What instruments can each member play?

[Andrew G. Doe]

How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)

Brian's aptitude on guitar is surely minimal. He can probably play a few very basic chords and pick out some melody lines, but I don't think he played very much on record...just "After The Game" (the melody line), "Heroes And Villains" (alternate tag - the one where Carl sings a live scat - Brian strummed the 12-string Rickenbacker while Van Dyke formed the chords), and "Where Is She" (picking out melodic lines on the 12-string). Reportedly, he played rhythm guitar onstage when The Boys backed Joan Baez on a mostly a capella "Amazing Grace" at a Cambodian refugee relief benefit concert in Oakland, January 1980.

I was at that Oakland show and don't remember that, not to say he didn't.  He mostly sat at a keyboard and on one song, maybe Rhonda, traded places with Bruce who was at his usual smaller rig. Joan Baez opened and The Boys followed.  They didn't stick around for the after-show get-together all the attendees were invited to since they were on their way to Lake Tahoe for a gig there.  The bill included Jefferson Airplane (or Starship, I guess), Santana, and the Grateful Dead. We left midway through Starship as we had a two and a half drive north. A few days later my dad told me that a family friend, who had worked for the Dead and helped build their sound stage set-up, was there as an official photographer and would have got us backstage passes had he known we were there. Sob.

Beg to differ - I wasn't there, but I've seen a photo (Rolling Stone ?) of the Boys with Joan, and Brian had a six-string acoustic over his shoulder. Not saying he was playing it much, but...

Oh, and the Tahoe gig was two days later. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".    The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...

[Moon Dawg]

  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

[c-man]

  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

[Jon Stebbins]

Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".    The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...

Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.

[NHC]

"Beg to differ - I wasn't there, but I've seen a photo (Rolling Stone ?) of the Boys with Joan, and Brian had a six-string acoustic over his shoulder. Not saying he was playing it much, but...

Oh, and the Tahoe gig was two days later.  "

AllI know is the emcee announced to the crowd that the Beach Boys would not be around for the after-concert festivities because they were leaving that night for Lake Tahoe immediately after the concert.  As for Brian and guitar, was that during her opening set, or was it at concert-end as a kind of closing number?  We weren't there for that, and I just don't remember it if it was earlier.

[adamghost]

 Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd personally say Bruce was the best keyboard player, and Carl was the best all-around instrumentalist.  Carl was the one guy who could actually do a Todd Rundgren thing and play EVERY instrument, not just sub out on keys (though he mostly did that anyway).  I would say Dennis was the most orthodox keyboardist of all of them - his writing style was very unique, but his playing style was very much in the balladeer/light rock tradition.  Bruce was very flourishy, whereas Brian and Carl were sledgehammers.  I remember when I first encountered their keyboard playing it was revelatory to me.  "Really?  You can just play quarter note chords the whole time?"

This is kind of straying off topic but I was listening to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On last night and it dawned on me what a huge influence that album had to have been on Dennis.  So much of the DNA of his '70s stuff that you can't quite put your finger on is right there.

[harrisonjon]

As AGD has noted elsewhere, Brian sometimes played drums if Dennis was singing a lead

[petsoundsnola]

Brian has been known to play the Studio on occasion.

[SBonilla]

Brian has been known to play the Studio on occasion.

As Duke Ellington played the orchestra.

[NateRuvin]

  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd have to say the best keyboardist is Bruce. Listen to the Nearest Faraway Place live or the intro to Endless Harmony! Bruce sure knew his way around a piano. Brian was a great keyboardist too- his organ solos on the early 60's records really rock. Carl was a good keyboardist as well, he played on a lot of 70's and 80's records. So here's my question- how good was Denny on the keys? On many videos I've seen, he seems to be playing minimal parts, or his keyboard is inaudible.

[adamghost]

  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd have to say the best keyboardist is Bruce. Listen to the Nearest Faraway Place live or the intro to Endless Harmony! Bruce sure knew his way around a piano. Brian was a great keyboardist too- his organ solos on the early 60's records really rock. Carl was a good keyboardist as well, he played on a lot of 70's and 80's records. So here's my question- how good was Denny on the keys? On many videos I've seen, he seems to be playing minimal parts, or his keyboard is inaudible.

He's the only keyboard player on POB I believe, so I'd say pretty good.  Very good feel on the piano.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".    The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...

Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.

Oh wow! I was about to ask about everything Dave could play. Hasn't he played bass as well? So we've got guitar, bass and drums. Can he play piano?

[c-man]

Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".    The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...

Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.

Oh wow! I was about to ask about everything Dave could play. Hasn't he played bass as well? So we've got guitar, bass and drums. Can he play piano?

Dave has said that he learned boogie-woogie piano from Audree, the same as her sons did.