QueenZone discussion #1178041

Yara wrote: Hi, guys and girls. :) I hope you can help me with this. What do you guys think of Brian's piano skills? I had a kind of in-built notion that he played it only on a very elementary and rudimentary level mainly for composing purposes, but I listened once to what was allegedly one of their gigs in Mexico from 1981 - I don't know know which one because I deleted the files and there was no lineage whatsoever; I remember the sound quality was horrendous and there was an awful lot of noise and just a very distant sound in one of the channels - and some things grabbed my attention. Anyway, he plays the piano intro doing a lovely and clever variation on the song's theme and he expands on it for the rest of the song, improvising here and there, it seems. The lines themselves are not hard to play, but the piano was not really well adjusted and his touch comes across as very accurate and, the thought came to me, even scholarly - it's a very gentle, smooth playing; the way he weaves the song texture on the piano amounts to a modest, though exquisite, arrangement. It all made me think about the extent of his skills on the instrument: even if very limited, I thought, he did succeed in sounding very round and beautifully within his reach and there's something to the playing which is very accurate, correct and smooth, as if he had been really taught by an experienced pianist.  Do any of you guys have info on this? Do you know when or how he learned to play the piano? Do you know of any remarks he's done in this regard? And, in general, what's your opinion about his playing? Did he use to compose songs on the piano or it was not that often?  Thank you all and excuse me for the vague info on the concert - I really don't recall which one of them it was. Even without the background of the concert, however, I think some of the questions above may still be valid and make sense, so I'd be really glad if you guys helped me.  Wishing you the best always, Yara.    

Cwazy little thing wrote: I dont know for a fact, but I've come to think of Brian as a fairly accomplished piano player. I was under the impression its his playing on "Forever" the bonus from the later CD release of A Kind of Magic, and that track is a beautiful piano interpretation of Who Wants to Live.... if you ask me. He clearly wrote from piano now and again, as some of his writing credits simply cant have been written from guitar. Save Me for example is quite lovely as a piano piece in my opinion, and All Dead, All Dead is pretty nice too. I also thought its him on things like Another World, and the interpretation of Business which is the "bonus track" at the end of that, and those are beyond just basic piano - I think he's very good at writing quite delicate and haunting passages. Didnt he also write Teo Torriate? Im not sure if the piano on Too Much Love... was all him, as there were co-writers, but thats pretty nice work also! Haha, to conclude, I think Brian is a good piano player, and perhaps more importantly, a very good piano composer!

Sebastian wrote: Both Dr May and Lord Mercury peaked at Grade IV which, by today's standards (no idea about the fifties/sixties) would mean they could play Handel's Allegro in F, which is more or less as difficult (or as basic, depending on how you look at it) as most Queen piano parts. Of course Mercury was a much better pianist though... the fact they studied formally up to the same level doesn't mean anything at all. Brian is still a very skilful player and, indeed, a great composer of piano parts.

Sheer Brass Neck wrote: For those of you who haven't seen it, there is a great link to a Flash retrospective on Brian's site.  I think that the one thing the press missed in Queen as they were tearing them to shreds over one petty thing or another is that they were consummate "musicians."  Not rockers, but great all around musicians.  There is a YouTube clip of a guy who plays "Bring back that Leroy Brown" on bass, and hearing and seeing him play it and a more prominent level, you realize what a fantastic musician John Deacon was, and the rest of the band.  They play for the song, and the result is an exact homage to Dixieland or trad jazz by young men in their 20s when it was recorded.  Critics could piss all over the multitracked bombast, but all 4 of them were fabulous musicans who could play any style of music, and play it really well. 

Bo Alex wrote: I'm not a piano player, but I really love piano. I think is the most beatiful sound in the world. So I really love rock bands like Queen and Muse. I think Brian in Save Me live versions is great. He's got a very delicated touch.

FriedChicken wrote: I agree with Sebastian. I have no doubt that Freddie was a better piano player, although I find it very odd that Freddie has a wrong way of holding his hands. I do think Brian has a very nice touch to his playing. As someone pointed out earlier, he does great variations during playing and little extra icing on the cake every now and again. Freddie's approach is much more straightforward. Except when he really tries to be a piano player (My melancholy blues for example. So for more delicate songs I'd rather hear Brian play than Freddie. Same goes with a lot of the singing. Freddie does it, and nails it. But Brian actually means it.

Sebastian wrote: The whole 'wrong way / right way' thing is indeed very odd: the textbook technique is an established approach, and regardless of all the physiological and acoustic evidence to support, they're still *one* way to perform, but not *the* way. Mercury's hand position could be 'wrong' for us, 'right' for him. It's not a B/W area and it's definitely not grey either. As for 'meaning it', we can't possibly know unless we read minds. But I agree: for certain arrangements, Brian's more natural, in his own songs, with certain exceptions of course. The opposite also happens: Crazy Little Thing has a more appropriate sound when Freddie plays the intro (also with an 'odd' right hand technique), that neither May nor Rodgers have quite matched.

on my way up wrote:

FriedChicken wrote: I agree with Sebastian. I have no doubt that Freddie was a better piano player, although I find it very odd that Freddie has a wrong way of holding his hands. I do think Brian has a very nice touch to his playing. As someone pointed out earlier, he does great variations during playing and little extra icing on the cake every now and again. Freddie's approach is much more straightforward. Except when he really tries to be a piano player (My melancholy blues for example. So for more delicate songs I'd rather hear Brian play than Freddie. Same goes with a lot of the singing. Freddie does it, and nails it. But Brian actually means it.

I completely disagree about the singing:-) Freddie's delivery of about every song he sang was passionate and with emotion. Brian, even though he's had great moments, is certainly not a great singer(I prefer Roger anytime). Brian has the most incredible guitar tone but his singing, no. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy his solo stuff though.

Zebonka12 wrote: Brian is a fantastic singer, but his instrument isn't to everyone's tastes.  There are parts of his range that sound thin; you either love that, or hate it.  Me, I'm willing to look the other way because his vocal performances are (on a good day) fantastic, for someone who calls himself a guitarist first and a singer second.

Zebonka12 wrote: Brian is a fantastic singer, but his instrument isn't to everyone's tastes.  There are parts of his range that sound thin; you either love that, or hate it.  Me, I'm willing to look the other way because his vocal performances are (on a good day) fantastic, for someone who calls himself a guitarist first and a singer second.

Sebastian wrote: As he told me: he didn't. For that particular one, he wanted Freddie's percussive rhythm on the piano. Plus, backing track (you can listen to it on YT) was recorded by the four of them playing together: guitar, piano, bass and drums. So, naturally, May couldn't do both at the same time.