This article is about Keyboard instruments. For keyboards on musical instruments see Musical keyboards

The piano, a common keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments. In common language, it is mostly used to refer to keyboard-style synthesizers.

History[link]

Among the very earliest keyboard instruments are the pipe organ, hurdy gurdy, clavichord and harpsichord. The organ is without doubt the oldest of these, appearing in the 3rd century BC, though this early instrument—called hydraulis—did not use a keyboard in the modern sense. From its invention until the 14th century, the organ remained the only keyboard instrument. Often, the organ did not feature a keyboard at all, rather buttons or large levers which were operated by a whole hand. Almost every keyboard until the 15th century had naturals to each octave.

The clavichord and the harpsichord appeared during the 14th century, the clavichord probably being the earlier. The harpsichord and the clavichord were both very common until the widespread adoption of the piano in the 18th century, after which their popularity decreased. The piano was revolutionary because a pianist could vary the volume (or dynamics) of the sound by varying the vigor with which each key was struck. The piano's full name is "gravicèmbalo con piano e forte" meaning "harpsichord with soft and loud" but can be shortened to "piano-forte", which means "soft-loud" in Italian.

Keyboard instruments were further developed in the early 20th century. Early electromechanical instruments, such as the Ondes Martenot, appeared early in the century. This was a very important contribution to the keyboard's history.

Construction[link]

The keys were traditionally made of wood materials. The white tangents were made of ivory, the black of ebony, but now artificial materials like plastic are used to cover the wooden keys. Cheaper materials like oak, walnut and soft wood are used now. The flat for another, for example C♯ and D♭ are the same note.^[1]

The five accidentals written as sharps are: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, and A♯.

Modern keyboards[link]

Much effort has gone into finding an instrument which sounds like the piano but lacks its size and weight. The electric piano and electronic piano were early efforts that, while being useful instruments in their own right, were not successful in convincingly reproducing the timbre of the piano. Electric and electronic organs were developed during the same period.

List of keyboard instruments[link]

Chordophones[link]

• Bowed clavier
• Clavichord
• Electric piano
  • Clavinet
  • Pianet
  • Rhodes piano
  • Wurlitzer electric piano
• Harpsichord
  • Archicembalo
  • Lautenwerck
  • Spinet
  • Virginal
• Hurdy gurdy
  • Keyed fiddle
• Piano
  • Fortepiano
  • Tangent piano

Aerophones[link]

• Accordion
• Calliope
• Harmonium/Reed organ
• Melodeon
• Melodica
• Pipe organ
• Regal

Idiophones[link]

• Carillon
• Celesta
• Dulcitone
• Glasschord
• Keyboard glockenspiel
• Toy piano

Electrophones[link]

• Digital piano
• Electronic keyboard
• Electronic organ
• Electronic piano
• Keytar
• Mellotron
• Optigan
• Synthesizer

See also[link]

• Orchestrina di camera
• Piano
• Symphony
• Instrument

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keyboard instruments

References[link]

• Learn to play on piano
• The general keyboard in the age of MIDI
• Renaissance Keyboards on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Pianofortes of Bartolomeo Cristofori on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Amy Lee
Lee at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards.
Background information
Birth name	Amy Lynn Lee
Born	(1981-12-13) December 13, 1981 (age 30) Riverside, California, U.S.
Origin	Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Genres	Alternative metal
Occupations	Musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, pianist
Instruments	Vocals, piano, organ,[1] guitar, harp[2]
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Epic, Wind-up, EMI
Associated acts	Evanescence
Website	www.Evanescence.com
Notable instruments
Baldwin Piano Company

Amy Lynn Hartzler (née Lee; born December 13, 1981), known professionally as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman^[3] and Plumb.^[4] Along with her contributions to Evanescence, Lee has also participated on numerous other musical projects including Walt Disney Records' 2008 release of The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. Lee has performed collaborations with artists such as Korn, Seether, and David Hodges. Lee is also the American chairperson for the international epilepsy awareness foundation, Out of the Shadows.^[5] Revolver Magazine named Lee the #1 Hottest Chick in Hard Rock for their 2011 annual issue and she appeared on the front cover.^[6][7]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Amy Lee was born to parents John Lee, a disc jockey and TV personality, and Sara Cargill. She has a brother named Robby and two sisters, Carrie and Lori. Lee had a younger sister who died in 1987 at the age of three from an unidentified illness.^[8] The song "Hello" from Fallen has been reported to have been written for her late sister, as well as the song "Like You" from The Open Door.^[9] Lee took classical piano lessons for nine years. Her family moved to many places, including Florida and Illinois,^[10] and eventually settled in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Evanescence started. She briefly attended Middle Tennessee State University to study music theory and composition and later dropped out to focus on Evanescence.^[11]

In an interview on AOL Music, Lee said that the first songs she remembered writing were called "Eternity of the Remorse" and "A Single Tear". The first was written when she was eleven years old and wanted to become a classical composer, and the second was for an assignment when she was in the eighth grade.^[12]

Engagement and marriage[link]

Lee revealed during the live broadcast of MuchMusic's January 9, 2007, episode of Live at Much that she had become engaged the prior evening. She later confirmed on EvThreads.com that Josh Hartzler, a therapist and long-time friend, proposed to her.^[13] She noted in an interview that the songs "Good Enough" and "Bring Me to Life" were inspired by him.^[14] The couple married on May 6, 2007, and honeymooned near The Bahamas.^[15] She has posted on EvThreads that she is "now officially Mrs. Amy Hartzler."^[16]

Evanescence[link]

Amy Lee performing during a Evanescence concert on October 25, 2011.

Founding[link]

Lee co-founded the rock band Evanescence with guitarist Ben Moody. The two met at a youth camp after Moody heard Lee playing Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" on the piano.^[17] Within a month, the pair were playing acoustic sets at Arkansas book stores and coffee houses,^[18] and they eventually recorded two EPs, Evanescence EP (1998) and Sound Asleep EP (1999), selling them at various local venues. In 2000, Evanescence recorded the longer EP Origin. This demo contains three songs from the debut album Fallen and was written by Lee and Moody: "Whisper", "Imaginary" and "My Immortal". Whereas "Whisper" and "Imaginary" were altered before being included on Fallen, "My Immortal" is virtually unchanged, apart from additional string arrangements. A later band version of "My Immortal" was made available for download for those who had bought an official version of Fallen through their web site, but required that a CD checker program also be downloaded for verification before it would play.^[19] The band version was included on later copies of Fallen, notably the Brazilian, Bolivian, and Argentine editions.

On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band citing "creative differences". In an interview several months later, Amy said: "...we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record". She also said "We're finally a real band, not just Ben and I and a few others thrown together".^[18] Ex-Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo replaced Moody in the band, both on guitar and as Lee's writing partner.

Solo album[link]

During an October 2008 interview for Spin.com, Lee noted that she was writing new songs, possibly for a solo album project. Citing influences in folk and Celtic music, she says her current writings feel like she is going back to her "really old" roots. She gave no potential release date, but said of her reason for this new direction, "I need to show that I'm more than a one trick pony."^[20]

Lee stated during an October 2008 interview with The Gauntlet that she did not know whether or not she would begin a solo career, saying that she was "at a point where I don't know what is next." She noted that Evanescence was still together as a band but that she found touring to be monotonous. She reiterated that she was continuing to write songs, though she did not yet know what purpose they would serve.^[21]

In a Spin interview in March 2010, Lee stated that she was "in a very different creative space then" regarding her previous work on new material, and that while she wrote some songs that were good, nothing from those efforts would be included in the band's album Evanescence,^[22] which was released on October 11, 2011.^[23]

Appearance[link]

Lee has a recognizable fashion style, marked by her occasional use of gothic make-up and taste for Victorian-styled clothing.^[24] She also designs many of her own clothes, including those worn in the music video for "Going Under", and the dress worn for the cover of The Open Door and the dress she wore to the Noble Peace Prize concert in 2011. After she designed the dress she wore at the 2004 Grammy awards, she chose Japanese designer H. Naoto to make it for her.^[25] She at one point had a piercing on her left eyebrow, which is visible on the cover of Fallen. In an interview with VEVO stylized, Lee showcased and explained her fashion style, commenting that she’d rather make her own clothes because it’s hard to find what she exactly wants elsewhere.^[26] In an interview with AOL, Lee stated that her daily style is very different from when she performs; pointing out that she was wearing “something flowery” during the interview. She explained that her on-stage wardrobe was meant to preserve the atmosphere of the songs and complete the image. In another interview, she stated that when the band first started performing, she used to heavily wear corsets in fear of diluting the bands’ image, but has gradually become more comfortable with her own style. Her current on-stage style is often characterized by boots, a simple black tank top, a long skirt and various ornaments and accessories.

Furthermore, Lee dyes her hair dark black. She uses blue contact lenses though her natural eye color is green.

Lee at the 2007 Scream Awards.

She has stated on a number of occasions that she would never flash her breasts or engage in other publicity stunts that would draw attention to herself. In fact, in the music video for "Everybody's Fool", she aimed to mock such artists by suggesting that celebrities who use sex to appeal to an audience are, in fact, merely peddling "lies" (the unifying theme of the music video). Many fans praise Lee for her refusal to emulate other celebrities by using sex appeal in her music.^[27]

In 2006, Blender listed Lee as one of the hottest women in rock alongside such singers as Joan Jett, Courtney Love and Liz Phair.^[28]

Other projects[link]

In 2000, Lee sang on two of former Evanescence keyboardist David Hodges' songs: "Breathe" (The Summit Church: Summit Worship) and the unreleased "Fall Into You".^[29] She performed backup vocals for "Missing You", a song on Big Dismal's 2003 debut album Believe, and sang backup vocals on two songs with 'supergroup' The Damning Well, though her vocals were taken off the final release due to record label issues.^[30] Lee later performed a duet with her then-boyfriend Shaun Morgan on the track "Broken" for Seether's 2004 album Disclaimer II. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack for the 2004 film The Punisher.

Lee on stage in 2007.

In 2004, Lee claimed to be working on music for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that the music was rejected by the studio for being "too dark." However, the producers of Narnia stated that Lee was never asked to compose any music for the film, whose score was written by Harry Gregson-Williams, and that "No Evanescence music was planned for the soundtrack."^[31][32] While there was some speculation that one of the supposed songs had been cut and used in several tracks of The Open Door, Lee stated this was not true except for part of it being used to segue into the last track of the album, "Good Enough".^[33]

Lee became the American chairperson for Out of the Shadows in 2006. This organization is an international foundation with the goal of providing education about epilepsy. Lee's younger brother, Robby, was previously diagnosed with this condition.^[5] The singer also made a brief guest appearance in the music video for Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" in late 2006.^[34] As each celebrity featured in the shoot was allowed to choose what they would be doing for the video, Lee chose to appear laying flowers on a grave. Her scene was recorded at Trinity Church in Manhattan, during which she wore a black velvet coat that previously belonged to Tim Burton.^[14]

In February 2007, MTV released MTV Unplugged: Korn to television and radio, in which Lee is featured during the song "Freak on a Leash". The song was also released as the first single from the album. In November 2007, VH1 produced a mockumentary in the style of Behind the Music, titled Rock Band Cometh: The Rock Band Band Story, to promote the video game Rock Band. Lee was one of the celebrity cameos featured on the show.^[35]

In June 2008, the National Music Publishers' Association presented Lee with their 2008 Songwriter Icon Award, which "recognizes outstanding songwriters for their personal achievement".^[36]

For Walt Disney Records' September 2008 release of Nightmare Revisited, Lee sang a remake of "Sally's Song". The album contains new material and covers of songs from the original Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.^[37][38] Lee performed live renditions of "Sally's Song" during the October 17 Nightmare Before Christmas re-release premiere in Hollywood, and for an October 13 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[39]

Discography[link]

Evanescence[link]

• Fallen (2003)
• The Open Door (2006)
• Evanescence (2011)

Collaborations and other songs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amy Lee

• Evanescence.com – Official U.S. website

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (July 2007)

George Duke
Duke at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1986
Background information
Born	(1946-01-12) 12 January 1946 (age 66) San Rafael, California, United States
Genres	Jazz fusion, R&B, funk,[1] alternative rock, rock and roll, jazz pop,[1] post-disco,[1] crossover jazz[1]
Occupations	Musician Composer Musical director Producer Educator
Instruments	Vocals, piano, synthesizer, Keytar, keyboards, contrabass, trombone
Years active	1967– present
Labels	Pacific Jazz, Pickwick, MPS/SABA, MPS/BASF, Atlantic, Epic/CBS, Elektra, Warner Bros., Bizarre, Telarc Jazz, Heads Up
Associated acts	Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderley
Website	George Duke official site.com
Notable instruments
Moog synthesizer

Clarke and Duke in concert

George Duke (born 12 January 1946 in San Rafael, California)^[2] is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Duke attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley before earning a bachelor's degree in trombone and composition with a minor in contrabass, from the San Francisco Conservatory in 1967.^[2] Playing initially with friends from garages to local clubs, Duke quickly eased his way into session work, which refined his abilities and expanded his approach to music. (He later earned his Masters Degree in composition from San Francisco State University. His website mentions a short stint teaching a course on Jazz And American Culture at Merritt Junior College in Oakland).^[2] Beginning in 1967 Duke experimented further with jazz fusion, playing and recording with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as performing with the Don Ellis Orchestra, and Cannonball Adderley's band, while he acquainted himself with the avantgarde musician Frank Zappa.^[3] Duke appeared on a number of Frank Zappa's albums in the early and mid-1970s, including Chunga's Revenge, 200 Motels, Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo, Apostrophe, Over-Nite Sensation, One Size Fits All, Bongo Fury and Roxy & Elsewhere.

Duke's other high-profile collaborators include Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham,^{[citation needed]} Cannonball Adderley, his cousin Dianne Reeves, Deniece Williams, Jeffrey Osborne, George Clinton, Anita Baker, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell, Marilyn Scott and Mike Mainieri's jazz fusion group Steps Ahead, for whom he produced the track "Magnetic Love." Duke played on Herb Ellis' album, Soft Shoe (Concord, 1974) with Harry Sweets Edison; Duke played the piano and organ.

He also served as a record producer and composer on two instrumental tracks on Miles Davis albums: "Backyard Ritual" (from Tutu, 1986) and "Cobra" (from Amandla, 1989). He has also worked with a number of notable Brazilian musicians, including singer Milton Nascimento, percussionist Airto Moreira and singer Flora Purim. Sheila E appeared on Duke's late-1970s solo albums Don't Let Go and Master of the Game.

Duke had been fairly visible in the R&B world releasing funk-based songs like "Reach for It" and "Dukey Stick". In 1979 he traveled to Rio de Janeiro, where he recorded A Brazilian Love Affair. He employed singers Flora Purim and Milton Nascimento and percussionist Airto Moreira. The album featured some Latin jazz and jazz-influenced material. From a jazz standpoint, the album's most noteworthy songs include Nascimento's "Cravo e Canela," "Love Reborn," and "Up from the Sea It Arose and Ate Rio in One Swift Bite." In addition was "Brazilian Sugar" which was featured on the 2006 video game Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Meanwhile, Nascimento's vocal on the ballad "Ao Que Vai Nascer" is an example of Brazilian pop at its most sensuous. This acclaimed album contained a wide variety of genres.

Duke has also worked as musical director at numerous large-scale musical events, including the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, London in 1988. In 1989, he temporarily replaced Marcus Miller as musical director of NBC's acclaimed late-night music performance program Sunday Night during its first season.^[4] Duke was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. ^[5]

"No Rhyme or No Reason" can be heard during the period of time designated as Quiet Storm.

Duke's songs have been used by a wide variety of contemporary musicians in a wide array of genres. These include: "I Love You More", sampled by house music-act Daft Punk for their hit "Digital Love"; "Guilty", sampled by electronica music artist Mylo in his song "Guilty of Love" on Destroy Rock & Roll.

"For Love", sampled by underground hip hop artist MF Doom on his track "I Hear Voices";

"Someday", sampled by hip hop artist/producer Kanye West for Common in "Break My Heart" on his "Finding Forever" album; "You and Me", sampled and used by soul/rhythm and blues influenced hip hop-producer 9th Wonder for his collaboration album with Kaze for the track "Spirit Of '94" on the album Spirit Of '94: Version 9.0; and "Reach for It", sampled by Ice Cube in "True to the Game" on his Death Certificate album and Spice 1 in "In My Neighborhood" on his self-titled debut album.

Recently, Duke worked with Jill Scott on her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3; guesting on the track, "Whenever You're Around". Since it was released it has peaked at No.56 on U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

In the Summer of 2011, he put together a trio with David Sanborn and Marcus Miller for a tour across the USA of more than 20 sold out shows.

Discography[link]

As Leader[link]

¹ Rereleased as "The Primal" by MPS in 1978.
² Rereleased as "Pacific Jazz" by United Artists in 1978 albeit with a different tracklisting.
³ Solus was recorded in April 1971 and intended to be released as a single album by SABA but when SABA folded and became MPS the powers that be decided to postpone its release. They finally put it out as a double album in 1976 together with George's MPS debut "The Inner Source". The latter was recorded in October 1971.
⁴ Recorded in 1976 and released in 1978 (Europe-only). Released in the USA (in a slightly different version) as "The 1976 Solo Keyboard Album" by Epic/CBS in 1982.

As Sideman[link]

Template:With Teena Marie Congo Square With Eddie Henderson

• Sunburst (Blue Note, 1975)

With Alphonse Mouzon

• The Man Incognito (Blue Note, 1975)

With Airto Moreira

• Virgin Land (Salvation, 1974)

With Flora Purim

• That's What She Said (Milestone Records, 1978)

With Michael Jackson

• Off the Wall (Epic, 1979)

With Miles Davis

• Tutu (Warner Bros, 1986)
• Amandla (Warner Bros, 1989)

With Jean-Luc Ponty

• Individual Choice (Atlantic, 1983)

With Dianne Reeves

• Dianne Reeves (Blue Note, 1987)
• Never Too Far (EMI, 1989)
• Quiet After The Storm (Blue Note, 1995)
• Bridges (Blue Note, 1999)
• In the Moment – Live in Concert (Blue Note, 2000)

With Regina Belle

• Lazy Afternoon (2004)

With Deniece Williams

• Let's Hear It For the Boy (Columbia, 1984)
• Love, Niecy Style (Shanachie, 2007)

With Joe Sample

• Sample This (Warner Bros, 1997)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: George Duke

• Official site
• George Duke at NPR Music
• George Duke interview at allaboutjazz.com "New album, more treats".
• George Duke interview at allaboutjazz.com "Deja Vu".
• George Duke 2012 Interview Part 1 at Soulinterviews.com.
• George Duke 2012 Interview Part 2 at Soulinterviews.com.