Comments on: Proof That Herbie Hancock Is The Only Guy Ever To Look Cool Playing The Keytar

By: Billy Hunt

Billy Hunt — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:05:11 +0000

Dude, I think I look pretty good rocking on the keytar. Plus, mine shoots fire.

[youtube DP1s-ZETWhc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP1s-ZETWhc youtube]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=748081&...

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: synthhead

synthhead — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:43:44 +0000

Here's that video: [youtube D_DoH-YzHfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw youtube]

By: Jaz

Jaz — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:54:52 +0000

Ummm guys…how can you forget GREG PHILLINGANES? He was one of the top session keyboardists (or keytarists) during the '70s and '80s, here's him playing with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Nathan East, absolutely kick ass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DoH-YzHfw

He even had a solo album and he was HOLDING THE RED ROLAND AX-1.

By: Vyndarlys

Vyndarlys — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:13:27 +0000

True.
I feel like I should also add having your picture taken while perfroming is kinda like people photographing you while you eat… the chances are higher than normal you could be caught looking like an idiot with your mouth hanging open…
looking cool is a part style, part personality and a part performance art… the balance is always delicate

By: synthhead

synthhead — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:19:38 +0000

Yes. And Herbie Hancock is also a badass.

By: Vyndarlys

Vyndarlys — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:26:49 +0000

Herbie can pull it off because he isnt thinking about what his instrument looks like when he plays… the other guys seem to all be wanking off a bit with their keytars like 'thank god I can finally now play from the crotch'…

and those guys are always dorks…
Bottom line is, if you wanna look like your rocking the house, you had better be…

By: Vyndarlys

Vyndarlys — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:26:27 +0000

Not to diminish the apropriateness of the powerslide, but we need to remember that these moves only work when they are brought about BY THE MUSIC… Which is to say when Hendrix does it its not because he saw someone else doing it… its because the music tells him to and he does…
Whats more, the best guitarists dont generally play their instruments like a four-year-old plays his tenis-racket-air-guitar… if he did, he'd look just as much of a dork as these guys…

By: Vyndarlys

Vyndarlys — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:25:51 +0000

Most dudes I see on the keytar play it because in their heads they wish they were guitarists…
More to the point, they wish they could do scissor kicks off the bassdrum and dry-hump the audience…
Whats more, they think because their instrument is strapped on like a guitar it automatically allows them to powerslide accross the stage in ripped neon green spandex like VanHalen… Generally speaking tho, theyre nowhere near VanHalen status…

By: Observer

Observer — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:28:42 +0000

MuteMath!!!!!!

By: synthhead

synthhead — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:50:04 +0000

Jennifer –

I’ll leave it to you and the other Synthtopia readers of the better sex to decide if these guys deserve to be tagged – as babes, sexy or otherwise.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:03:03 +0000

What? No “babe” and “sexy” tags for these guys? Pish.

By: Mad AL

Mad AL — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:28:53 +0000

And let’s not forget Edger Winters (go look up that video of “Frankenstein”). And he’s still at it (although I’m not sure if a Roland JP-8000 counts as a keytar just because you hang it around your neck).

By: larhule

larhule — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:43:17 +0000

perpatron is the child-molesting robot keytarist for a band called “the human aftertaste”.

http://www.humanaftertaste.com

watch him touch kids and rock sweet keytar riffs!

By: St. B from DEAD PANDA

St. B from DEAD PANDA — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:39:16 +0000

Have you never heard of DEVO? They looked cool no matter what, and they used the heaviest of the ‘key-tar’s’, the Moog Liberation. (Most of these people are simply key-tards.) Now, Herbie is awesome, Jan was okay, but Devo had that extra edge that keyboardists sorely needed (this was before NIN, Skinny Puppy and Ministry) Somewhere in an old issue of Keyboard Magazine is a pic of Devo with their Liberations. I have searched and cannot find. Perhaps you will find that pic. Perhaps I will find it still, and since I am on the clock, it will be a worthwhile search. LOL.

By: synthhead

synthhead — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:33:34 +0000

BlueBrat - nice! You may want to check out the keytar goddess posts. Josh - I considered Jan Hammer before coming up with this theory, but while he's a transcendentally awesome keytarist, an important electronic musician and a tremendously nice guy (see our Jan Hammer interview), time has not been kind on 80's keyboardist fashion. More photos may be needed to determine if Hammer can disprove the theory. Torley - I'm not sure if the Rudess image is relevant or not, since he's clearly wielding not a run of the mill keytar, but a rare Krimellian Death Scimitar - but he does look pretty badass.