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From: steamrocks
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  • in and around the lake!

  • @brenoldt Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there.

  • very nice arrangement, sound beautiful, great job.

  • great playing! sounds fantastic

  • Bloody fantastic!!!!!!!! This is absolutely crazy!!!! How can you make it all seem just so natural - it's like the entire bloody band was playing - I was expecting the Wakeman solo and got the whole thing. VERY IMPRESSIVE - keep it up!!! Please do others!!!

  • How about Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues? That would be cool! : )

  • one man band!

  • Totally BA

  • This one was awesome as well. Definately keep doing these. ^^

  • total virtuoso. sounds incredible. such gooey irreplacable tones from that wonderful machine. thank you.

  • This is amazing!

  • thanks 4 letting the younger group know what talent and soul sounds like.

  • This is wonderful!! Thanks!

  • You are a marvel of human coordination!

    See also an interesting acoustic version of Your Move (All Good People) by my family at Marck O'Connor's 2007 Fiddle Camp in San Diego; search YouTube on: "Rebecca Gastfriend: All Good People - Your Move"

  • God, can you imagine playing Chris's bassline with your feet?

  • yeeaaah duude this i reaal!

  • cooooollllll

  • Good God man, what are you?

  • @stoney7311 What am I? just an organist that applies classical organ and theater organ technique to transcribing great rock tunes. Many classical organists and theater organists have the same level of technique, but they don't apply it to the same cool music that I do. There's a certain feel and attitude you must have towards the music to do that. Go look at my video of 'Smoke on the Water' done on the Moller theater pipe organ at the Atlanta Fox Theater. I think you'll be diggin' it.

  • i bet you a the actual organ player in yes haha

  • Thats just flat out amazing talent keep it up man!

  • pretty ballin'. i'd say its a different, but good alternative

  • If you can do that with Roundabout, I'd love to see Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and Karn Evil 9.

  • @Tom89Wog I have been thinking about doing Karn Evil #9 for some time. One of these days.

  • That was raging!

  • HELL YEAH!!!! Love it.

  • It is very good man ! especially when you put the string sounds and the cymbals! Very nice ! Cool !

  • nice !

  • The opening credits mention Virtual Organ. What system are you using?

  • @mutedviol At he time of recording, I was using a home built MIDI interface based on mother boards from Casio keyboards and feeding into 3 Korg 01 synths and an Akai S3000 sampler, all loaded with programs and samples to emulate a theater pipe organ. The entire instrument has been rebuilt, and now has a far more compact MIDI interface driving a quad-core i7 computer running jOrgan, SFZ sample playing software, and two instances of a 1/4 gig soundfount of my own making.

  • nice voicings there bud, great stuff ... how about inagadda davida...

  • Great Job!! excellent VId Would love to hear this on a True Church Pipe Organ Would Rock!

  • I have played this on large classical pipe organs as well as theater pipe organs. Sounds interesting on the classic organ, but better on the theater organ.

  • This man translates the words into instrumental music. In and around the lake . . . and the next explosions

  • 24 before my love and I'll be there

  • I'll be there with you

  • I was standing there in distant atmospheres.

  • Mr Knoll - I don't know what else to say about this except that it's stunning rendition - and thanks!!!

  • what is the clicking sound uncle yes?

  • Because I converted the two lowest manuals to have Second Touch, the key felts that the keys strike when they bottom out are not very thick, and do not cushion the impact when the keys are struck hard, like when I use Second Touch or just plain get into it.

  • This is awsome!

  • this is pretty much the most amazing thing i've ever witnessed, absolutely fantastic :]

  • 5:48 is just sick

  • WoW, this is really cool.  Can you do Parallels off of Going for the One? Think the original recording was on a Pipe Organ at a church in....Switzerland.....maybe? Would sound great on this, sound reminds me of the guy that plays at Yankee Stadium (I like your selections of songs better!!)

  • great job. I know it isn't easy to multitask like that. I'm learning to play guitar. But this song by yes really makes me wan't to learn keyboard as well. The vocal parts were a little off... but you still did a great job. Better than I could do.

  • i wanna learn how to play the sound you do at the top level of the keys can you show me were to get the music sheet for it? i really appreciate it

  • What I play on the top (Solo) manual is a 'paraphrase' of Rick Wakeman's solo in Roundabout. It is not exact by any means, but was meant to capture the essence of the solo. Some of the elements of Rick's solo were picked out by ear, using an iPod. While there is a fairly comprehensive (16 pp) score available on the web and in music stores, that solo is not in the score. Maybe (way) back issues of Keyboard Magazine would have it.

  • I´m playing the Piano for my Self... And I play really good. But a Orga(Curchorgan) i´d can´t play...

    You mut come in my hometown and play a organ concet on the Curchorgan..

    lg.

  • So good , man!!

  • haha sweet.

    lovin the organ by the way.

    its fuckin extravagant.

    mustve taken some time to do.

  • wow! you are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!

  • Thanks man, I really appreciate it. It was a lot of work to do this, but comments like that make it all worth it.

  • Cool. I'd like to hear it without the vocal parts.

  • Truly Awesome Skills , I loved it!

  • This is real Good Juan Torres playing Yes Songs yeah i've seen evereything

    is only a joke is a grat perform

  • Brilliant!

    Any chance you can record the sound directly, to eliminate the clicks and seat squeeking?

    Then it would be perfect.

    Keep doing it.

  • Recording this organ 'through the board' sounds awful! The sound literally needs space to 'breathe' before it is heard or recorded. It is just like a theater pipe organ. Inside the pipe chamber the instrument sounds rough and crude, but when it reaches the listener in the theater, it sounds a whole lot better. I have done MIDI recordings, then played the MIDI back while doing audio recording. This eliminates key and pedal noise, but you wouldn't see me playing it.

  • this is weird lol

    really good, but weird

  • this is so awesome!!

    man you rock on that amazing instrument

  • Ha, good work.

    Now I would like you to transcribe and perform Hocus Pocus , by Focus. !!!

  • wow!!! fabulous sounds! great imagination!

  • wow brilliant!!! Rick would be proud!!

  • very nice

  • Mad solo! :D

  • you spelled your name wrong

  • awesome

  • I herd aunt ruth clapping

  • Love it!!

  • Awesome! You have a wonderful talent. Can you play South Side of the Sky?

  • Nice one:)Say YES to YES

  • I'd love to see you post some ELP songs on here, You are a superb artist, I'm sure you can pull it off!

  • thats pretty wild! I love that:) AWESOME job. You go man!

  • That was awesome Les.

  • very nice,amazing

  • Great song from my past! Played on a pipe organ...BEAUTIFUL!!

  • Dude, what are your stops?

  • In the Accompaniment, for the most part, there is piano (in Pedal, too) and several organ strings with Concert Flute added. On the Great, the opening melody is played by 8' Tuba Mirabilis, Strings, Tibia and 4' Tibia. The large ensembles are Tibias, Srtings and Voves at 16' 8' and 4', sometimes adding 16' Tuba, sometimes 16' Trumpet, and rarely 16' Posthorn. The Wakeman solo is done using 8' Trumpet, Tibia, Vox and Strings plus 4'Tibia. The very percussive sound is 16' Posthorn and xylophone.

  • AMAZING!

  • Ive been playing keyboard for 4 years and theat was inspiring.

    p.s. can you play star ship trooper?

  • sweet

  • sweet

  • yeah man this is great i do the same stuff as you on piano, i am hoping i can learn organ soon, i was recently in the Washington National Cathedral and when i looked up at the massive organ i imagined Rick Wakeman rocking on it.

  • Beautifully done Les.

    As you know, my rock background is limited, but the artistry displayed here trancends musical style. Outstanding.

    Chuck Pedersen

  • Les

    That was incredible. If you don't play professionally, you should. I played in a Yes tribute band about 9 years ago. Your Wakeman improv is stellar!!!!!!!!!

    :>

  • Actually I do play professionally at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, IL, where I play Prog rock, Classic Rock and even Metal (Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Dio, Priest, Ozzie) on the theater's pipe organ. I have been the opening 'band' for many rock acts there. I love playing on an 80 year old instrument to a crowd that stands their seats, lights their lighters, and shouts 'Freebird'. I've done an ALL ROCK theater pipe organ concert for the organ club here. Watch my other videos. too.

  • That was the most amazing thing ive ever seen, do you have sheet music

  • A fairly complete sheet music arrangement was available when I first transcribed this. Look for it at the largest, most complete music store with a sheet music department you can find. I made allowances for playing it on a theater pipe organ. Some things you will not find on the music are Wakeman's improvisation near the end, and the organ registrations I use. It's about 8-12 pages long, but still some must be added 'by ear' to get what you hear in this video.

    Thanx by the way

    LES

  • do you have the music for this

  • WOW!!!! as simple as that!!! you ROCK!!!

  • I started singing while you wonderfully played... ******/*****

    And could you post 'Dancing with the Moonlight Knight', by Genesis, from 'Selling England by the Pound'? I love the chorus sections on that epic 8 minutes Genesis song... thank you very much :)

  • I'm lost for words. It blew me away... AMAZING!!!

  • holy COW!!!! I'm a Yes fan!!! and now im a Les fan --- hey, that ryhmes!!! :-)

    amazing! i took piano lessons for about 10 years and i can't figure out how your right hand knows what the left hand is doing and where your feet are going and you learned it all by heart!!! YEAH! when i first saw this - i was like ummmmm what's this?? DO MORE!! call it morning driving through the sound and even in the valley??? *i never really knew all the words but I have the yes box set :-D

    Peace, Heidi

  • The solo looks like a lot of chord arpegios and a few minor 3rds and 7ths. I konw it's not as easy as that. But if you break it down, that's what it is and if you ever wanted to improv over the G-C-F-G progression.

  • The solo is in the key of G. It is around a G-C-F-C-F-C-G progression (same as to the vocal "in and around the lake....") The beginning portions are based on basic blues/jazz organ improv, with many elements borrowed from Jimmy Smith. The arpeggios are based on what Wakeman himself did, although I had a lot more to be playing at one time than Wakeman did when he did his solo. My intent was to capture the essence of the instrumentals not copy them exactly. Note that Steve Howe's solo was omitted.

  • That's pretty sick. It's amazing how you were able to separate all the parts among your limbs! Next time, try singing along!

  • Thoroughly enjoyed this!!! THANKS!!

  • What that person said. Great fun!

  • can you do a tutorial on the solos please??

    i beg you man!!

  • That's the first YES song i've ever heard, i like it so much and i think you play it good!

  • Echoes:

    You should listen to MORE Yes. A good first album would be 'Fragile', which contains the song you hear in this video. Next you might like 'Close to the Edge'. After that, explore. There are albums before and after those two, some with personel changes, and later with major style changes.

    I am very happy that I could introduce Yes music to you.

  • AMAZING. When you get it rebuilt, PLEASE do some ELP.

  • Yes, as soon as I get finished with my current concert commitments. How would you like Karn Evil #9?

  • That would be AMAZING. karn Evil 9 is by FAR my favorite ELP song. I like Third Impression the Best, then Two, then the first impression...

  • That's gonna take some time to transcribe. 'Roundabout' took weeks of work, from both sheet music and listening by ear, then came the rehearsal to be able to perform it in 'real time'. The audience reactions, both live and Youtube, were well worth it, as was knowing that it could be done. The same thing could be true with Karn Evil. Maybe also 'She Belongs to Me' by The Nice. I will play Roundabout in a concert on a WurliTzer theater pipe organ this weekend.

  • beautiful solo (and, overall, very difficult...). Great job.

  • Very nice. H W or MIDT. ? Learning the Miditzer 260 and maint/tuning on Op 1147 ? keiths/ESTMIM .

    Dale

  • Neither, it is a MIDIed Theater Pipe Organ console driving 3 Kprg 01 synths I programmed to emulate TO voices, and an Akai S2000 sampler which contains samples of the same emulations.

    I have just completed a total rebuild to jOrgan and Soundfonts. Using Kent Allman's USF as a starting point, with a lot of my own rank samples. I have enough requests for more music to be put up that I must record this recently completed instrument soon.

  • Well, well...Never thought Prog-Rock could be played on a theatre organ! GREAT JOB...How about some ELP?

  • Most people think that Rock PERIOD can't be played on a theater organ. WRONG!

    Funny you should mention ELP. I have been thinking of transcribing Karn Evil #9 for some time. It would make a kickass 'Console Riser'.

    As soon as I finish the rebuild of the organ, I'll get back to serious recording. I have requests for ELP, Doors, Deep Purple and others.

    Right now I am tinkering with "Man on the Silver Mountain".

    Check out my other videos, too. Bohemian Rhapsody and The Shoop Shoop Song.

  • I thought theater organs took up allot of space, is it partly synthesizer or some kind of electric organ? The organs I"ve seen/heard have a stop that controls hammers that hit a real set of piano strings, but in this case it sounded a bit like midi which got me wondering.

  • Thank you!! I've been searching for more current songs on the organ for a while. If you could do the Doors - When The Music's Over I'd love to hear it. I recently helped build a theatre organ in McKinney, Texas. I wish they would play something on it, other than 30's 40's and 50's.

  • I do play some Doors, including of course Light My Fire and Soul Kitchen. Catch my other videos, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Shoop Shoop Song. I hope to record some Deep Purple in the future, among other things.

  • Yes, I much appreciated all your videos. Please put up your Doors stuff, and try When the Music's Over. Also 96 Tears, from the 60's has some easy organ stuff in it. Thanks again

  • I'd REALLY like to hear you do "Smoke on the Water" knowing that you mentioned Deep Purple.

  • I am in the process of a rebuild right now, and must rehearse for a concert in April. As soon as the rebuild is done, I want to do videos again, and Smoke on the Water is high up on my playlist. Maybe also play 'Smoke' at the concert?

    This will be on a 3 manual 10 rank WurliTzer, and will be videotaped. I hope to release some videos of the concert on Youtube.

  • excelente!!!

  • Excellent, Les! Wish you had been around the Pacific NW in the early 70s to see the 3/13 "traveling" Wurlitzer that I was involved with - we actually transported the entire instrument (ala Reggie Foort) to various venues around the NW and it was used with a rock band. It was a heck of a lot of work to keep it all going, tuned, regulated, etc, but was very impressive. Good job, Les!

  • Les--excellent playing, man. I've been in TO for a long time, and this is some of the most original "transcription" playing I've ever heard. Tell me more about your VTPO.

  • That's definitely something not heard every day! How long did it take you to transcribe the arrangement for the organ?

  • I originally transcribed Roundabout in about 1980 using sheet music and listening to the original to 'fill in the blanks' and make corrections. That probably took a couple weeks spare time. It was done for a two manual without second touch and was a bit limited. When I built the 3 manual instrument, I spent another week or so working up a more comprehensive and challenging arrangement.

  • Thanks, Les.

  • 5 star'd and favorited that one!!!!!

  • sweet keep rockin bro

  • Nice!!

  • amaising .

  • Les, Another great rendition of a classic R&R favorite! Keep 'em coming!

    Best regards,

    Kent

  • Excellent synthesis of the whole band on this classic Yes hit. LES on YES!! Great rendition!

  • I dig it man! Thanks for sending the link. -Jack

  • pretty darn good.

  • Very cool! Lucky to have an installment like that.

  • excellent job, your coordination between hands amazing,

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