Derek Sherinian: The Synth Metal Virtuosity Behind Molecular Heinosity

Having occupied the keyboard chair for such thundering acts as Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Kiss, and Dream Theater, Derek knows a thing or two about bringing balls, grit, and technical virtuosity to keyboards. His six solo albums testify to just how hard synths can rock under the right fingers, and his latest release, Molecular Heinosity, further ups the metal ante. Featuring guitar contributions from Ozzy Osbourne veteran Zakk Wylde, the album may flummox those not familiar with Derek’s signature style as to whether a particularly searing riff was sourced by strings or circuits — but that’s the way Derek likes it.

We caught up with the “Caligula of keyboards” to discuss the technique, gear, and inspiration behind Molecular Heinosity.

On my records, I always use a wide range. My nine-foot Yamaha concert grand piano, for starters. I use a Hammond B-3 from the ’60s through a Leslie 147, my Moog Taurus pedals, and a wide range of other vintage keyboards. I use Korg Tritons, a Korg M3, a Roland Fantom, and my trusted Clavia Nord Lead 3 and G1 Modular.

That one was programmed on a Roland Fantom. I programmed the pitch wheel so it had an octave bend going down and whole step going up, and tweaked the effects and oscillators to give it a good guitaristic tone. It reminds me of Jeff Beck’s guitar playing, the way it emotes.

One thing I’ve always stressed in my keyboard style is that I want to have as individual and distinct a sound as a guitar player does, and I’m always trying to widen my range. I have my signature sound on the Korg Triton, and I wanted to expand it a little on a more sensitive piece and add more nuance.

It was developed in 1995 when I joined Dream Theater and started endorsing Korg. I had a great relationship with their lead programmer, Jack Hotop. We had a long discussion about what I wanted to achieve sound-wise and how I wanted to control it, and between the two of us, we came up with that sound. It’s based on the program “Monster Lead” and we just tweaked it to my specifications. I set my pitch wheel so it goes down a fourth and up a whole step. When you pull down on the joystick, it activates a wah, and when you push up, it’s vibrato. I programmed the ribbon so when it’s pressed all the way to the right, it brings in feedback.

I like some of my stylistic bends to have an Indian flavor and that interval helps. Also, I just like doing wide intervallic bends where I’ll swoop down to the note I’m going for — or I’ll start a phrase with the joystick completely depressed down and then slur up as I play, a la Allan Holdsworth. By doing a fourth, I have more control than when the pitchbend is set to an octave.

I’ve upgraded to a Korg M3, which I really like. A few of my signature sounds used the MOSS synthesis board in the Triton, and so I’m still in the process of recreating them using the M3’s EXB-Radias expansion board. So for right now I’m taking both keyboards out with me. I’m looking forward to continuing to explore everything I can get from the M3/EXB-Radias setup.

Use your imagination. Hear in your head what you’d want to hear, as a music fan, from the keyboard player. You have the ability to be that person, to create that sound, and to constantly tweak until you achieve just what you’re envisioning. Ask your inner fan what would be the most awesome thing you could witness on stage, then become that.

This is the fifth solo album of mine he’s appeared on. We’ve been friends for 20 years. I was playing with Alice Cooper and he was playing with Ozzy Osbourne when we met. He played on my second album, Inertia. We have a great friendship and a lot of fun when we make records. I’m grateful he takes the time to work with me!

With Zakk and the other guest stars on my records, I always try to approach it like I’m writing a movie and casting the parts to great actors. If Zakk’s on the record, I write a song with him and his range of facility in mind, but then I always leave room for his interpretation, so he can do his thing as long as it stays within the structure of the composition. The results always exceed my expectations.

[Billy Idol drummer] Brian Tichy and I work on the lyrics and melodies, and we get them as close as possible, knowing that Zakk will alter them to fit his voice.

Billy is taking a year off, and there’s talk of us going back out next year. I really have a fun time playing with him, so when he goes out, I make myself available. In between tours, I do everything from my solo records to my band, Planet X. We’re reuniting, and we’re going to be playing shows and making new records.

I’ve also been enjoying teaching again in L.A. I haven’t done it for many years and I forgot how important it is to maintain that, and to relate to students from the teacher perspective. It opens doors that improve my playing.

I had a student who really wanted to learn about modes. I learned them when I was 16 and hadn’t really thought about them for a long time. To have to re-explain harmony and articulate theory like that, it makes me think hard about them again, and opens up other harmonic possibilities for my own music. It’s always important to keep a fresh perspective and stay inspired, and it’s easy once you start making money and turn pro to lose that perspective. Teaching has helped me step into a creative fountain of youth.

I’ve also been teaching guitar players. All these guitar players are coming to me — they see all the great guitarists I’ve played with and they recognize that I have a unique insight into the instrument, since I’ve been exposed to these people at close range. I’m able to listen to guitarists and show them how to get over obstacles.

If you listen to my keyboard style, it’s very much derived from guitar, from years of listening to Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, and Allan Holdsworth. I’ve always admired keyboardists who had a style you could truly identify. Jan Hammer was my first keyboard hero. He played aggressively and had a unique sound. He didn’t sound like a video game.

The compositions started with a few people I’ve collaborated with over the years — and interesting enough, they’re all drummers. I seem to work well with drummers who have harmonic sensibilities. On this album, my collaborators were Virgil Donati from Planet X and Brian Tichy.

It starts with a writing session. I have a riff, idea, or concept, and we just expand off that seed and create sections — “Okay, this’ll be the A-section, here’s the B-section, and we’ll do something different for the solo.” When we come up with a structure we like, we put it on the grid in Pro Tools and demo it out. Nine times out of ten, the structure changes. Sections will be cut in half or elongated, or new sections are added. I like having it in the grid so I can see it in front of me. Once I’m happy with the song form, we put drum tracks down and build. Solos come last. They’re the icing on cake.

Neither. [Laughs.] I like to work with musicians who can really play. We normally nail our parts in two or three takes.

That was actually one of the problems when I was with Dream Theater. For a lot of the parts I was playing, people didn’t realize that the sounds were coming from keyboards. They thought it was all [Dream Theater guitarist] Jon Petrucci — and I didn’t get a lot of credit.

For my solo career, ultimately, it’s more important for me to create a strong sound and overall production, rather than to show off my ability and be heralded as a virtuosic keyboard player. The overall sound always supercedes my technique. Speaking of the track “Ascension,” half of the reviewers thought it was the guitarist playing the lead. On the one hand, it sucks not getting credit. On the other hand, it’s a testament to my style and technique that I got it over on the critics.

The beautiful thing about guitars is that they’re wood and strings, and you can feel all the nuances and pick scratches. On modern keyboards, it can be a lot harder. In the ’70s, they had analog stuff that had more warmth, but now that everything’s so digital, there’s a coldness and sterility, and one of the jobs of the keyboard player is to transcend that sterility. The keyboardist has to humanize the instrument and make it sound organic.

The first step is, when you pick out a synthesizer, to go through the patches and see which you identify with, and then identify sounds you’ll never use. Trim the fat immediately — get rid of the stuff you know you’ll never use. Then really start developing a palette of sounds that are your bread and butter, whether you are playing out in your band or recording. Tweak and perfect those sounds — distort them, add more reverb, add more highs, whatever it takes to make them sound more like you. A lot of keyboards today have great patches to use as starting blocks, so it’s not like old modular synths where you have to start with a sine wave and build your sound from scratch.

Derek’s DNA

Webpage: dereksherinian.com
Origin of the name Molecular Heinosity: “Heinosity” is a word I invented, a hybrid of “monstrosity” and “heinous.” I’ve been using it for years, and it’s more comedy than anything else.
Selected credits: Alice Cooper, Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Kiss, Planet X, Yngwie Malmsteen.
On jumping between multiple instruments: It’s just years of experience playing keyboards. Even though they all have keys, you approach the B-3 as a different instrument. A synth is a different instrument. The piano is a different instrument. They all need to be played in their own appropriate ways.
Alice Cooper says: “Derek Sherinian is the Caligula of keyboards.”
For more of our interview: Visit keyboardmag.com.