10 songs we'd like to play on the keyboard in Rock Band 3

Rumors that Rock Band 3 would feature a new instrument seem to have been confirmed by a tease at the end of the demo for Green Day: Rock Band. Will it be a keytar, as Ars Technica’s mole claimed? Or will it be a more traditional keyboard? How will the user interface accommodate all the new keyboard notes? We don’t know for sure. But we do know what songs we want to be playing when Rock Band 3 releases. Check out our picks, and tell us what tunes you’d like to see on the next set list.

Above: The icon on the far right is a raging confirmation that a keyboard is on the way for Rock Band 3! 

Chopsticks and the Chop Waltz

You’ve got to start somewhere. So why not begin your rock pianist career by mastering “Chopsticks”? Originally titled “The Celebrated Chop Waltz,” “Chopsticks” is the horribly happy song many kids first learned how to play on the piano. The simple sing-song melody can be played with just two fingers and could serve as a great tutorial track.

Above: “Chopsticks.” So simple, a caveman with parents who have unrealistic dreams that their son will grow up to be the world’s greatest concert pianist could play it

Above: The slightly more advanced “Chop Waltz” is big with the kids in Korea

Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat

Cute cats and people failing are funny. That’s why we’d like to see the Keyboard Cat theme incorporated into Rock Band 3. Picture it. The last member of your band is about to fail out of the song you’re trying to beat on Expert. All hope is lost. Everyone is grumpy. That’s when the Keyboard Cat theme kicks in with its unforgettable bass-snare-snare drum beat. Enter the main keyboard melody as the crowd hurls rotten tomatoes at your band’s crying avatars and admire the absurdity as your frowny fail is transformed into a tribute towards the popular internet meme. Most meta.

Above: Rock Band 3’s keyboard may make it possible for us to play ourselves off. Finally!

The Final Countdown – Europe

“The Final Countdown” was previously featured in LEGO Rock Band, but we’d like to see it return in Rock Band 3 with a properly playable keyboard track. The song is synonymous with sporting events and stadiums, the kind of tune you hear right after “We Will Rock You” to get the crowds crowing. But “The Final Countdown” will always have a special place in our hearts as the unofficial theme song from Gob Bluth from Arrested Development.

Above: “Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money… or candy!” – Gob Bluth, Arrested Development 

Above: A tribute to the best/worst fictional illusionist illusion of all time to the tune of “The Final Countdown”

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Journey

Fact: Journey’s music video for their song “Separate Ways” was the best. It harkens back to a time when REAL men could sing REAL songs about love and life on the streets while walking on a wharf. Witness the evidence we’ve presented for you below. We dare you to dispute the long lost art of the insane close-up.

Above: “Separate Ways” was the best, exhibit 1: Journey uses advanced video editing techniques to summon their instruments into existence 

Above: “Separate Ways” was the best, exhibit 2: Gregg Rolie defies common sense and gravity by playing his keyboard upright against a wall

Above: “Separate Ways” was the best, exhibit 3: Gregg Rolie grimaces as he channels a complex and sensitive solo through his fingertips. That could be you!

Above: “Separate Ways” was the best, exhibit 4: “Talk to the hand!” The song may be almost over but the legend of Journey has just begun

Above: “Separate Ways” was the best, exhibit 5: the actual video

Above: Remember this game? If not, it’s probably because you weren’t hot enough