This is one of my favorite recordings of the last 10 years, and it's one of the main reasons why I love Brad Paisley. What other country star releases a mostly instrumental album (Play) at the height of their popularity? This is also one of the only mainstream recordings to feature metal solos on pedal steel guitar *and* violin, and (to my ears at least) the clear influence of the Mega Man 2 soundtrack. (I have no idea if the last one is actually true, but I *do* know that Brad Paisley's latest tour features both clips from Duck Hunt during one song and a fan being invited on stage every night to play Wii onstage during another song.) Similar to the compositions of Southern Rock pioneer Dickey Betts, Paisley crafts a memorable, multi-part theme that sounds deceptively complex but actually comes straight from the pitches of the standard C# Minor/E Major scale. As for his solos, Brad shows off a unique synthesis of "hot" country playing combined with allusions to 80s shred licks and soaring guitar a la Joe Satriani. I don't think I've heard anything else quite like it since. In 1977, Elton John recorded several new songs with Philadelphia Soul producer, songwriter, and arranger Thom Bell. One of these, "Mama Can't Buy You Love," reached #9 and #1 respectively on the Hot 100 and Adult charts when it was belatedly released in 1979. It also has the distinction of being one of Elton's most rarely performed hits, only played during the American leg of his solo piano and percussion tour. In addition to being one of the more under appreciated songs in his catalog, Elton's live performances of this song tackle an interesting problem: how do you take a lushly orchestrated song and make it "work" with just piano? In this case, the solution was bypassing much of the original arrangement altogether. Rather than try to recreate the string lines and harp glissandi, Elton kept the basic rhythm while substituting a heavier downbeat in the left hand and adding funky chords in the right to turn the song into something closer to his own Leon Russell-esque "Take Me to the Pilot" rather than the soul/disco of the original recording. Of course, the rearrangement's success is due equally to Elton's buoyant original melody still remaining front and center. [Sorry for the long delay in between posts. End of summer travel, the school year starting up, taking on new students, and writing out personalized arrangements (a perk of studying privately with me :) ) are all gobbling up time like crazy.] When playing solo piano, it's important to remember that you also have complete control over silence. Sometimes it's tempting to play throughout a whole song, especially if you're playing a busy arrangement that's meant to replicate the sound of a full band. But then you lose the power that comes from a sudden stop, or an unexpected, unaccompanied solo voice. While it may not be as dazzling as keyboard pyrotechnics, strategically placed silence can add that much more emphasis to the sound around it. It also can help to differentiate repeated sections from one another. Listen to Ben Folds's use of silence in his solo arrangement of "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces." The first verse, portions of the piano solo, and last chorus all stand out due to the use of the techniques mentioned above. |