Popular again, keyboards energize 'Rock Band 3'

There's a moment nearly every night on Broadway, during the Tony Award-winning "Million Dollar Quartet," when Pretend Jerry Lee Lewis wields his piano like a weapon, overpowering Pretend Elvis Presley's hips, Pretend Johnny Cash's authority and Pretend Carl Perkins' guitar with undeniable cool.

It's a moment similar to the instant last month when Kanye West took the MTV Video Music Awards stage with nothing but a tiny MIDI keyboard and unspooled his new single "Runaway" with high drama by simply pushing a few keys.

"Rock and roll seems to have a love-hate relationship with keyboards," says Jason Hanley, director of education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, pointing to their dominance in the '50s and new-wave '80s and relative disfavor during the British Invasion of the '60s and the rise of grunge in the '90s. "There are times when it's really popular and then it becomes uncool. . . . Artistically, the keyboard is definitely on the upswing again."

The signs of it are everywhere. There's the No. 1 success of piano-playing singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles last month. There's the 2.5 million new and used pianos and keyboards that are sold each year. And with the release of Rock Band 3 on Tuesday, which makes keyboards part of your video game band for the first time, the resurgence of the keyboard may hit an even higher level.

"We may be just a portion of the trend," says Paul DeGooyer, MTV's senior vice president of electronic games and music/programming. "The addition of keyboards was something we had been asked about since the day we announced Rock Band in 2007."

Because it's more complicated to incorporate even a single-octave keyboard (the one being released is two octaves, or 25 keys) into the game than it is to add five drum pads or five fret buttons on a guitar, the process became a lengthy one.

"There was a lot of thought and discussion back and forth," DeGooyer says. "In the end, what we have ties into a way a lot of people are making music these days. A lot of it is actually keyed in on USB MIDI keyboards, which is what we are offering with the game.

It's a real keyboard

The keyboard that is offered with the game is an actual working musical instrument that can be attached to any computer to play, even outside of Rock Band.

The addition of the keyboard - as well as the three-part harmonies that debuted in "The Beatles: Rock Band" last year - allows more songs to be offered, while making the sound of the rock band even fuller than before.

"There were just some songs that we had to hold onto until we delivered the keys," DeGooyer says. "There were some songs that you just really couldn't play properly in another game. We released some Queen stuff before, but you really needed the keyboards and the vocal harmonies to do 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' "

The same thing goes for John Lennon's "Imagine," which makes the most of the song's simple, elegant piano parts. " 'Imagine' is a song that has a lot of meaning to us," DeGooyer says. "It's a great draw for the keys. If you can learn to play 'Imagine' on our game, you can go sit at any piano and play that song. That's really why we did that - and as a tribute to what would have been John's 70th birthday."

The addition of the keyboard made Billy Joel want to get involved with the Rock Band franchise as well, licensing his music to a video game for the first time.

"The game introduces music to an enthusiastic audience in a powerful way, and now also helps players get a grasp on the fundamentals of the keyboard," Joel says. Ten of his classics - including "It's Still Rock N Roll to Me," "Movin' Out," "Only The Good Die Young," and, obviously, "Piano Man" - will be available for Rock Band 3 via download, starting Dec. 14.

On the other hand

The overall sales growth of pianos and keyboards may be limited, says Brian T. Majeski, editor of Music Trades magazine, which covers musical instrument sales and manufacturing. The impact of music-based video games on instrument sales hasn't been all that significant so far.

"There may have been some people turned on by the games who decided to try the real thing," says Majeski, adding that the industry's struggles are more tied to economic issues rather than cultural ones. "All that helps with sales, but it's very difficult to measure."

After all, it's hard to decide to invest in a piano when you're worried about a foreclosure on your house.

However, the Rock Hall's Hanley, a native of Holbrook, says the resurgence of the keyboard is tied to broader issues as well. "It has a lot to do with affordability and ease of access," Hanley says. "With GarageBand and Reason software, you can sound pretty good at a keyboard pretty easily. Anybody can do it."

DeGooyer says music fans' views of keyboards and the sounds and samples they control has changed.

"People are less precious about where the sounds . . . come from now," he says. "People don't say, 'Oh, that's a sample!' There's this nice meritocracy now with people thinking, 'That's a cool way to juxtapose music.' "

"Take Danger Mouse as an example," DeGooyer continues. "The music he's done in the last three years comes from seamlessly pulling together samples, key parts, crazy cutting on digital audio workstations, incredible drum parts played live, incredible guitar parts played live, and, of course, vocals. Keys may have been underrepresented in people's understanding of how music is made. But now, they're starting to get it."

Hanley says performances such as West's on the VMAs and recently on "Saturday Night Live" also will help people understand the keyboard's role in today's music.

"Not only is he showing what can be done with a keyboard in a really riveting performance, he is also paying homage to the roots of hip-hop, using a [keyboard] that Public Enemy used," he says. "It's a sign that the tools are relatively easy to use, thanks to keyboards. It shows you can do some music on your own." 

WHAT Rock Band 3

WHEN In stores Tuesday

INFO $59.99 (game only) or $129.99 (game and keyboard bundle);

rockband.com

Breakout hits among 83 songs on 'Rock Band 3'

Each edition of Rock Band has its set of tracks and artists that audiences discover (or rediscover) and Rock Band 3 offers some great possibilities. Here's a look at some possible breakout stars from the 83 new songs that come standard with the game:

Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations": If you're looking to test all the new things Rock Band 3 has to offer, this one comes pretty close - with the three-part harmonies and intricate vocals, as well as the keyboard parts. It's also a good way to learn how difficult it really is to re-create what the Beach Boys made sound so effortless.

Ida Maria, "Oh My God": Not only should it be fun shrieking like the Norwegian indie-rocker on this one, but there aren't that many words to learn. The guitar riffs are cool, but the best part will be bashing away at the drums.

Rammstein, "Du Hast": The grinding guitars and driving industrial beat have made this an underground dance classic for years. Thanks to Rock Band 3, though, you have to learn some German to succeed - as well as some growling.

Rilo Kiley, "Portions for Foxes": Before they went all slinky Hollywood, Rilo Kiley regularly rolled-out smart, sleek indie-pop like this. Somehow, "Foxes" never caught on, despite being extraordinarily catchy and featuring Jenny Lewis screaming, "Come here!" Maybe this time.

Night Ranger, "Sister Christian": Motoring! In three-part harmony!