Hi Bill, great to hear you enjoyed it, as I did as well. Due to the lack of response (from others) I assumed most of you missed it. That's too bad, because I found this show to be one of the most musically enlightening interviews I've ever seen in a long time.
James Lipton was up to form as usual in being able to pull from Mr John so many secrets behind his background, songwriting genius, keyboard (piano) composing style, as well as watching him play & sing his hit songs while accompanying himself solo on the piano.
In fact, I learned something PARTICULARLY INTERESTING to me personally: that his hit song "BENNIE & THE JETS" actually utilizes ROOTLESS CHORDS to give it that distinctive sound. Wow !
Other interesting things gleamed are that, Elton John prefers playing in flat keys vs sharp keys, and that even though Db & C# and Gb & F# are enharmonic equivalent keys, playing songs in Db & Gb is far easier. I totally concur.
Elton John is certainly considered one of the MOST influential & financially successful keyboard composers of our time, spanning several generations, and the rare opportunity to see him interviewed, and to watch him perform on the piano, in intimate setting (acoustic piano/vocals) was a treat. The closeup camera angle on the keyboard to see just how he accompanies himself, his chord changes, & how he voices his chords on his songs was particularly fascinating & revealing. It was like a Master Class taught by the MASTER keyboard player.
If the rest of you simply missed this two hour special, a repeat broadcast on BRAVO is scheduled for this Saturday, Oct 22, at:
11:00am ET/PT
10:00am CT
9:00am MT
Well worth taping. I plan to go back and watch, and learn.
Scott