THE RISING STORM

Bob Moog’s modular systems were some of the first widely used synthesizers, but the Minimoog was created for portability and performance, designed for keyboard players looking to easily tweak some expression into their playing. Use of the Minimoog gained popularity in the early 70s and quickly found its place in nearly all genres of music. Today the Mini is still the most in-demand vintage analog synthesizer and has achieved iconic status.

Sound is produced by one, two, or three oscillators - basically tone generators that can produce sawtooth, square, or triangle waves - and then processed through a mixer, noise generator, filter, and amplifier, all with fully adjustable controls. Further control of the sound was easily accessible via the modulation and pitch wheels located to the left of the keys.

It’s a monophonic synth, meaning you can only play one note at a time (ie. no chords). Mono synths are useful for leads however, in that quick melodic runs (and bass lines) never have overlapping notes and sound exceptionally neat and fluid. Besides, tweakable sound modules hardwired inside this unit guaranteed that the lack of polyphony could never be a limitation. Performing with the Minimoog goes beyond the keyboard; to truly master the instrument you have to play the knobs.

Today Minis trade at high prices on ebay and demand has led Moog Music to produce a reissue, the Minimoog Voyager boasting MIDI support and the ability to save presets. For analog purists they have even introduced the Voyager Old School with absolutely no digital interference. French company, Arturia has even released a faithful software emulation of the Mini, the Minimoog V (as well as several other classic synths).

Note: the word “Moog” rhymes with “rogue” or “vogue.” This is detailed at the Robert Moog wikipedia page and the official Moog homepage. It is considered polite not to correct people who pronounce it with a cow’s “moo” but those insisting that your “mogue” pronunciation is incorrect will not be tolerated.

Examples
Sun Ra’s “Seen III Took 4″ from The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. I is a great example of the minimoog. I believe he used a prototype that he got directly from Bob Moog on a trip to Trumansburg in 1970. It was the model B, as opposed to the Mini D that became the standard. -Kenneth

mp3: Sun Ra - Seen III Took 4

Don Preston tears the Mini apart during the encore of the Mothers performance on Fillmore East, June 1971.

mp3: The Mothers - Lonesome Electric Turkey

After three experimental records, Kraftwerk released Autobahn in 1974, a massive success and a blueprint for much of electronic pop to come. Here’s an awesome cut from side 2:

mp3: Kraftwerk - Kometenmelodie 2 (Comet Melody 2)

To be honest, it can be difficult discerning which records used the Minimoog unless it is specifically noted in the credits. But I am sure the Beach Boys had a Mini lying around during the Love You sessions. First time listeners and critics often mistake this 1977 record for a low point in the Beach Boys career, but I assure you it is brilliant synthesizer pop and the best Brian Wilson album.

mp3: The Beach Boys - I’ll Bet He’s Nice

Let us know if you think of some other essential Minimoog recordings!

(more…)

Crybaby (Wah-Wah Pedal)

The Wah Pedal is often the first tool added to a budding guitarist’s arsenal, the old standby for waka-jawaka rhythms or a classic Hendrix sound. Moving the pedal up and down alters the tone, specifically the filter, of your sound. Playing guitar leads while adjusting the pedal can give the notes an expressive, mouthy quality, almost like the guitar was trying to say the word ‘wah’ or ‘wow.’ Jimi’s guitar style is one of the smoothest in history, but he couldn’t have pulled off Voodoo Child without a wah-wah.

mp3: Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child

Space Echo (Tape Delay)

A beautifully designed effects box, the Space Echo RE-201 is the most well-known and sought after tape delay. A delay or echo unit continuously records whatever sound you are feeding in there, and repeats it back, creating an echo that is adjustable via speed and depth controls. Modern effects units accomplish this via digital recording, but what makes tape delay so cool is that it actually records and plays back pure analog from a looping piece of magnetic tape.

The Space Echo was king of a long line of tape delay units including the Echoplex, Binson Echorec, Meazzi Echomatic and many other fine specimens. Check out the Binson Echorec all over Gandalf’s self-titled debut, notably the vocal for Golden Earrings.

mp3: Gandalf - Golden Earrings

Mu-Tron III (Envelope Filter)

An Envelope Filter (or Follower) is a hard effect to describe sonically, but easy to place categorically. It’s kind of an instant-funk stomp-box that supplies an automatic ‘wah’ to your playing. This effect was developed in 1972, by Mike Beigel and Aaron Newman when they decided to see if they could create new products from parts of the synthesizer. Stevie W first used the Mu-Tron in combination with his clavinet for Higher Ground and Jerry Garcia also owes a large debt to this little box for a piece of his signature guitar sound.

mp3: Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
mp3: Grateful Dead - Shakedown Street

Eventide Harmonizer (Harmonizer)

Tony Visconti famously described the Eventide Harmonizer to David Bowie as an effect that "fucks with the fabric of time." This was one of the first digital effects boxes and was capable of changing the pitch of a signal without sacrificing the tempo. This meant you could sing or play guitar into the Eventide, and what you played could be doubled at a higher or lower pitch (harmonized). Get fancy with the tweaking and all manner of wild, early-digital sounds were possible.

Tony Visconti kept this machine a secret when producers tried to ask how he got such unique drum sounds on Low, the first record to use the Eventide. Crunchy drums aside, it’s clear his use of this awesome rack unit was pretty liberal all over Low.

mp3: David Bowie - Speed Of Life
mp3: David Bowie - Be My Wife

Press your hand to these keys for the first time and you’ll hear it, the smooth electric ring with a touch of grit and lots of soul. It’s hard not to sound good on a keyboard this classic, but the best players can muscle out a powerful growl. You probably know the sound.

The Rhodes is not an electronic instrument or a synthesizer, it works mechanically like a regular piano. Rather than hammering strings, each key on the Rhodes strikes a thin metal rod, called a tine, that is cut to length and amplified through a pickup. A few knobs on the faceplate can alter the tone or vibrato, but modification of the raw sound is barely needed. Plug this baby in a Twin Reverb and you’re good to go.

It was invented by Harold Rhodes as a bedside piano for wounded GIs, and manufactured by the Fender company as early as 1959, but portable (though damn heavy) stage models produced in the late 60s would drive its popularity and acceptance by artists from jazz, rock, soul, or any genre. Being one of the most important piano innovations of our time, the Rhodes is still dearly loved and highly collected today. As Ray Charles would say during Harold Rhodes’ lifetime achievement Grammy award presentation, “The Rhodes was a musical atom bomb, changing the face of the music landscape forever.”

Examples
First let’s hear from Herbie Hancock from his 1970s Rhodes promo record. This is a great introduction to the capability and sound of the Rhodes from one of the deepest keyboard explorers ever.

mp3: Herbie Hancock - Demonstrates The Rhodes Sound; Side A

Miles Davis‘ Bitches Brew is one of the best and most groundbreaking fusion records in recorded history. Chick Corea played two and sometimes three Rhodes pianos on these tracks, this one included because it’s the only one under ten minutes.

mp3: Miles Davis - John McLaughlin

Get Back features some nasty Rhodes soloing by “fifth Beatle,” Billy Preston. The Let It Be Naked release is said to better represent Preston’s fine contributions to the Beatles’ music.

mp3: The Beatles - Get Back

This post would be remiss not to include this “storm” track, a quintessential Rhodes performance by Ray Manzarek, on the last Doors recording with Jim Morrison.

mp3: The Doors - Riders On The Storm

(more…)

The Theremin was one of the first electronic instruments and the only musical instrument that is played without being touched. The looping antenna on the left controls volume, and the straight antenna on the right controls pitch.

When you move your hand closer to the pitch antenna, the sound will rise from a low tone to a high tone, releasing a deafening squeal should you touch it. For the volume antenna, moving your hand closer will soften the sound in amplitude and touching it will cut the sound off entirely. Knobs typically control things like the tuning of the instrument and timbre of the sound (sine wave or triangle wave). For futher clarification, take a look at this short youtube demo.

The device was invented by Russian scientist, Léon Theremin, in 1919 and has enjoyed a life of relative novelty, often relegated to scary sounds records and sci-fi movie soundtracks. It was notably used in the soundtrack of movies such as Spellbound and The Day The Earth Stood Still performed by Dr. Samuel Hoffmann. Other artists have fully exploited the instrument’s expressive range, similar to that of a cello or violin, in classical music (see Clara Rockmore below).

For many years, theremins were available as DIY kits in the back pages of boy scout magazines and music tech rags and thankfully they are still widely available. Robert Moog has long championed this simple electronic instrument and over the years has produced many of the most beautiful models, in completed or kit form.

For those interested in the theremin, electronic music, or great films in general, I cannot recommend the 1993 documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey enough. It is more than the details of an electronic instrument but a story about love, devotion, and art. Highly recommended.

Examples
The most common example of the theremin’s use in pop music is actually not a real theremin. Paul Tanner performed the memorable “theremin” lines on his Tannerin or electro-theremin which was a mechanically controlled oscillator that shared a similar sound to the theremin, but was considerably easier to play. Matched with cellos digging out hard triplets, the Tannerin helped create one of the most interestingly produced choruses in pop history:

mp3: The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

For Between The Buttons, Brian Jones brought some very basic theremin, reminiscent of amplifier feedback, to this pounding Stones track:

mp3: The Rolling Stones - Please Go Home

The same Dr. Hoffman mentioned above performed theremin for two tracks on Capt. Beefheart’s debut. P.S. if you dig this track don’t miss these videos containing spectacular live footage of the Magic Band.

mp3: Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Electricity

And now, the best for last.
(more…)

This is that thin wild sound. The one and only instrument to associate with terms like Byrdsian and jangly. An unmatched guitar in design, craftmanship, innovation, and sound. Rickenbacker makes a fine guitar with six strings, but 12 is the magic number.

Playing a 12-string guitar doesn’t mean you have to learn how to play with six more strings, it’s just that the strings are set in pairs. It’s played exactly the same as a regular guitar, but your finger is pressing down two strings at once, each tuned to different octaves.

Opposed to acoustic 12-string guitars (and mandolins, which are similarly designed with 4 pairs of strings), Rickenbackers are designed with the lower string on top of the high string, lending to its characteristic sound.

One of the lesser known features of these guitars is the Ric-O-Sound kit, which allows the pickups to split the signal of the guitar to two different outputs. Imagine plugging into a rich Fender Twin Reverb and patching the 2nd line through a Space Echo or a cheap old fuzzbox. The effect is like having two distinct guitar tones playing in exact synchronicity.

Lastly, just look at the thing. Damn beautiful. The twisted and tech-looking headstock, modernist slash f-hole, tiered white pick guard, and the signature “R” in the bridge. Pictured is the classic red Fireglo color scheme, one of many often changing themes in the Rickenbacker legacy, the other more famous colors being Mapleglo (Byrds) and Jetglo (Lennon).

Examples
George Harrison got his hands on the 2nd 12-string Rickenbacker ever made. The Beatles had access to every instrument their imaginations could conjure up so it’s no surprise they’re on top of the classic gear front again. Leads like the one in Hard Day’s Night tuned everybody in to the Rick’s wild sound:

The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night

Pete Townshend was an avid Rickenbacker user and one of the best rhythm guitarists of all time. This is a full example of the raucous rhythmic power of the 12er, with an excellently brief solo. The Who’s debut is too great for words:

The Who - I Can’t Explain

The Byrds are the quintessential Rick band. Roger McGuinn is widely known as the king of the Rickenbacker 12-string. John Coltrane’s saxophone was inspiration to the devastating solo on this classic Byrds cut. Is he using the Ric-O-Sound on this one?

The Byrds - Eight Miles High

The Byrds may have owned the gleaming mercury sound of this guitar (actually a key component in defining the word ‘jangle‘), but they didn’t trademark it, dammit! Let’s dive back under the radar with a great song from Instant Orange’s excellent 1973 lp:

Instant Orange - Plight of The Marie Celeste

The Mellotron will forever be one of the most unique sounding and groundbreaking keyboard instruments ever created. It was based on the Chamberlin, which was the world’s first sampling keyboard. When you press a key on the Mellotron, an 8-second piece of audio tape is triggered to run, and when you take your finger off, the tape quickly rewinds. By actually recording each chromatic pitch of an acoustic instrument (say flutes, strings, organs, or the legendary boys choir) and assigning each 8-second recording to its respective key, the Mellotron was a machine that could emulate any instrument or sound. (See the youtube clip below for a helpful demo.)

Some samples were recordings of an actual full-band rhythm track, kind of like pressing the demo button on your Casio, but with a sound leagues more impressive. Regardless of the soundbank being used, however, the ‘Tron has an eerie, wavery quality to its sound that has intrigued musicians, producers, and listeners since its inception.

The Mellotron is infamous for its lack of portability, requiring painstaking realignment of tape heads when relocated. Today, you might find them in rare studios with a knack for vintage gear but the best shot at getting your hands on these classic sounds is to grab the affordable GForce M-Tron emulation software. Using your computer and a midi keyboard, you can get access to virtually all of the known Mellotron sounds. Though ‘Tron purists will scoff at the use of a plug-in, it is quite simply the most realistic way to harness the otherworldly sounds of the Mellotron.

Check out till.com for further information, and don’t miss the excellent Planet Mellotron where you will find information on many recordings that employ this expensive, rare, technologically dated but much loved and legendary instrument.

Examples
The ultimate Mellotron example is the flute intro to the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever. This is an outtake (Take 7) that highlights the 10-piece street drumming team that hides in the outro rhythm of the final cut; though it’s not Mellotron, this fantastic texture always astounds me:

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

Phenomenal Cat by The Kinks from VGPS is a great ‘Tron track. The regular flute sound is instantly recognizable, but take special note of the demented ‘rock guitar’ sample and the rhythm tracks:

The Kinks - Phenomenal Cat

On David Bowie’s early classic, Space Oddity, Rick Wakeman was brought in to perform a placeholder part for what would later become orchestral strings. Apparently the magnificent warble of Wakeman’s ‘Tron part got the best of Bowie, because that is what we still hear today:

David Bowie - Space Oddity

The Mellotron became an important instrument to the world of prog rock as it could create grandiose sound without the prohibitive costs involved with hiring an orchestra. Listen to this Mellotron drenched classic from King Crimson’s debut:

King Crimson - Epitaph

(thanks to PlanetMellotron.com for the research on these notes.)

(more…)