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225 Years of Rock Piano In 10 Minutes

Lawrence Gowan — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0000

“Rock piano is an attitude to approaching the instrument.”

So says Lawrence Gowan, solo artist and also keyboardist of progressive rock band STYX. In fact, he can trace this attitude from Beethoven in the eighteenth century all the way to his own work in 1980s and today. Milestone piano rock songs, according to Gowan, are:

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Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 (1799)

You might know this piece as the “Sonata Pathétique.” Written in 1798 when Beethoven was 27 years old, it was published in 1799 and showcases the passionate attitude Beethoven and rock musicians are known for. The first movement is moody and dramatic, the second lyrical and romantic, and the third quick and lively.

https://youtu.be/iEyy7EfQfUQ

> The Best Beethoven Sonatas

Nat Ayer, “King Chanticleer Rag” (1910)

From Beethoven, ragtime pianists like Nat Ayer and Scott Joplin took the piano and gave it an American sound. Pioneered by African-American communities, ragtime would become a distinctly American form of popular music that would influence many genres and artists to come, including European classical composers. Fun fact: ragtime pianists traditionally played with their backs to the audience.

Little Richard, “Good Golly Miss Dolly” (1958)

Little Richard is one of the first true piano rockers. Dubbed the Architect of Rock’n’Roll, Little Richard is remembered for his flamboyant showmanship and energetic playing style, performing while standing up at the piano. Perhaps best known for the hit tune “Tutti Frutti,” Little Richard was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in its first cohort of inductees in 1986.

The Beatles, “Lady Madonna” (1968)

The Beatles’ roots lay in skiffle, beat, and 1950s rock’n’roll. But history’s most famous band also incorporated classical music, traditional pop, folk, psychedelia, hard rock, and even traditional Indian music traditions into their sound. The piano makes an appearance in many Beatles songs. There’s the crowd favorite “Let It Be” and Rubber Soul’s “In My Life,” the piano solo of which was composed and performed by George Martin.

Elton John, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973)

Some consider “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” as Elton John’s finest work, and it’s hard to disagree. The song was listed at #390 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. Elton John’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, which reference his childhood on a farm in Lincolnshire. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is about getting back to one’s roots, which is a common theme in Taupin’s earlier work.

Queen, “Somebody to Love” (1976)

Queen is a band that needs no introduction. While everyone knows “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the piano rock song, “Somebody to Love” offers something new but just as epic with its complex melody and deep layering of vocal tracks. Topping at #2 on the U.K. singles chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., the song features a dramatic range, from F2 in the harmonies to an Ab5 in Freddie Mercury’s lead vocals.

Genesis, “Firth of Fifth” (1973)

Progressive rock as a genre rose to prominence in the 70s and 80s with bands like Genesis and STYX taking the lead. It’s a style of rock music known for its classical influences, use of keyboard instruments, musical complexity, and lengthy compositions. Tony Banks wrote most of Genesis’ music and “Firth of Fifth” is a fantastic example of his intricate and classical-influenced keyboard work.

Genesis, “Turn It On Again” (1980)

In working out his own sound, Gowan paid attention to how Genesis’ music developed from the 1970s to the 1980s. “Turn It On Again” comes from Genesis’ 1980 album Duke. The lyrics by Mike Rutherford tells the story of a man who does nothing more than watch television, who begins to believe the people he sees on TV are his friends.

Gowan, “(You’re A) Strange Animal” (1985)

Lawrence Gowan was inspired by the writings of Herman Hesse when he wrote “(You’re A) Strange Animal.” The song is considered his breakthrough success, peaking at #5 on the Canadian album charts. Lawrence Gowan’s musical background began with studying classical piano under the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music. This classical influence will continue to have an impact on Gowan’s musical career in progressive rock.

> 36 Greatest Piano Rock Songs

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Lawrence Gowan Teaches “Come Sail Away” on Piano

Lawrence Gowan — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 14:15:00 +0000

We’re SUPER excited about this piano tutorial on how to play STYX’s “Come Sail Away” with none other than Lawrence Gowan himself, the keyboardist for STYX!

You can download the complete transcription of this song in the Pianote Members Area. If you’re not a Member yet, get yourself a free trial to grab the sheet music for free.

Table of Contents:

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Intro/Verse

The iconic intro to “Come Sail Away” is almost classical-like. Lawrence likens it to the moment when we’re just about how to untie the boat (or spaceship!) from the dock.

It’s a charming little melody built on the following chord progression: C – Dm – Em – Dm – C – G – C. We target the ninth (D) and we finish off with a little flourishing trill.

Next, we get a cool feature of rock that you’ll also see in the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life”: the instrumental descends while the vocals ascend. The chord progression goes: C – Em/B – Am, then F – G.

Then, we oscillate between Am and G before going back to the opening figure at “oh Lord I try.”

Lawrence also shows us some of the counterpoint patterns he does over the chords, such as this neat Gsus4 run:

Another trill, and we’re on to Verse 2!

LAWRENCE’S TIP: “There are many ways people play the trills. Some people play with the second and third fingers. I’m not as good at that, so I use the thumb and third finger.”

Verse 2

In verse 2, Lawrence improvises over a similar chord progression: C – Em/B – Am – Fmaj7 – G. Notice how he uses larger chords (more octaves, more fifths) and plays more in the bass. This adds some extra depth.

By now, the whole band has joined you and it’s a grandiose moment!

“Come Sail Away” was written by Dennis Deyoung. It is featured on the STYX album The Grand Illusion and peaked at #8 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Chorus

The chorus is built on a pretty simple I-IV-V progression. That’s C – F – G, with C being a pedal point underneath it all.

Next, we get an epic key change. On the last “come sail away with me,” on “me,” we hit a flat VI chord: A♭. The flat VI is another quintessential rock feature. We also play a G♭ (equivalent to F#) chord over the A♭. “It’s a magical rock chord you’ll want to learn,” says Lawrence. Oscillating between these chords gives the impression of rocking waves.

After a few whimsical licks, we head over to the bridge…

LAWRENCE’S TIP: “As the title of the song kicks in (‘come sail away!’), this is where you really want to make it rousing and get everyone to sing along with you.”

Bridge Theme

Our left hand keeps playing the A♭ chord. On our right hand, we play a short theme based on these chords and built on the perfect fourth interval between E♭ and A♭:

After this, Lawrence improvises a little bit over the chords before he does a run all the way up to the highest C on the keyboard. Yup, you get to use the highest key on the piano in this song!

This run is technically an F Phrygian scale. Or you can think of it as a D-flat major scale starting on F. Lawrence uses a chromatic scale to come back down and “lets it fall into oblivion.”

Then we jump back into C major. Hold down the C in your left hand as a pedal point and play G and F chords as the guitars play power chords.

You can also play a bit of the guitar solo. The solo is essentially an arpeggiated C chord in 3rd inversion, an F chord in 1st inversion, a G chord in 1st inversion, and then back to F.

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial with Lawrence Gowan! If you don’t want to miss the next rock star tutorial, sign up for our mailing list.

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