# What do people who know think of Elton John as a pianist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590 "2011-12-17T23:45:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/21 "2011-12-18T04:53:04Z")
Sorry about 2x post, but I’m not at my house and looked up “The Things I Did Last Summer”/ Sonny Clark [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3qULcMn5KE) – that ain’t no shit I never heard. Grant the motherfucking Green is my boym, and he didn’[t play that little eight bars ort how many. [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3qULcMn5KE) Avenge me, cause I tell you. I got papers from the original that are my own transcriptions – where’s the real music on here? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/22 "2011-12-18T05:10:01Z")
Elton John is a really great pianist - for a pop star. This is not a slight, as I can’t think of another pop star who is a better pianist. But I have seen several much better pianists in pop music, who are not stars. Aaron Davis of the Holly Cole Trio for one, and Tim Ray of Lyle Lovett and Jane Siberry’s bands is another. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/23 "2011-12-18T05:32:06Z")
I went to see Elton and Billy Joel together in concert. I’m still not sure which is the better pianist. They both are really, really good. I’m pretty sure they both are classically trained and then went into rock/pop. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/24 "2011-12-18T05:41:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I went to see Elton and Billy Joel together in concert. I’m still not sure which is the better pianist. Billy Joel, no contest. Elton John is a great songwriter. Billy Joel is a great songwriter AND a great piano player. I wrote the lead sheet for [Root Beer Rag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_Beer_Rag), by Billy Joel, for copyright purposes, when it was first released in 1974. It was a bitch, and I had to slow the tape down to half speed to get some of the licks. It was not your typical pop tune, no sirree, and showed off his virtuosity. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/25 "2011-12-18T08:56:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Bah. I prefer [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mpj6_BEodc&feature=related). > mmm OK. I’ll take [Liberace’s stride piano](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSNRpiS-wlE&feature=related) over that, any day. ETA: I should mention I’m only talking about the first part of the Liberace video. I think the fast piano afterwards is theatrical and fun, but a bit silly. The video you linked to is, in my opinion, just bog standard stride piano. I don’t hear anything particularly interesting there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/26 "2011-12-18T09:06:06Z")
But if you really want stride, you gotta go with [Fats Waller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIFoAwJPtm4). ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/27 "2011-12-18T13:08:46Z")
The problem with this sort of thing is that most people who are playing pop/rock forms are going to favor certain techniques, sounds, voices, and phrasing over others. As **Jaledin** said, Elton John plays phenomenally in his idiom. I would hesitate to call him a virtuoso, as that implies an amount of sophistication and technical ability that you just don’t exercise playing the sort of music that he plays. FWIW, I think Billy Joel is a much ‘better’ solo player, while Elton John plays with the band better than Joel does. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/28 "2011-12-18T15:56:21Z")
I’m honestly surprised by the praise. Not that he’s bad, but that his level of ability is not that uncommon amongst those who play pop piano. (And not those singers who think they do because they can chords back in forth between their hands.) At best I’d call him upper middle. Because if this guy is the epitome of pop piano, then I’m a lot better than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/29 "2011-12-18T16:30:13Z")
Hah. That’s why I had to specify Domino when I said Fats earlier – because of that ‘other’ Fats. Goddamned, I think Waller was the best technically of anyone who ever played stride. Fucking obscene how much he did – writing, recording, singing, and playing – in his VERY short life. Here’s an early Elton doing some straight rock piano from 1970: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2LPSMDYzDGM/hqdefault.jpg "Elton John 17.11.1970 LIVE 01 - Take me to the pilot") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LPSMDYzDGM) I don’t agree that it’s easy to do this, even without singing freely and well over it – yeah, a lot of people can play like that, even a shlub like me, but it’s still basically hard to keep a tune going with the structural dynamics, improvising all of the accompaniment, even doing a little solo. In perspective with the tune, it’s a masterful performance. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/30 "2011-12-18T17:13:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m honestly surprised by the praise. Not that he’s bad, but that his level of ability is not that uncommon amongst those who play pop piano. If you can play heavy blues-rock piano, improvising all accompaniment and solos, while hitting the hook, and getting the dynamics of the structure right, then you absolutely could play as good as EJ. Here’s the secret: performing music doesn’t require all that much technique, you just have to get across. Back to Billy Joel – interesting stuff about transcribing his tune, **Musicat**. I can’t find it now, but there are things out there from the late 1970s, maybe early 1980s, where that mother is just wailing, Moog on top of a piano. That guy is fucking a terrible monster on keys. Plus he banged supermodels (that doesn’t actually sound all that great, but it’s ‘the dream,’ isn’t it?) . Too bad his songs were kind of shitty, but he’s probably get a really nice fucking house or twelve where he can hire Chick Corea to come in and play dueling pianos with him. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/31 "2012-02-26T05:11:59Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > Plus he banged supermodels (that doesn’t actually sound all that great, but it’s ‘the dream,’ isn’t it?). Lookswise, Billy was batting in the single-A minors while Christie Brinkley was already heading for Cooperstown. He was so far out of his league that it had to count. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/32 "2012-02-26T14:48:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But if you really want stride, you gotta go with [Fats Waller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIFoAwJPtm4). I still prefer [James P. Johnson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBB87sltANY). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/33 "2012-02-26T15:38:55Z")
Everyone go out and listen to 11/17/70 (17/11/70 in the UK) before continuing this debate. It’s Elton’s showcase for his piano playing, and he’s clearly an excellent musician. He doesn’t often feature that sort of playing elsewhere, and not at such a sustained leve, but that performance - live and with one take and next to no sweetening - shows what he can do. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/34 "2012-02-27T07:09:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I went to see Elton and Billy Joel together in concert. I’m still not sure which is the better pianist. I saw them together too, and my main recollection from that show was Elton John’s piano solo in “Bennie and the Jets”. He really impressed me, and I thought his stage show blew away Billy Joel. And I went to the show mostly to see Billy! ---
**Author:** ![Whyzen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@Whyzen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whyzen)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/35 "2012-02-27T18:31:42Z")
Here’s Elton John playing an extended version of _Rocket Man_ at Madison Square Garden on his 60th birthday: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RncBJaNloyM/hqdefault.jpg "Elton John - Rocket Man") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RncBJaNloyM) Masterful crowd-pleasing performance. ---
**Author:** ![Levon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ec9cab/32.png) [@Levon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/36 "2012-10-19T18:01:51Z")
Everyone go and Watch this,from 7:30 to the end.It’s the best improvisation I’ve seen in rock music. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xnqUwRUgeys/hqdefault.jpg "Take Me To The Pilot - Elton John") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnqUwRUgeys) I really want to hear what people who know think pf this.Is it actually so good,or not that hard? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/37 "2012-10-19T19:36:13Z")
> [@Levon](#): > > Everyone go and Watch this,from 7:30 to the end.It’s the best improvisation I’ve seen in rock music. > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=xnqUwRUgeys](http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=xnqUwRUgeys) > I really want to hear what people who know think pf this.Is it actually so good,or not that hard? I’ll be honest: it’s very good, very classic Elton John. He’s got a nice New Orleans-style 3+3+2 beat going on in his left hand, with blues and gospel-type phrasings in the right. His phrasing is impeccable. Wonderful feel. I wouldn’t characterize as what he is doing as particularly difficult technically–it is hard to get the feel right, though. He excels at that feeling, IMHO. But it’s not a piano solo I listen to and think “what in the fuck just happened.” Which is fine. I’m having a hard time thinking of a pop/rock piano solo that made me feel that way. ---
**Author:** ![Levon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ec9cab/32.png) [@Levon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/38 "2012-10-19T21:15:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ll be honest: it’s very good, very classic Elton John. He’s got a nice New Orleans-style 3+3+2 beat going on in his left hand, with blues and gospel-type phrasings in the right. His phrasing is impeccable. Wonderful feel. I wouldn’t characterize as what he is doing as particularly difficult technically–it is hard to get the feel right, though. He excels at that feeling, IMHO. But it’s not a piano solo I listen to and think “what in the fuck just happened.” Which is fine. I’m having a hard time thinking of a pop/rock piano solo that made me feel that way. Thanks a lot for your answer.Really appreciate it.Can you recommend any artists or videos with similar playing,cause I love this sub-genre or whatever it piano style it is. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/39 "2012-10-19T22:06:47Z")
> [@Levon](#): > > Thanks a lot for your answer.Really appreciate it.Can you recommend any artists or videos with similar playing,cause I love this sub-genre or whatever it piano style it is. If you’re going for that New Orleans blues-gospel kind of thing, Professor Longhair and Dr. John might be good leads for you. Elton’s playing isn’t exactly that style, but I definitely hear that influence in that particular song (I wouldn’t call him that style in general). It’s a more straight-ahead pop approach to New Orleans piano–at least that’s what I hear. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590/40 "2012-10-21T02:15:21Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Billy Joel, no contest. Elton John is a great songwriter. Billy Joel is a great songwriter AND a great piano player. > > I wrote the lead sheet for [Root Beer Rag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_Beer_Rag), by Billy Joel, for copyright purposes, when it was first released in 1974. It was a bitch, and I had to slow the tape down to half speed to get some of the licks. It was not your typical pop tune, no sirree, and showed off his virtuosity. No shit? Did you have to write the lead sheet for _Prelude/ The Angry Young Man_?? That stuff will kill you dead. I can attest to Billy Joel’s classical training. A veerrrry long time ago I was a Production Assistant on a few of his music videos. We were shooting " While The Night Is Still Young" at the old Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ. He was noodling on the keyboard backstage playing- amazingly- The Police. I asked him if he had seen them live and he got this grin and said, yeah a few times they’ve gotten me some tickets. I asked him if he ever warmed up and he laughed. " Yep, my old piano teacher would kill me if I didn’t do scales every day". Swear to god. I asked if he was joking. Oooh, no. She knew he’d become a hotshot. Apparently he really did- at least then- warm up with scales. His training with that teacher was classical music, so he said. -sigh- Back then, MTV was Music Television… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-who-know-think-of-elton-john-as-a-pianist/606590.md?page=3)