Genesis

The closing section of "The Musical Box" by Genesis has a delicate sounding arpeggio played together by Tony Banks and Steve Hackett. A spacey harpsichord-like sound would make an interesting alternative arrangement to try.

The Musical Box [Closing Section]

The keyboard solo sections in "Firth of Fifth" by Genesis highlight the compositional and performance skills of Tony Banks. Banks applies the 18th century technique called fortspinnung or "spinning out" which is a musical idea based on a figuration in the first few measures. The interpretation presented here begins with a few slow arpeggios and a solid  bass foundation joined later by a wistful flute melody (composed by Peter Gabriel). In the second section, the piano, echoed by an electric piano, spins out a theme based on a motif from the flute melody. The synthesizer solo of the third section shows a dazzling array of Banks' compositional and virtuosic qualities by using shifting meters, modal mixtures and daring modulations while maintaining thematic unity by keeping the figuration and general shape of the original idea.  Finally, the coda which revisits the theme is added to finish the song.

Genesis

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