Chess (Broadway) Keyboard Patches

Patch # Keyboard 1 Keyboard 2 Keyboard 3

1 Strings Block C-BSN

2 Toy Piano Synth Bass Flute

3 Piano Unknown Harp

4 Unknown Unknown Marimba-Like

5 Spiro Strings Pizz. Sound

6 Harp4 Ringing Synth Sound Xylophone

7 Glockenspiel Horn Tube Bells

8 Spiro1 Low Strings Glockenspiel

9 Piano + Marimba + Block Strings Harp

10 Voice Unknown Harp

11 Electric Piano Unknown Spiro

12 Spiro2 Celeste Glass String16

13 Heavy Rock Piano Squeeking Sound Electric Piano

14 Celeste Nightmove and K98 Unknown

15 Spiro3 Spiro and Fantazia9 Spiro12

16 Spiro1 Synth Bass Unknown

17 Unknown Electric Piano Horn

18 ------------- Spiro6 Spiro

19 ------------- Harp Synth Sound - Stg-Like

20 ------------- Unknown Torim7

21 Unknown Strings Pizz. Harp

22 Unknown Flute Soft Space

23 Unknown Sitar Unknown18

24 ------------- Torim7 Unknown

25 ------------- ------------- Horn Sound

26 ------------- Unknown Rock Organ

27 Celeste Log Drum Harp

28 K9 Torch ------------- Unknown14

29 ------------- Soft Space Unknown

30 ------------- Glockenspiel Washboard Rhythm15, Torim7

31 ------------- ------------- Syn Bass

32 Unknown Tube Bells -------------

33 ------------- ------------- Harp

34 ------------- Unknown -------------

35 Piano5 Choir Sound Unknown

36 ------------- Unknown Celeste

37 ------------- Tremolo Strings10 Unknown

38 ------------- ------------- Unknown

39 ------------- ------------- Unknown13

40 ------------- Piano Unknown

41 ------------- Unknown11 -------------

42 ------------- Torim7 Unknown

43 ------------- ------------- Unknown19

44 ------------- ------------- Pipe Organ

45 ------------- ------------- Harp

46 ------------- ------------- Harp

47 ------------- ------------- Unknown17

48 ------------- Unknown -------------

49 ------------- ------------- Unknown

52 ------------- ------------- CL.

53 ------------- ------------- Unknown

55 ------------- ------------- Unknown

56 ------------- ------------- Synth Bass

128 ------------- ------------- Spiro

1This patched is labeled in the score both as Spiro and Horns. Spiro is an unidentified sound that

goes back to the original London score, and its my belief Horn is a description of the sound itself.

Other patches confirm this, with K1 patch 16 also featuring the same contradiction in naming

throughout the score. Use either sound at your own discretion.

2Similar to the problem above, K1 patch 12 is also listed as Strings + Horn, which could be another

attempt at describing the mysterious Spiro sound.

3This ones contentious. This is the patch that opens One Night in Bangkok, and is used through the

number interchangeably with K1 patch 8 and 16, both of which are identified as Spiro. This was the

only unidentified patch of the three- noting that it sounded similar to the other two on the recording, I

cross-checked the Keyboard 1 part with the original London score to see if it was identified there.

Maddeningly, the number is mostly unmarked in the London score, but one section that corresponded

with patch 15 in the Broadway book did list it as Spiro. Its my belief that Keyboard 1 plays on this

Spiro patch throughout the entirety of One Night in Bangkok, and its just listed as three separate

patches, perhaps as someones sadistic idea of a joke.

4Also contentious. This patch isnt marked at all in the score, but it plays the melody during the

instrumental portion of Endgame, which is done using a harp sound in the recording, and is marked as

such in the London score version of this number.

5Unmarked in the score, but plays solo at top of You & I Reprise and is pretty clearly a piano on the

April 28th, 1988 bootleg of the show.

6Also marked as Brass.

7From what Ive been able to gather from the recordings, its sort of a growly bass sound.

8Also marked as High Synth-Brass

9Also marked as Spiro + String

10Not marked in score, went off the April 28th, 1988 bootleg. Could easily be wrong on this one.

11From the recording it sounds to be a sharp, almost harpsichord-like sound.

12Also marked Fantasia

13From recording seems to be a string synth.

14Suspect that this is just the harp sound again- thats what it seems like on the recording.

15This patch is used throughout Florence Quits, and the markings alternate continually between

Washboard Rhythm and Torim. I initially assumed the former marking was just an expression

marking of some kind, but it does seem to be a patch marking. Unsure of the sound here.

16Also marked Voice.

17Judging from recording, appears to be a synth bell-like sound.

18Labeled as Mix w/gtr., on recording sounds like a rather bright synth.

19From bootleg, appears to be an electric guitar sort of sound.

List compiled by Thomas Hartwell

For any questions or additional information, please contact me at

thomasmusicalinstrumentals@gmail.com