12 Hard Rock Band Members Who Switched Instruments

There were a lot of mixed feelings on Muse when they first broke on the scene in the late 90's. While the band certainly weren't lacking in talent, their similarities to rock legends Radiohead were a bit too close for people to ignore. Though the band did have the same alt rock-isms of Thom Yorke and co., Matt Bellamy had a lot more musical tricks up his sleeve.

Though the band's first record was a straightforward alt rock affair with crunchy guitars and high-pitched vocals, fans were given a bit of a different sound once they picked up Origin of Symmetry. Instead of another slice of heavy rock, the album's opener "New Born" showed Bellamy embracing his piano skills, with a melody that seemed reminiscent of classical music. Even though the song eventually gave way to an unstoppable hard rock riff, it wouldn't be the last time the keyboards were brought to the forefront.

Across albums like Absolution and the Resistance, Bellamy let himself loose on the piano to create lush walls of notes that served as bite-sized musical symphonies in between the hard rock anthems. With an amazing vocal range to match, Matt Bellamy is not only one of the greatest frontmen, but also one of the more sophisticated musical thinkers in hard rock today.