Jeremiah was a bullfrog.

July 30, 2009 9:42 AM

Help me think of famous keyboard intros to play during soundcheck. Difficulty rating: No synth sounds.

I like trotting out some famous piano/Rhodes/Hammond intro during sound check at a particular gig every week. However, I'm using a Nord Electro 2 and it only makes Hammond, piano, Clavinet, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer sounds. I'm looking for short, famous, iconic keyboard intros to play while we check levels. Ones I've used in the past are:

Whiter Shade of Pale-Procol Harum
Evil Woman-Elo
Joy to the World-Three Dog Night
Logical Song-Supertramp

You get the idea. Since this keyboard only does the sounds listed above, synthy things like Take on Me by Ah-Ha are out.

posted by sourwookie to media & arts (75 comments total)

Bass-line intro from Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs
Long psychedelic scale/intro from In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida
posted by jquinby at 9:46 AM on July 30

Woman to Woman - Joe Cocker, among others, and famously sampled in Dr. Dre's 'California Love.'
posted by box at 9:46 AM on July 30

Stiletto - Billy Joel, as sampled on Kool G Rap and Polo's 'Rags to Riches'
posted by box at 9:47 AM on July 30

Please, please please: Keyboard Cat.
posted by GilloD at 9:49 AM on July 30 [13 favorites]

Jackson Browne, "The Load-Out."
posted by swerve at 9:49 AM on July 30

A little cliché, perhaps, but John Lennon's "Imagine" has a pretty well-known piano intro.
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:50 AM on July 30

Bach's Toccatta En Fugue; be a real star!
posted by Redhush at 9:51 AM on July 30

The Cheers theme.
posted by erikgrande at 9:52 AM on July 30

Bob Seger, "Old-Time Rock & Roll."
posted by swerve at 9:53 AM on July 30

My first thought was chopsticks though not sure if that's even close to what you have in mind.

I did find this book of sheet music that might have some ideas for you.
Famous Keyboard Intros
This 2nd edition features 30 of the most popular keyboard intros ever with fascinating facts about each song! The CD includes demos of each intro.
posted by bowmaniac at 9:54 AM on July 30

Just intros? If you've got the clavinet sound, the "Superstition" riff would be fun.

Also maybe the "Take Five" phrase, if you're into getting away from the classic rock sort of thing.
posted by evisceratordeath at 9:55 AM on July 30

Journey, Don't Stop Believing.
posted by smackfu at 9:56 AM on July 30 [2 favorites]

The Halloween theme?
posted by arniec at 9:58 AM on July 30

Paul McCartney, "Live and Let Die."
posted by swerve at 9:58 AM on July 30

The Stars and Strips Forever, or, any into to a Sousa march.

Out of the box, but it'll get people's attention, I promise you.
posted by Danf at 9:58 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Mott The Hoople - All The Way From Memphis
posted by essexjan at 9:59 AM on July 30

Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. Actually a lot of Queen.
posted by spec80 at 10:00 AM on July 30

Billy Joel's "Prelude/Angry Young Man" is also pretty sweet. (You know keyboard, so you will understand this: your left and right hand alternate playing 32nd notes on the same key for most of it.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:00 AM on July 30

The end section of "Layla".
posted by equalpants at 10:00 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
posted by yawper at 10:00 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Oh! Oh, and "Gimme Some Lovin'" by Spencer Davis Group.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:01 AM on July 30

Lady Madonna by the Beatles
posted by essexjan at 10:01 AM on July 30

Also, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
posted by essexjan at 10:02 AM on July 30

Benny and the Jets would be awesome.
posted by essexjan at 10:03 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Dammit, I keep hitting "post" and thinking of other things --

The title track off Bruce Hornsby's album "Harbor Lights" has an utterly gorgeous piano intro that never got included with the radio single (as well as this really great jazz riff with him and Pat Metheney going off into a tangent towards the end of the song, that also didn't make it onto the radio).

I'll probably think of something else in two seconds after I post this.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:03 AM on July 30

Tony Banks' intro from Firth of Fifth by Genesis...
posted by benzo8 at 10:04 AM on July 30

Let It Be.
posted by grobstein at 10:04 AM on July 30

"Summer in the City."
posted by equalpants at 10:05 AM on July 30

"Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO is one of my favorite songs of all time, and if I heard it being done in an offhand way during a soundcheck, I'd probably pee my pants a little. Although I would only do this for the melody, not for the actual piano part in the song, which I imagine would be kind of boring to play.
posted by scarykarrey at 10:05 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Hill Street Blues.

God... memories.
posted by That takes balls. at 10:06 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Billy Joel's The Stranger would probably work too.
posted by bowmaniac at 10:06 AM on July 30

Bach Tocatta & Fugue in d minor
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
The beginning of the coda to Layla
The music from Super Mario Brothers
We Are the Champions
posted by CrunchyFrog at 10:08 AM on July 30

Light My Fire
posted by Sys Rq at 10:10 AM on July 30

I know you listed Supertramp already, but "Goodbye Stranger" has an awesome electric piano intro.
posted by Aquaman at 10:11 AM on July 30

Tubular Bells
posted by Sys Rq at 10:13 AM on July 30

For the record, this is an awesome question and it has been a lot of fun to think about and see other suggestions and think "oh yeah, good one!". :)

What about The theme to St Elsewhere?
posted by bowmaniac at 10:15 AM on July 30

Riders on the Storm.
posted by essexjan at 10:16 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man" .... that would be impressive!
posted by scblackman at 10:19 AM on July 30

Mr Belevedere
Golden Girls
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Odd Couple
posted by Sys Rq at 10:22 AM on July 30

Beethoven's fifth.
Any Bach invention. (2 people got here with tocatta & fugue in D minor before me and with Whiter shade of Pale)
TV themes are good: e.g Jeopardy, Lone Ranger, ...
Strauss waltzes.
posted by Obscure Reference at 10:32 AM on July 30

Oh, this isn't an intro, but it is a really sweet piano riff: the 6-measure piano solo that comes in the middle of Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." Your left hand plays 16th notes on an octave, and your right hand plays a melody on 32nd notes. It is tough, and it's short, but damn, do you look impressive if you can pull it off, and everything else you can play after that is a cakewalk.

(I saw Billy Joel when I was fifteen, after having tried again and again to play that myself and having to curl up and nurse my hand for a good couple minutes after each time, and I saw that even HE sat there shaking out his overstretched left hand for a few seconds after that bit. MADE. MY. NIGHT.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:32 AM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Chopin's Marche Funèbre
posted by Sys Rq at 10:36 AM on July 30

baker street
posted by beukeboom at 10:42 AM on July 30

Not really much to play, but you could do the little Alien Communication riff from Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind maybe?
posted by Monster_Zero at 11:07 AM on July 30

Lean On Me. Editions of You.
posted by Item at 11:08 AM on July 30

U2, October and New Years Day
posted by scody at 11:16 AM on July 30

The Forrest Gump theme is a well-known (and hilariously easy) piano riff.
posted by zap rowsdower at 11:17 AM on July 30

Horace Silver's Song for My Father (also works for Steely Dan's Rikki Don't Lose That Number).
Joe Zawinul's Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Steve Winwood's Gimme Some Loving
Stevie Wonder's Superstition

And, of course, Booker T. Jones's Time Is Tight
posted by timeistight at 11:19 AM on July 30

The end of Epic from Faith No More.

[PS from the youtube comments: "Can you believe this song came out 20 years ago??" that sound you hear is me, weeping.]
posted by peep at 11:26 AM on July 30

Van Halen's Right Now
posted by Sys Rq at 11:28 AM on July 30

Motley Crue - Home Sweet Home

You know you want to.
posted by The Straightener at 11:28 AM on July 30

The intro to Melody Lee - The Damned
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:30 AM on July 30

Old Time Rock N' Roll
posted by Sys Rq at 11:31 AM on July 30

The Entertainer
posted by mmascolino at 11:34 AM on July 30

I can't believe I Don't Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats hasn't come up yet...
posted by i_cola at 11:40 AM on July 30

Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
Boston - Foreplay
Yes - Tempus Fugit
Metallica - Enter Sandman (claim some other parts as your own)
Doors - Light my Fire
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
posted by kurumi at 11:48 AM on July 30

I can't believe I Don't Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats hasn't come up yet...

I've actually done that one! Thanks, all!
posted by sourwookie at 11:51 AM on July 30

Is Toto's Hold the Line famous enough?
posted by booth at 11:59 AM on July 30

Doors - When The Music's Over
posted by ocha-no-mizu at 12:00 PM on July 30

Thus Spake Zarathustra! (Get your drummer in on it)

Learn to play this.

Hold D in one octave.

Now step down from D diatonically in the key of C major (white keys!) to A. I'm not sure where this comes from, but I associate it with spaghetti westerns and ennio morricone. Alternatively, try going D C B G A... with G as an eighth note and the others as quarters. If you play around, there are lots of other interesting embellishments.
posted by phrontist at 12:22 PM on July 30

"What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers has an instantly-recognizable keyboard line, and it's actually come up in our soundchecks before. As a bonus, you can check your mic with your best Michael McDonald impression.
posted by sportbucket at 12:30 PM on July 30

Yes - Cans and Brahms.
posted by bz at 12:57 PM on July 30

Rhapsody in Blue. (Best piano bit at 6:50 in the video).
posted by clorox at 1:19 PM on July 30 [1 favorite]

The intro to The Jackson Five's "I Want You Back".
posted by wafaa at 1:41 PM on July 30 [1 favorite]

In a gadda da vida - Iron Butterfly
posted by dobie at 4:01 PM on July 30

Caterpillar - The Cure
Loving Cup - The Stones
posted by minkll at 4:07 PM on July 30

Oh, fun! "Freeze Frame" by the J. Geils Band?
posted by mintcake! at 6:33 PM on July 30

The synth riff from Rush's "Tom Sawyer" should still be plenty recognizable even if it isn't played in synth.
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:13 PM on July 30

Roses by Outkast (Youtube link) was a big hit and has a lovely piano intro...
posted by Cantdosleepy at 2:37 AM on July 31

Baba O'Riley (a.k.a. Teenage Wasteland) by The Who. At least, the power chords. Unless you have a few synths lying around too.
posted by spamguy at 6:54 AM on July 31

Pretty much anything on a Steely Dan "greatest hits" collection will give you some good Rhodes stuff to play around with: Aja, Doctor Wu, Black Friday, etc.

Also, the solo electric piano intro to Pink Floyd's "Sheep" (grazing sound effects optional).

Other TV themes: Doogie Howser, Law and Order (either of these are better if you've got something close to that tinny 80's DX Rhodes sound), Hill Street Blues.
posted by anthom at 7:53 AM on July 31

Elton John "Don't let the sun go down on me"
posted by canoehead at 10:44 AM on July 31

Steely Dan's Peg
Dancing in the Moonlight
Don't Go Breakin' My Heart
We Just Disagree
My Girl
Beverly Hills 90210 Theme
Piano Man (super cliche)
In the Mood
Brazil
posted by thebazilist at 9:41 PM on July 31

Dear Zod, I HATE that DX7 electric piano sound. Almost made me swear off of Chick Corea for life.
posted by sourwookie at 9:41 PM on July 31

Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath
posted by Sys Rq at 9:08 AM on August 1