Name one Keyboard track that influenced your Keys composition style the most

[Arpangel]

Joe Zawinul, Mysterious Traveler, the whole album.

Influences are a strange thing, Zawinul, just as an example, I would be plain mad to even try and play like him, firstly, why would I want to imitate him? and secondly, even if I did have the skill required, it would be pointless, he’s already been to that place, we don’t have his ability, or, his imagination, and in a way, to think "anyone could do it" is a bit of an insult.
We can be nudged into a direction by someone, they can have an overal effect on our "approach" to things, our lifestyle, they can point us to other people that they have mentioned, but as for taking their style, and riffs, it’s just not desirable, in any way.
We have to think big, just because we may not be highly revered by as many people doesn’t mean to say that we don’t have the potential to achieve great things in our own field, we have to be very self critical, without that you’re in danger of being disillusioned, self-criticism is your best friend.
To be just "average" at anything is too depressing for words, average people are all over the place, to stand a chance at being great means not caring about anything apart from your art, and that takes incredible talent, dedication, and selfishness, in that order.
We have to find a place in that metaphorical field where no one else has been, and make it ours, be confident being there, and defend it to the hilt. Because that’s what they did, the Zawinuls, the Eno's, the Beatles, whoever, unless you can stand up and confidently hold your head up alongside these people you are immediately in trouble.
We all the potential to achieve great things, it just depends on your attitude and your general outlook on life as to whether we will be talked about in fifty years time in the same way as we talk about the people mentioned in this thread.
I’ve said this before, we have been here many times, in this dimension, and when we see, or hear, a great work of art, it maybe because the person that has made that work has had to endure many journeys to get to that point in their skill and creativity, genius could be the result of many lives, preparing, and gaining experience, before we finally achieve our aims.

[BillB]

*1969 Terry Riley : A Rainbow in Curved Air
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hy3W-3HPMWg

Terry playing electric harpsichord, rocksichord, electric organ, saxophone.
2nd most influence upon my keys playing composing style.

Wow, thanks for this, tea for two. I hadn’t come across it before, will give it a proper listen. Fascinating in terms of its date and what it influenced, but also from the Youtube comments, how much the the power of this meditational music has meant to people through the years. Great stuff.

[Arpangel]

*1969 Terry Riley : A Rainbow in Curved Air
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hy3W-3HPMWg

Terry playing electric harpsichord, rocksichord, electric organ, saxophone.
2nd most influence upon my keys playing composing style.

Wow, thanks for this, tea for two. I hadn’t come across it before, will give it a proper listen. Fascinating in terms of its date and what it influenced, but also from the Youtube comments, how much the the power of this meditational music has meant to people through the years. Great stuff.

Great stuff, also check out Steve Reich "Music For Eighteen Musicians"

[Ben Asaro]

The opening theme to Escape From New York by John Carpenter.

[tea for two]

*1969 Terry Riley : A Rainbow in Curved Air
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hy3W-3HPMWg

Terry playing electric harpsichord, rocksichord, electric organ, saxophone.
2nd most influence upon my keys playing composing style.

Wow, thanks for this, tea for two. I hadn’t come across it before, will give it a proper listen. Fascinating in terms of its date and what it influenced, but also from the Youtube comments, how much the the power of this meditational music has meant to people through the years. Great stuff.

Welcome Bill.
Terry Riley also influenced Jarre's Oxygene5 end bit of sequences and solo.

Influence is a funny thing. When something comes out of my bucket hands it just happens.
Then when I listen back I can say oh it sounds like it was influenced by....

[tea for two]

The opening theme to Escape From New York by John Carpenter.

John is a legend.
Dark Electronica, SynthMetal owes a lot to John's scores.

I really dig the live concerts he did with his son's band.

[tea for two]

Joe Zawinul, Mysterious Traveler, the whole album.

Joe Zawinul I would kissed his hands. What a World Music aware Astral traveller Joe was.

[Ben Asaro]

The opening theme to Escape From New York by John Carpenter.

John is a legend.
Dark Electronica, SynthMetal owes a lot to John's scores.

I really dig the live concerts he did with his son's band.

No JC, no Darkwave.

His latest album is amazing as well.

[MarkOne]

Rick Wakeman's work on Fragile was a huge influence on me in my early teens. Trouble is however much I have tried to emulate him I am but a pale imitation .

The standout track and moment is of course Roundabout, and the hammond solo.

Similarly Keith Emerson's synth work in Karn Evil 9 - I still lust after that lead sound even today and I still haven't been able to emulate it properly. (I wore Brain Salad Surgery out as a 16 year old!), but again there is a distinct talent gap when I try anything like that.

But while Keith, and Rick's work was liberally sprinkled with a large dose of showmanship, Tony B as others have said plays in a beautiful and often understated way. (No gratuitous widdley-widdleyness!) - He's also an incredibly deep and accomplished songwriter.

All three for me massively influenced the keyboard player I am today, but if I had to choose just one, it would probably have to be Rick because he was the 1st guy who showed me that playing keys could actually be cool!

[Arpangel]

(No gratuitous widdley-widdleyness!)

When I heard Bach for the first time, it was the gratuitous widdley-widdleyness that really grabbed me, then I heard Walter Carlos, and two things came together that made everything sound better, then I heard ELP, and Rick Wakeman, they were like Bach and Carlos, but in technicolour, at the time I wan an innocent youngster, that didn’t have any prejudices, or much conditioning, and I loved all if it.

[BillB]

I have been holding off on this one, mostly because I am not a competent enough keys player or composer to have a style in which anyone could recognise an influence. But MarkOne has just pushed me close to the edge (see what I did there) with his comment. Rick Wakeman’s work on Fragile, the musical and compositional interplay between all the band members, is just so good and, Yes (see what i did there), Roundabout is an absolute stand-out track. The gentle Hammond arpeggios in the quiet central section, before the explosive solos, driven along by the best rhythm section ever...

I referred to this song in a previous post (“In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there....”) This is one of my life-long happy tunes. If there is any discernible keyboard influence, I guess it was just part of an awakening sense of how fabulous electronic keyboards could be. Unfortunately it also showed me how fabulous bass and electric guitar can be too, so I have spent my musical life as more of a magpie seeking shiny musical things and less of a musician dedicated to honing his craft on one instrument.

I guess, in a peculiar way, that has influenced my style, or lack of it!

[tea for two]

All three for me massively influenced the keyboard player I am today, but if I had to choose just one, it would probably have to be Rick because he was the 1st guy who showed me that playing keys could actually be cool!

As a spotty teen, one of musical dreams was to wear a Cape as Rick, play at Stonehenge, surrounded by Synths.

[tea for two]

I have been holding off on this one, mostly because I am not a competent enough keys player or composer to have a style in which anyone could recognise an influence.

.

In my mind, something I did sounds influenced by....
Anyone listening would laugh facepalm pull a face

That's because my bucket hands playing is no where near those that influenced me.
Also because as with most musicians, something personal goes into it, that makes it a mashup of us and our influences.

I referred to this song in a previous post (“In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there....”) This is one of my life-long happy tunes.

.

I get this.
For this reason I like a bit of

Chas N Dave
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BliAPzEsao0

If there is any discernible keyboard influence, I guess it was just part of an awakening sense of how fabulous electronic keyboards could be. Unfortunately it also showed me how fabulous bass and electric guitar can be too, so I have spent my musical life as more of a magpie seeking shiny musical things and less of a musician dedicated to honing his craft on one instrument.

I guess, in a peculiar way, that has influenced my style, or lack of it!

I would say various guitarists have also influenced the way I sometimes try to play when writing a guitar track on Keyboards.

[tea for two]

Rick Wakeman's work on Fragile was a huge influence on me in my early teens.
The standout track and moment is of course Roundabout, and the hammond solo.

But while Keith, and Rick's work was liberally sprinkled with a large dose of showmanship, Tony B as others have said plays in a beautiful and often understated way. (No gratuitous widdley-widdleyness!) - He's also an incredibly deep and accomplished songwriter.

Rick Wakeman’s work on Fragile, the musical and compositional interplay between all the band members, is just so good and, Yes (see what i did there), Roundabout is an absolute stand-out track. The gentle Hammond arpeggios in the quiet central section, before the explosive solos, driven along by the best rhythm section ever...

For me Yes is Fusion. English Fusion.
Alongside early Genesis, Mike Oldfield.
Fusion as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti, Weather Report.
I actually don't think Yes, early Genesis, Mike  is ProgRock.
There are some elements of Rock strewn about.

Amon Duul, Camel (except Rain Dances), Cansas, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, Zappa and The Mothers, are Progressive Rock for me.

(I'm sure this been debated discussed plenty and I'm wrong).

[Drew Stephenson]

This may seem snide or mocking but I promise you it's not.
As a non-keyboard player who occasionally tried to add keys to songs I was always over-doing things. So in terms of what's actually influenced my style, listening to the piano part in Johnny Cash's version of Hurt showed me how I could simplify things immensely but still have impact.

[BillB]

That makes complete sense, Drew. I have sometimes heard guitar solos or fills to great songs and thought ‘I could play that!’. No Steve Morse ‘Tumeni Notes’ (which I love but couldn’t play in a lifetime)... No, just the right notes, well chosen and simply played. Very inspiring.

[IAA]

Johnny Cash's version of Hurt

Yes, that’s a wonderful version indeed, that piano has real depth and drive when it needs it. Great stuff.

[RichardT]

Cinema Show. Quite simply perfection. It pulls me in every emotional direction from start to finish. If I can ever create those emotional extremes in my own music I will die a happy man.

For me, Cinema Show too, especially the live version on ‘Seconds Out’. Apart from the amazing beauty of the main instrumental theme, it has a fantastic sense of ‘architecture’ so that all the sections fit together beautifully and lead somewhere.

[tea for two]

This may seem snide or mocking but I promise you it's not.
As a non-keyboard player who occasionally tried to add keys to songs I was always over-doing things. So in terms of what's actually influenced my style, listening to the piano part in Johnny Cash's version of Hurt showed me how I could simplify things immensely but still have impact.

I'd go along with this. It's not snide nor mocking at all.

Johnny Cash version of Hurt, I first heard in 2003, became one of the soundtracks for my life for a while.

I've only ever made two Piano pieces that hurt me. They were done around 2009. I don't do more because I can't handle it. One of those Piano pieces I can't listen to it.
Most of my keys stuff since then is airy summery Max Middleton influenced.

A fair amount of my recent stuff can be easily played one handed and with one finger.

[tea for two]

Cinema Show. Quite simply perfection. It pulls me in every emotional direction from start to finish. If I can ever create those emotional extremes in my own music I will die a happy man.

For me, Cinema Show too, especially the live version on ‘Seconds Out’. Apart from the amazing beauty of the main instrumental theme, it has a fantastic sense of ‘architecture’ so that all the sections fit together beautifully and lead somewhere.

Dawned on me, and I don't know why it didnt before. Every now and then require others to nudge open a realisation as on this thread.
I hear Tony Banks composing playing as lightness of touch, jaunty, uplifting, because I hear it as Fairground music.