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zpink
 Total Posts: 427
Joined 08-02-2014 status: Enthusiast |
If we’re moving away from synths, may I then also suggest the rather influential organist Ray Manzarek? ;-) |
5pinDIN
 Total Posts: 11891
Joined 09-16-2010 status: Legend |
Indeed. It was suggested to me that with Wendy Carlos on the list, Isao Tomita deserves to be as well. I’ll let you decide how to “best” categorize the work of those two. |
lastmonk
 Total Posts: 364
Joined 12-17-2013 status: Enthusiast |
Wow, Jeff Lorber, haven’t heard that name in a minute. Yea, back in the day he use to put it down. Okay so here’s an updated list.
Don Airey
I |
philwoodmusic
 Total Posts: 1055
Joined 07-01-2013 status: Guru |
Two more very big names. Vince Clarke Parts of Vince’s studio: http://eatdrinkplay.events/wp-content/uploads/vince_016.jpg http://eatdrinkplay.events/wp-content/uploads/vince_008.jpg Also, not sure how I left him out: Greg Phillinganes |
| 5pinDIN
Total Posts: 11891
Joined 09-16-2010 status: Legend |
So Carlos makes the list, but no love for Isao Tomita? Â :-) |
| lastmonk
Total Posts: 364
Joined 12-17-2013 status: Enthusiast |
OMG 5pinDin thank you so much for this name. I had never heard of him, I spent 45 min or so on youtube checking his stuff out., this dude is FN Awesome! Of course imo Tomita
Don Airey
It may seem trivial to some who already know all of the synth players on this list. But to those who haven’t been exposed this list is a treat. TBH I’m only familiar with about 1/3 of these folks, I’ve been spending the last couple of days on youtube checking out some incredible sounds, solos, interviews OMG!. I can honestly recommend to anyone that wants a crash course in synthesizers and the music behind it to spend a day or so checking out the people on this list. Wow! @philwoodsmusic thanx for your very appropriate suggestions. |
| MrMotif
Total Posts: 1122
Joined 10-02-2002 status: Administrator |
Ryuichi Sakamoto should be on the list. His body of solo work speaks for itself but his early work with YMO was groundbreaking and had a huge influence not only on synth pop but also game music and subsequent and related genres. MM |
| lastmonk
Total Posts: 364
Joined 12-17-2013 status: Enthusiast |
Wow, MM, Another cat I had never heard of., I’ve been listening to his stuff. This dude is bad. We have been talking about what we might use to get our kind-a-van-cliburn-of-the-synthesizer (Synth God) competition measurement stick, It seems like taking solos or complete songs from the body of work of these synth players might be a good place to start. On the piano virtuosity is sometimes measured by how well a pianist can play certain repertoire. Can we use a similar measure on Synths e.g. Take stuff from Sakamoto’s body of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdalyjjfVxY or Keith Emerson’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRYx0ySEhjk or Herbie’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whi2fm2hzXg
We’re thinking that in our Synth God competition the player would first have to be able to faithfully recreate some famous solo/piece(s) and then must significantly add to it in some way using synth techniques
Here’s the new list. There are some amazing players in here. I don’t know if this list represents the best synthesizer players of all time, but it has to be pretty close.
Don Airey
And to be fair the competition would likely have multiple categories, not just the performance of synth repertoire, but reproduction of certain famous synth sounds (in real time) e.g start from a saw, or triangle, and build it right in front of the judges (on the clock) LOL. There would have to be a category for best Synth Wizardry in loops, arpeggios, and sequences. A category for best new synth voice that would look for motion, layering, nuance, efficient use of polyphony, etc. |
| zpink
Total Posts: 427
Joined 08-02-2014 status: Enthusiast |
If you haven’t stopped looking yet, you may want to check out this guy.
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| philwoodmusic
Total Posts: 1055
Joined 07-01-2013 status: Guru |
I was wondering how Florian Schneider, and indeed Kraftwerk fit into this. |
| MrMotif
Total Posts: 1122
Joined 10-02-2002 status: Administrator |
Fit in snug as a bug I’d say. Florian’s Kraftwerk were hugely influential in terms of legitimizing the synthesizer’s hit making potential. Autobahn was not simply a hit record, it opened eyes, ears and doors for a whole new generation of bands from Adam and The Ants to Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and others for whom synths became a key (as it were) sonic ingredient. MM |
| lastmonk
Total Posts: 364
Joined 12-17-2013 status: Enthusiast |
Zpink, I saw a lot of piano stuff for him, do you have any good examples of
@philwoodmusic yea its gonna be hard to leave kraftwerk out :-)
Don Airey
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| MrMotif
Total Posts: 1122
Joined 10-02-2002 status: Administrator |
lastmonk, this is your baby so up to you but I think it would be ‘legit’ to have as your base level criteria simply all of the aspects that go to make up a ‘synth player.’ As distinct from being a ‘keyboard player,’ in other words, which comes with some presumption of piano, organ, and traditional keyboard skills. What makes playing synths so interesting, and challenging, is that while it’d be hard to pursue much of a career armed with but a ‘one finger’ playing technique, playing synths is less about physical keyboard skills but to some extent has to encompass the skills of sound design, orchestration, electronics, production and (recently at any rate) computer wrangling. A synthesizer does not even have to have a keyboard, nor any recognizable physical controller. In fact, freeing us from the 12-note keyboard was one of the most exciting aspects of early synth design and remains one of the most exciting aspects of the current fashion for EuroRack. To be a good/great synth player you simply (well, ha!) need to know how all these various bags of tricks fit together and work alongside other instruments and players. If you happen to have flying fingers as well, that’s always impressive of course. But digital dexterity is not, imho, the most crucial factor for this particular and indeed peculiar breed of instrumentalist. MM |
| zpink
Total Posts: 427
Joined 08-02-2014 status: Enthusiast |
Well, I guess he’s really more important as a keyboard player and for his orchestra arrangements with Dimmu Borgir.
I still think that Ray Manzarek should be considered, but it’s your list. :-) |
| exsequor699
Total Posts: 20
Joined 02-18-2007 status: Regular |
You should add to that list Derek Sherinian, Patrick Moraz, George Duke ,Kevin Moore, Kerry Minnear, Tom Coster, John Novello and Jens Johansson. |
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