When I set out to create my two-man band, it wasnt out of

synth-driven inspirationit was purely based on economics. Most gigs

leave me with just enough money for one man, and that man is me!
However, after years of playing solo shows, I started getting bored being
up there all by my lonesome. So I asked myself, How can I get the
biggest sound out of the smallest amount of people? Fifty feet of MIDI
cable later, my two-headed beast was born. As my music is piano-based,
and nearly all the sounds on my album The Planeteer were made by
keyboards, I figured Id be able to replicate most of the parts, includ-
ing the bass, myself. The only other musician Id need was a drummer.
Between the two of us and some key pieces of gear, we were able to
bring to life the sounds I worked so hard to create on record.
My keyboard sound consists of three parts: a piano bed, a bass part,
and a layer. My main instrument is a Yamaha CP33, which I use for
my base piano sound and as a MIDI controller. The CP33 has 14 pro-
grammable presets, which I configure for my two external synths: a
Nord Electro 2 Rack and Nord Rack 2Xthe rack version of the Nord
Lead 2X. I use the Electro mainly for Rhodes and Clav sounds, leaving
the Rack 2X with the heavy synth lifting. Each one of the 2Xs four out-
puts (I only use three) can be assigned its own sound and MIDI chan-
nel. By splitting the CP33 into two zones, I have the bass zone routed
on MIDI channel 1 to output A of the Rack 2X, which holds my bass
sounds. I combine the remaining two outputs with the Electro to cre-
ate my layer sound. I route the three signals through a Morley ABC
switch, then into a Boss Chromatic Tuner I use for its bypass feature. I
set up the Morley pedal before each song and use the Tuner to pop the
layer in and out of song sections.
All the other necessary parts and loops are trigged by my drum-
mer, Adam Christgau, from a Roland SPD-S. The SPD-S acts as the
third member of our band, filling out our sound. As youll see in the
following examples, all this gear is an essential part of making this
two-man band rock.
LESSONS
New York- and London-based
singer, songwriter, and key-
boardist Julian Velard guests
this month, with a primer on
being half of a keyboard-and-
drums duo. His new album
The Planeteer, a collection of
keyboard-driven pop, is avail-
able at iTunes. Jon Regen
24 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0
Julian Velard
ON THE ART AND TECHNOLOGY
OF THE TWO-MAN BAND
R
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Piano
Synth Bass
Love Again For The First Time
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Piano
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Joni
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25 0 8 . 2 0 1 0 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M
Ex. 2. Love Again For The First Time
This uses the same principle as Joni, but this time, the layer in the chorus consists of two parts: a bell-like Rhodes from the
Electro (now switched back to MIDI channel 2) and a swelling synth pad from the Nord Rack 2X. It really gives the track an
uplifting effect.
Ex. 1. Joni
This is a good illustration of how I use my setup for a full spectrum from bass to high end. I start the verse with just the piano and
my bass sound: a blend of the Nord Rack 2X and an auto-wah Clav on the Electro. I have to change the Electros MIDI receive
channel to 1, as its normally set to channel 2 for the right hand of the piano. For the chorus, I add the layer, a synth pizzicato string,
by tapping the B button on the Morley pedalthe Boss tuner bypass stays off for this whole song. This is an example of a verse
leading into a chorus.
Joni, words and music by Julian Velard.
Copyright 2008 Imagem Music. Used by
permission. All Rights Reserved.
Love Again For The First Time, words and music by
Julian Velard and Martin Brammer. Copyright 2008
Imagem Music. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
LESSONS
26 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0

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Piano
Bass
Take the Money and Run

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Bass
Me and My Mirror On A Saturday Night

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High Piano
Ex. 4. Take the Money and Run
On my record, this song has an old-school brass arrangement la Bugsy Malone. I really wanted to get the silliness in there, so I went
for the most tuba-like synth bass I could find. I pair this with funky upright piano sounds, tweaked with a bit of a synthesized edge.
Ex. 3. Me and My Mirror On A Saturday Night
Heres an example of what my keyboard rig sounds like with tracks from the Roland SPD-S. In each section, Im popping in
more and more sounds. Some of the synth sounds are coming off the SPD-S, but the main lead is my right hand doubled by a
high piano sound. Along with a fat bass sound from the Nord Rack 2X, Im able to recreate the track live.
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/aug2010
Audio examples recorded
by Julian Velard.
Interactive adventure
game at Julians site.
Video: Julian live at
Berklee College of
Music.
More Online
Me and My Mirror On A Saturday Night, words and music by Julian Velard,
Grant Black, and Jerry Abbott. Copyright 2009 Imagem Music and Good
Groove Songs. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
Take the Money and Run, words and music by Julian Velard and Jerry Abbott.
Copyright 2009 Imagem Music. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
Lets face it. Despite being a cornerstone of early rock n roll (think
Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Fats Domino), the honorable piano
man too often must fight for his legitimate place in the rock n roll land-
scape. One of the rock pianists greatest challenges is coming up with
effective song introductions. An intro part has to do three things: Cut
through the band, be catchy, and most of all, rock! Two revered pianists
that have best exhibited these skills are the late, great Johnnie Johnson
(Chuck Berrys original pianist) and Leon Russell.
Here are a couple of piano introductions in Johnnie and Leons style,
as well two variations on an intro from a tune I co-wrote. Together,
they make up a study of some of the devices that make great piano
intros rock.
28 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0
LESSONS
A longtime member of
Southside Johnny and the
Asbury Jukes, Jeff Kazee
also appears with Jon Bon
Jovi, and plays in Early Elton,
a piano-driven power trio
dedicated to Elton Johns
trio tours of 197072. Find
out more at myspace.com/
jeffkazeemusic. Jon Regen

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Ex. 1. Leon Russells Style
One of Leon Russells signature sounds is the use of fourths and fifths in a patient yet driving riff, usually found in the lower middle part
of the pianoroughly the C4 area and below. These open voicings give power and gritty funk to a song. Russell will often answer his own
riff with a bluesy response (measure 2, beat 3), or offer an angular right-handed octave melody to keep the part moving (measure 4, beat
3), before returning to the original motif. Starting with a steady four on the floor left hand on the chords root lets the right hand take
care of business before any further development occurs.
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/aug2010
Audio examples recorded
by the author.
Video: Early Elton live
at New Yorks the
Bitter End.
Download Pills and
Ammo to hear more
of Jeffs playing.
More Online
Jeff Kazee
HAIL, HAIL THE ROCK N ROLL
PIANO INTRO!
Continued on page 30
LESSONS
30 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0

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Ex. 2. Johnnie Johnsons Style
Johnnie Johnsons combination of big band-like chord stabs and quickly repeated notes and phrases influenced seminal rock guitarist
Chuck Berrys own playing and recordings. I kick off the Johnnie style with a couple of stabs in the right hand (measures 1 and 2), and
employ a little dissonance in those first clusters before quickly releasing to the major third (E). This gives the song a playful edge right out
of the gate. This track calls for a swing versus straight feelIm keeping a steady, left-handed, eighth-note boogie pattern and slightly
swinging my right hand figures. Listen to drummers like Earl Palmer and Jim Keltner for an example of this rhythm that has propelled many
classic rock tracks.

4
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Ex. 4. Cross that Line Variant

Once again, from Cross that Line, heres a variation on the opening piano motif, appearing later in the song. A little more staccato in its
delivery, this part pops through and helps drive the verse towards the chorus in a playful manner.
Ex. 3. Cross that Line Intro
On the recently released Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes recording Pills and Ammo, I co-wrote a tune called Cross that Line
that starts with a huge Mad Dogs and Englishmen-like chord from the Jukes, and is complemented by a descending piano intro riff. Its
simple enough, using descending sixths again, and I use it throughout the song as a connecting device between sections. Although
inspired by Leon Russell and Johnnie Johnson on my initial idea, I ended up with a figure that pays homage more to Ian McLagan of Faces
and Nicky Hopkins of the Rolling Stones.
Cross that Line, words and music by Jeff Kazee and John Lyon.
Copyright 2010 Jeff Kazee and John Lyon. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Jeff Kazee Music and Blue Harp Inc.
Blues is not only a genre of music, its also a formthat has permeated
nearly every other genre. The blues origins can be traced to late 19th-
century African-American communities of the Deep South. As a direct
result of slavery, a fusion of work songs, spirituals, chants, and narrative
ballads evolved into the blues. The form was an outgrowth of these songs,
and became a musical structure most commonly known as 12-bar blues.
This progression is the basis of countless songs. Heres how to put the
sound and structure of the blues to work in your own playing.
Ex. 1is a traditional 12-bar progression made up of three phrases
of four bars each. There are only three chords, all dominant sevenths,
built on the I, IV, and V of the key. The left hands roots and fifths pro-
vide the bass foundation for the triads in the right hand. Notice the
blue notes, which are grace notes of flat thirds. Also, the rhythms aim
for the off-beats, keeping things moving forward.
Ex. 2. Add chord extensions such as ninths and 13ths, and a more
modern sound emerges. Tritone substitutions and dominant seventh
approach chords provide more harmonic interest as well. Measures 4
and 5 contain the famous Coltrane changesthe basis for the semi-
nal Coltrane tune Giant Stepswhich are considered a benchmark
of any jazz players prowess. The left-hand octaves and right-hand tri-
tones, triads, and sevenths in measures 11 and 12 demonstrate a com-
mon blues turnaround with a gospel flavor.
Ex. 3. Voicings in fourths, chords derived from the dimin-
ished scale that move in minor thirds, chromatic approach chords,
and triad pair voicings all give this chorus a modern jazz flavor.
The progression is based on Charlie Parkers Blues for Alice.
Again, many of the rhythms are off the beat, which creates a strong
forward momentum.
32 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0
LESSONS
Jazz educator Andy
LaVerne has played and
recorded with Frank
Sinatra, Stan Getz, and
Chick Corea. Visit him
at andylaverne.com.

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Ex. 1.
Andy LaVerne
BLUES BASICS AND BEYOND
Hear audio
examples.
More Online Get these links and more at
keyboardmag.com/aug2010
Continued on page 34
LESSONS
34 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 8 . 2 0 1 0

j
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Ex. 3.