How do Your Keyboard Skills compare to Your Guitar Skills?

[Gillespie1983]

I've been playing keyboards 50 years, but I'm fairly new at guitar (playing only 46 years), but I'm about the same in skill level. Maybe slightly better at guitar. I often wonder if I had not picked up guitar, if I would be significantly better at keys. Perhaps splitting my practice time between three instruments (trumpet, too) possibly hurt my chances at becoming excellent at one of them.

How about you?

 

[TJontheRoad]

I took a year or so worth of private jazz piano lessons many moons ago and got fairly good. But, I play guitar much more these days. I still get asked to play keys all the time though.

 

[Genghis]

Not that I'm particularly good at either, but I'm a lot better at guitar. I'd love to spend more time and get good at keys, but to be honest, I'm still focusing on trying to learn to play the guitar.

 

[mlongano]

I started piano at eight years old, and guitar at twelve. Almost sixty years later, I am about the same, an average player, on either one.

 

[Black_Label]

I started playing piano at 4 and guitar 10 years after that. I pretty much suck at keys still while guitar just clicked.

 

[Hotraman]

Guitar, mandolin and lap / pedal steels are my main instruments.
Though I can pull off a music set playing keys.
I am not a good "top 40" keyboardist.
I am more of a piano / B3 player, emphasis on rock and roll.

 

[AXEnGEAR4J]

My mom was a pianist, I took outside lessons for 7 years in early grade school, switched to guitar, it was a forced on me piano lessons never kept up with piano. I've picked on a keyboard a bit and feel I could bring some back but I'm so regretful of not continuing ...

 

[Alec Murphy]

I've owned a guitar a lot longer than I've had a keyboard. But I feel much more comfortable with the keyboard. I just ended up liking it better and giving it a lot more hours of practice.

 

[Meriphew]

I can play basic stuff on keys, but I'd consider myself more of a "programmer" than a player.

 

[Meriphew]

My mom was a pianist, I took outside lessons for 7 years in early grade school, switched to guitar, it was a forced on me piano lessons never kept up with piano. I've picked on a keyboard a bit and feel I could bring some back but I'm so regretful of not continuing ...

My Mom was also a pianist. She tried t teach my brother and I how to read music and play at an early age, but we had other ideas at the time.

 

[Astronaut FX]

When it comes to synths, I consider myself more of a programmer or sound designer. I can play some basic chords, etc and could probably sound good to an untrained ear. Thanks to MIDI and DAWs, I can use synths to do what I want without having great performance skills.

 

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I took 6 years of piano as a kid and then quit at age 12 for 20 years or so. Started guitar at age 20 and played pretty regular. The weird thing is, I rarely play the piano, maybe a bit in the winter time but can sit down and rip off a bunch of stuff I used to know, while guitar I've worked really hard at it and am not that much better than the piano. Point is, the things you learn young seem to be what to are good at throughout your life.... at least for me.

 

[aussie_owner]

I'm more into soundscape stuff than actually playing piano, but I do intend to learn at least the basics of playing. I also find piano is helpful in learning theory and learning to read music.

 

[Triton76]

I have played both since high school. I play keyboards in a jam band and I play lead guitar in a Christian band where I don't have to play any difficult solos. I'm better at keys I think but I don't like it when they ask me to solo

 

[BobK]

I'm even worse on keyboards than I am on guitar.

 

[GuitarsFromMars]

I initially had about 6 months of piano lessons when I was 10 or 11. Quit those and forgot about music for a while. It was too much like work at that time. I liked music, and didn't think it needed to be so difficult-more like singing, less like reading/typing. I am a lousy typist too.

I started piano again with all the music in the 70's in high school. I was already playing guitar for about a year or two...seemed like the right thing to do, along with a little trumpet. It was mostly chords and inversions of chords, back then.

Then came MIDI in the late 80s. Programming and data manipulation.

 

[Gillespie1983]

I have played both since high school. I play keyboards in a jam band and I play lead guitar in a Christian band where I don't have to play any difficult solos. I'm better at keys I think but I don't like it when they ask me to solo

I relate to this. I don't enjoy soloing on keyboards either.

 

[RustyAxe]

I played piano for six or seven years before I took up guitar and bass at age 13 (continued on keys, though). I've been getting back to keys (bought a used Kurzweil PC3) and getting my chops back. I've always related to the piano keyboard (it's visual and linear). And the grounding in music theory at such an impressionable age really imprinted on my young mind.

 

[frdagaa]

I play chopsticks better on piano than guitar.

Everything else, guitar wins.

 

[JethroTull Bodine]

Started on piano 50 years ago, had a great teacher. Grounded me in general theory. Just spent more time on guitar
since. Being able to double on keys adds a great dimension to a band. Just a lotta gear to haul.