Classically trained musicians more often than not find themselves plying their trade in orchestras of some description,

regurgitating what they have spent all their live learning thus far. It is amazing how many of these musicians stray over to the dark side and immerse themselves in rock music, in some cases even pop music. Myleene Klas and Howard Jones are notable, well-known examples of this. Whilst researching another subject entirely different to this I came across the fact that Sherly Crow and both the Van Halen brothers were classically trained pianists who had strayed. I had to believe this couldnt just be an isolated incident. A little more research, then this article came into being. I incorrectly assumed that keyboard players of the prog rock variety would be the majority of musicians to change tack after graduation. Although I did find that Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel and Trevor Rabin did attend various halls of musical academia. These four it appears were seduced by the lure of popular music of the mid-sixties musical revolution, and were multi instrumentalists. It appears I had to cast my net wider. It wasnt long before I found a myriad of highly trained band members desperately trying to hide the fact they were formally educated in their instruments usage. A number of initial exponents of the classical guitar and other classical instruments have eagerly taken to rock guitar or base. These include:Kyle Gass Randy Rhodes Richie Blackmore Steve Vai John Entwhistle Jack Bruce Phil Lesh A number of great and powerful singers have also reaped the benefits a classical training. Of these Bruce Dickenson, Pat Benetar and Ronnie James Dio are prime examples. I was convinced that rock operas like Tommy or Quadrophenia by The Who, had to have trained knowledge behind it. Could David Bowies The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars really have been so spectacular without the help of conservatoire produced musicians? Did Frank Zappas many story-themed works have a classically guided hand behind it? I could find none of these. It seems that pure self-taught talent, imagination and genius were the tools that built these projects.

Finally, during my research I happened upon Apocalyptica, a Finnish heavy metal band hailing from Helsinki. The band formed in 1993 and is composed of four classically trained cellists, Perttu Kivilaakso, Mikko Sirn, Paavo Ltjnen and Eicca Toppinen. Their sound which is derived from 3 cellos and drum kit is truly amazing.