
keyboardshowmanIhadeverseen,withastage
presenceasimposingashisfingerdexterity.Here
arefivewaystoWakeupyourownplaying.
Clickthumbnailsbelowforlargesheetmusic
images.
Audioexamples.
SoloLinesExamples1aand1b
Example2Chording
Example3SoloPieces
Example4OutsideInfluences
Example5LeftHandTechnique
Classic"Roundabout"performancefrom1973.
ExcerptsfromRick'sDVDTheSixWivesofHenryVII

1.SoloLines
RickWakemanoftenplayscascadingsinglenotelinesforsolosandasfills,aswellas
harmoniestoguitarparts.Ex.1aisanapproximationofthefillRickdoesintheiconicYes
songRoundaboutrightbeforethe2ndverse.Ex.1bisreminiscentofthelineheplaysin
thechoruses.Thegoalistoplaytheselinesasevenlyaspossible.Notethatbothof
thesesololinesareplayedonkeyboardswithanextremelylightaction,
suchasaHammondB3orananalogsynthesizer.
2.Chording
WakemanwasalsoknownforhissidemanworkoutsideofYes,with
artistssuchasCatStevensandDavidBowie.Ex.2isanapproximationof
theintroWakemanplaysonCatStevensMorningHasBroken.Noticehowheimparts
analmostneobaroqueflavortotheharmonybypedalingthebassnotesinmeasurepairs
12,56,and78.Thistechniqueisespeciallyeffectiveinmeasures56,whereholding
ontotheBinthebasscreatesadiminishedsoundingtensionthatresolvesbacktotheI
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5WaystoPlayLikeRickWakeman|KeyboardMag

chordinmeasure7.Also,thepushandpullofalternatingthemeasureswithbotheighth
andsixteenthnotesaddsanevengreaterdegreeofmusicalinterest.
3.SoloPieces
Usually,Wakemanssolopiecesareclassicalinnature,buthesalsobeen
knowntomixthemupwithrock,blues,andevenragtimeaswell.On
YesFragilealbum,Wakemanpayshomagetheclassicalcomposer
BrahmswithhissolopieceCansandBrahms.Hedoesthesameonthe
albumYessongswithTheSixWivesofHenryVIII.Ex.3isinthestyleofoneofthemore
challengingsectionsofthatsong.NoticehowWakemanusesascendingsuspended
arpeggiosoverthetonictocreatetensionandexcitement.

4.OutsideInfluences
AgreatfeatureofWakemansplayingisthefactthathedoesnttake
himselftooseriouslyinhismusic.EveninaspotlightsolopiecelikeThe
SixWivesofHenryVIII,Wakemanstillmanagestoimpartacomedic
tone,injectingasilentfilmeralikemusicalinterludetolightenthemood.Ex.4isan
illustrationofhowhedoesjustthat.

5.LeftHandTechnique
WhilemuchofWakemansacclaimcomesfromhisrighthanded
pyrotechnics,hescertainlynoslouchwithhislefthand.Ex.5issimilar
tohisopeningpianosoloontheYessongAwaken,fromtheiralbumGoingfortheOne.
Here,Wakemanprovesthathislefthandisjustasquickashisright.

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MattBeckalsoauthoredthe5WaystoPlayLikeKeithEmersonlessoninthisissue.

http://www.keyboardmag.com/lessons/1251/5waystoplaylikerickwakeman/28030

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