Piano rock

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Piano rock
Stylistic origins:	Progressive rock
Cultural origins:	1950s in the United States
Typical instruments:	Piano, electric piano, guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, synthesizer
Mainstream popularity:	worldwide since the 1970s

Piano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a term for a style of music that is based around the piano, and sometimes around piano-related instruments, such as the Fender Rhodes, the Wurlitzer electric piano, and keyboard-based synthesizers.

Unlike the classic rock combination of lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals, piano rock puts the pianist front and center. Traditionally, piano rock has not been as prevalent as classic rock. However, modern bands such as Ben Folds Five, Keane, Coldplay, Evanescence, The Dresden Dolls, and The Fray, and solo artists such as Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Christine Anderson, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Leon Russell have heavily featured keyboard instruments in their songs.

1 History
2 Modern success with piano rock
3 Notable piano rockers and albums
4 Recent piano rock achievements
5 See also
6 Sources

[edit] History

The roots of piano rock can be traced to 1950s rock-and-roll pioneers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. Many of their frantic performance styles, such as kicking the piano bench out of the way to play standing, raking their hands up and down the keyboard for dramatic effect, and even sitting on the keyboard are now commonplace in modern piano rock and often seen in the performances of Billy Joel, Elton John and Ben Folds.

Elton John and Billy Joel can be considered the modern-day ground-breakers in the genre, with hits throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s merging the Rhythm and blues sounds of pianists Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder with Jerry Lee Lewis-inspired Rock and Pop idioms.

Artists such as Tori Amos, Ben Folds, and Fiona Apple have kept piano rock in the public consciousness throughout the '90s and into the 2000s. Some bands use electronic keyboards to create special sound effects.

[edit] Modern success with piano rock

Some modern artists still prefer using the piano instead of highly popular guitars. The following are some notable bands and artists who became famous with piano rock.

The English band Keane is known worldwide for not using guitars in their music. After their guitarist left in 2001, the still unknown band decided to not use guitars anymore, but rather focus on piano usage. In 2003, their piano rock songs "Everybody's Changing" and "Somewhere Only We Know" made them an internationally recognized band. Their piano style is also reflected on their B-side songs "Snowed Under" and "Something in Me Was Dying".

Evanescence is another example of piano rock success, with huge hits "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal". Coldplay is another example. The hit singles "Trouble", "The Scientist", "Speed of Sound", "Clocks" and "The Hardest Part" set the piano as the main instrument, as well as the song "Everything's Not Lost" from the album Parachutes. However, Coldplay uses guitars on most of their songs, and Chris Martin (Coldplay singer) has recently said that their next studio album will not feature pianos.

Vanessa Carlton is best known for her single "A Thousand Miles", which features the piano as the lead instrument. The music reflects modern American pop and so it can be known by piano rock's alternative name, piano pop. Recently, Denver-based foursome The Fray achieved success with their piano rock song "Over My Head (Cable Car)".