The Steel Guitar Forum

Steve Wariner.

Buck Trent plays banjo,guitar,and steel among others.

Justin Timberlake goes into sessions with his own keyboards & guitars and teaches the musicians their parts. Prince plays everything, as well as producing and engineering. Playing drums really well is harder than keys, I think.

Peter and Rob Schwimmer are not widely known artists outside of their spheres, although they've played with just about everybody, but they are two of the most phenomenal multi-instrmentalists I've ever known. Check out both Pete's and Rob's myspace sites.Pete plays all the instruments on his site.

Then if that's not enough, go his brother Rob's myspace site and listen to him. He is hands-down the most incredible jazz pianist I've ever known, but he is also renowned as one of, if not the top theraminists on the planet. He has a track of him playing theramin on the site too.He is also a fine guitarist and he plays as a duo called Polygraph Lounge with Paul Simon's guitarist, Mark Stewart. Together, those guys play over 30 instruments at their shows--most of them home made. Go to polygraphlounge.com/instruments.html to see all of them. I defy anyone to top that--and to do it at their level of playing.

I grew up with those guys which is why I'm a multi guy and also nuts. Those boys are flat-out crazy, but they're also the most amazing players I've ever known--even when they were 10 or 12 years old.

David,

I agree about drums being harder than keyboard. More coordination is involved with drums. But no harmonic knowledge is required for drumset.

I think there are far fewer pianists who can play drums than there are drummers who can play piano. Many drummers also play mallets (vibraphone and marimba), and if you can play mallets you can play piano.

Roy Smeck

Curly Chalker played guitar, keyboards and trumpet in addition to steel.

There's a fellow named Ken Bloom who is reputed to play every orchestral instrument, (strings, woodwinds and brass) in addition to guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro and a lot of ethnic folk instruments from other cultures like bagpiges, bandura, and pan pipes.

David Lindley also plays a great many instruments, and his first band, called the Kaleidoscope, had 4 members (plus a drummer) that between them, played 27 instruments.

Scott Thurston from Petty's band is a multi-instrumental maestro.

Playing drums is harder than playing keys? Now that's a fuel for a flame war! I suppose I could possibly qualify a statement like that if in context with most of the pop music being put out there today where rhythm is king in a world of melodically challenged songwriting. But, in terms of comparing it to good jazz or classical piano, hardly. Not only is the degree of right/left hand independence of some jazz and classical through-the-roof, but it must be done with individual fingers while voicing intricate melodies and chordal textures.

Listen to the Ostinato track being played by Rob Schwimmer - myspace.com/robschwimmer (I can't make the hyperlink work for some reason)

Or if you want to put it in more of a rock context, listen to Bruce Hornsby's Spirit Trail album. He woodshedded 4 hours a day for a year in order to gain better right/left independence before recording it. When I first listened to it I wondered how he was going to handle doing the overdubs live. When I saw him perform and realized it wasn't overdubbed, I gained a whole new respect for his playing.

I learned it by having to play left-hand-bass in a jazz trio. Every number we did, I swore that there was no way I could ever learn to do it, but eventually it came together with hours and days of determination.

How can you listen to works like Rachmaninoff or Chopin and ever conclude that piano is easier than playing the drums?

My son is a drummer as well as a pianist. He studied drums under a phenomenal drummer for 8 years, and he has acquired, by his instructor's estimation, some of the most amazing left/right hand and foot independence he has ever seen. But, Jake will tell you himself that the inspiration to develop such technique was spawned from wrestling over tough piano passages.

For one thing, the piano actually IS a melodic finger drum. I always lock in with the drummer and bass player and we play off of each other.

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Buck Owens (word was if had never played it before it woudn't take him long and he had it)

Glen Campbell (One of the awesomest musicians ever!)

"BIG" Jim Murphy (Not with us anymore,but belongs here)

Mike Oldfield.

Webb,

I've been playing piano since before I can remember. I've forgotten what it was like to learn technique. And I can't play a LICK of drumset to save my life. So I guess I'm not really qualified to discuss this. But here's my argument

When I made my statement, I was thinking of a total beginner. A regular, average non-musician. And the contrast between such a person sitting down at a piano and figuring out something decent-sounding (USING JUST ONE HAND, INEVITABLY)... versus sitting down at a drumset and getting all four limbs coordinated enough to play anything that's the slightest bit musical.

Still, it's apples to oranges. And if we're talking about LEARNING the instrument, I honestly just can't say. You make a very good point.

Cody, my tongue was planted in my cheek the whole time I was typing. While there is truth to what I said, for the most part it really is apples and oranges. And my wife is always quick to point out whenever someone makes a fuss over my multi-instrumental abilities--"Yeah but don't put him behind a drum kit or give him a microphone."
Of course, she's right. Although I'm still not sure why I can't play drums that well--especially when my kid is as good as he is.

My buddy, Greg Leisz who's an A-list player on at least 6 instruments.

Most people I know who play out very much play at least 2 instruments and often more. It seems to be the rule these days rather than the exception. I play just lapsteel. I used to play rhythm sort of half way decent and probably could again if I got an instrument for it. But single instrumentalists have to be VERY good and/or play an instrument that has multiple functions to start with like keyboard or standard guitar. Otherwise you're like me. I spend alot of nights at home.

I wasn't t-t-trying to get flamed... it's just that many (most?) of the guitarists I know can play a least a little on a keyboard, enough to bang out some changes, and a whole lot of horn players, keyboardists, drummers and whatnot can play some guitar and bass. However, putting an average or above-average melodic instrumentalist behind a drum kit is a disaster - it probably has as much to do with practice space & experience when you're young - remember high school? Nobody's parents wanted their kid to be the drummer....

Some of the best rock guitarists are good drummers too, with people having home studios - Jeff Beck, Paul Gilbert, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, many more play drums.

(Billy Cobham was a good keyboard player, Jerry Goodman was a great guitarist, Jan Hammer & John McLaughlin are world-class drummers - hmmm, those guys oughta get together and start a band....)

That's interesting about Hammer-and McLaughlin for that matter. I never knew that. I really connected with Hammer as a kid, and tried to emulate his style a lot. He is a very rhythmical keyboardist as am I to this day. That makes sense.

Actually, the only thing I can play on drums is that tight, funky, syncopated style in the vein of Narada Michael Walden who played drums wit Jeff Beck when Hammer did. I liked it so much at the time that I actually got behind a drum kit. I never had a real desire to play drums.

Mahavishnu was one of my favorite bands in the day. They used to play at the university in my home town and I could sit right on the steps of the stage about 8 ft from both Hammer and McLaughlin watching both intently. Yikes....that was 38 years ago!!!

Webb, you'd really like the book "Power, Passion & Beauty" by Walter Kolosky - Mahavishnu history down to the nth. Just before Jan Hammer got his gig with Sarah Vaughan, he was playing drums in Paul Bley's band along side a couple of other unknown little kids - Jaco Pastorius & Pat Metheny. There's five original Mahavishnu concerts on this streaming website, along with a killer John McLaughlin/Jonas Hellborg duet concert from 1985:
http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/

god i'm old.

David, thanks a bunch, buddy. Now I'll never get anything done. (jk) It'll take me years to get through that site.

Hammer playing drums for Bley? That is wild. I wish I had a stream of that one.

A young fellow by the name of Tyler "The Kid" Hall. Multi talented.

I mentioned Ian Underwood, but there are several others in Zappa's band who warrant mentioning. George Duke plays keyboards (with great proficiency) as well as trombone. Zappa himself played percussion, guitar, bass, piano, and probably more.

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Les Claypool plays drums, bass guitar, upright bass, and guitar.

The members of Phish can trade instruments with considerable ease.

Bluegrass musicians in general are known to function on multiple instruments.

Also, almost any good jazz musician can comp chords on piano.

So, we still haven't found someone who can play everything. This thread could go on for decades listing people who can play more than one instrument. I myself am included in that group. Playing more than one instrument isn't really all that special as millions can do it. Now, finding ONE that can play EVERYTHING was the question asked.

The "Hermit of Mink Hollow", Todd Rundgren. One of my favorites from that era.

When I first took guitar lessons, my teacher, Ron Sauer could in fact play everything. He was a classically trained musician. He taught all the string instruments, all the horns,woodwins, as well as piano,organ, and accordian. There are a lot of these trained musicians out there teaching in schools, and colleges. We never hear of them because they don't gig or record. It could be argued however that they perform a greater service than the heros we idolize. They introduce music to generations of youngsters who may never have got the chance to test their musical ability. John

John,

I still don't think that he can play EVERYTHING. There are many instruments from other countries that I doubt he studied and can pick up and play with some degree of efficiency. Being able to play all instruments in an orchestra does not mean ALL INSTRUMENTS. He is just another multi-instrumentalist. Have you heard him sit at a pedal steel and play it well?

And I agree that the teachers are indeed some of the unsung heros of the music industry.

Edited to add: I don't believe there is a single person on earth that can (off the top of their head) even name every instrument in the world.