Frank Tischer

Frank Tischer — German keyboardist and pianist — works in the European metal and heavy rock circuit, contributing to recordings and performances in the field. Germany has a specific tradition of keyboardists in heavy rock, inherited from the 1970s Hammond organ and developed in another direction by power metal from the 1980s onwards. In that second line the keyboard stops being texture and takes on a melodic, soloistic function, sharing space with the guitar. Keyboardists on the German circuit often have classical piano training, which distinguishes them from players formed only inside rock. It shows in practical details: score reading, knowledge of harmony and the ability to write orchestral arrangements — competences symphonic metal projects demand and that are rarely obtained through self-teaching. It is a profile that became increasingly necessary as European metal absorbed orchestration, choir and compositional structures drawn from concert music.