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My reviews blog

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:01:57 EST

Blog posted by Windhawk — The premise of this blog is pretty concise and most likely restricted to a very personal interest only. In short: For many years I used the blog function on MySpace to keep track of my reviews. Basically using it to create lists of albums I was about to review and albums I had reviewed. With links to the latter as they were published. As MySpace now have terminated that function I need to do this somewhere else. Hence this blog. It's not likely that it will interest anyone else but me, and it will take me a good amount of time to get all the links up too, so there won't be much of interest for anyone but me either. So, basically, there's nothing truly exciting to see here.

Roger Dean artwork

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:05:09 EST

Blog posted by Gerinski — I hope Roger will not ban this blog because of author rights.I have some >100 renderings of Roger Dean's artwork, the original versions without band logos or album names, and although many if not most of them are already surely known by most of you I thought that I would share them. I will do it bit by bit in several posts.Some images are actually slightly different versions of the same painting or close-up details. Here's the first delivery: ARCHES MIST ARCHES MORNING ARCHES REMEDY STONE ARIA BRIDGES ASIA DRAGON ALPHA ASTRA AURA BADGER BEGINNINGS

Lyrics are hard

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 10:20:37 EST

Blog posted by TGM: Orb — Bit different to my last megacolossothreadofreviewcompilation, this one's just stream-of-consciousness looks at some lyrics I've had a think about with lazy punctuation and political spleenventing which I'm not letting myself do in the politics threads because I get too angry to articulate things and if that doesn't sound appealing I don't know what does. I'm too embarrassed about the old reviews to write new ones so I thought I'd post this in case anyone cares to read it and feels they have too much free time for the internet to waste it all without my help A couple of quick looks at lyrics with an actual theme and everything: Hemispheres I was letting Spotify roam wild yesterday after a perfunctory listen to Clockwork Angels and either the last early-phase or first early-middle phase (it's entirely to Rush's credit that they have so many phases) Rush album strolled like a carelessly invited vampire into the house of my ears (the metaphor's ironic so it's ok if it's awful and banal alright now keep reading and don't pay attention to how I have replaced my previous style of cluster-adjectives with basically nothing and am just doing a long sentence with no punctuation to throw you off that). Previously, it's always been the rather daft Cygnus X-I continuation that has embarrassed me into turning the damn thing off but I'm sitting through that for the second time in two days out of some misplaced sense of fair play. (fans who want to be offended, read on: same old Apollo and Dionysos rationality-pleasure-OHLOOKBALANCEISTHEANSWER drivel, and I don't really care for the music either to be honest). This time my embarrassment was instead directed at the suspicion I might have said something overly complimentary about the lyrics of The Trees in the past. The basic gist, far as I can tell, is that the maples are the poor unionising to get equality, oaks are our lofty Randian masterlords. Now, it feels to me like the characterisation of the two is vaguely sympathetic to the problem of the maples while the selfish preciousness of the oaks (i.e. that they are somehow inherently better and more deserving of light than the maples) is sent up. You can take the botanical metaphor's comment on the deserving of wealth in two ways, depending on whether you have the (incorrect) Randian some-people-are-just-better view or the TGMOrbian basic-perspective view. My hope is that the coda is the Bastille Day thing by another vehicle, and that the oaks' refusal to make concessions is what leads to the violent revolution that follows (I'm a pretty hardline and lazily misinformed communist, so that's not really enough for me but it'll do). On the other hand, you could see this as yer bog-standard socialism's-so-restrictive-so-the-maples-should-just-shut-up response. Now, having actually written this and thought about it, I'm much less negative than I set out planning to be but the problem still kind of remains. The Trees has a pretty clear political narrative, whether that's the Bastille Day or the 'Orwellian' sort (I'd hesitate to directly name an Orwell book, because 1984 and Animal Farm are probably the two novels most commonly deliberately misunderstood by political commentators on the right - my personal favourite being the Tory MP Roger Gale speaking apparently from a pre-prepared piece of paper but nonetheless directly through his arse defining gay marriage measures as 'Alice In Wonderland territory, Orwellian almost' with one bigoted tit muttering 'hear hear' in the background before he goes off into the same weary comparison of homosexuality and incest oh for god's sake it's too stupid to even describe...). I suppose you can chart it as the 'the oaks should be nicer or it'll be their fault when things go wrong' but the weak having rights based only on the handouts of the strong isn't really my sort of politics. If you take it the other way and say 'the maples' rebellion just crushes all growth and creativity and they should put up with it to avoid that', then you just get into your agonisingly dull Clarksonian/Littlejohnic/Hitchensite/Philippsesque Soviet Russia is what all left-wing politics will lead to blahblahblah. If you leave it somewhere in the middle, you've got what I think the main argument that prog is somehow disconnected comes from, which is not the 'irrelevance' of the subject matter but rather that when it does acknowledge problems, it doesn't really offer any engagement with them or any ideological response. Tales From Topographic Oceans The seminal wishy-washy prog album has the same deal more acutely, in that it's actually peppered with 1970s social comment, which is to say: Getting over overhanging trees Let them rape the forest Thoughts would send our fusion Clearly to be home Getting over wars we do not mean Or so it seems so clearly Sheltered with our passion Clearly to be homeThey move fast, they tell me, But I just can't believe they really mean to There's someone, to tell you, And I just can't believe our song will leave you Skyline teacher Warland seeker Send out poison Cast iron leader has some sort of anti-military and anti-aggregation-of-power dimension contrasted with wishy washy holisticism. Political problems treated as a philosophical non-issue. I mean, part of the reason Tales is so damn unorganisable into a coherent lyrical whole is that there are these hints of meaning interspersed with clouds of fluff. I mean, it's a great album even if, despite being twice as long it's still not half as good as Close To The Edge, but 'Relayer/Sail the futile wars they suffer' and 'School gates remind us of our class/Chase all confusion away with us/Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays/Pass amongst your memories told returning ways' are both a bit infuriating for me at least because pointless wars and our equally pointless and the class system and its corresponding differential in access to opportunities which is now cunningly re-entrenching itself in Britain should make people angry, or disappointed or should have some sort of emotional resonance within the context of the piece. They shouldn't just be brought up and dropped instantly. Is it hippie optimism that vague philosophical opposition would simply overwhelm such vested interests given time or just lazy emotional hooks sunk in the marshmallow texture of the album's lyrics? I don't even know and this has gotten to be dead incoherent because I'm really just venting rather than making the rational point I think I was planning to about how a lot of prog connects itself to a reality it which it just ignores and this is why Dark Side of the Moon is a really good album and stream of consciousness is really not my medium PRESS ON Anyway, engaging with political subjects and not really saying anything about them is almost as bad as engaging in incongruous disquisitions on social credit without any real prompting (that, good folks, is a damning reference to my favourite writer ever - five points for the first person to identify the reference... points are not redeemable for anything). Next time, if a next time there is, I'm going to offer an example of some things under the threadbare umbrella of prog which do offer coherent political worldviews or statemnents. And then we might even look at some lyrics which aren't basically thinly veiled justifications for me pushing my own soft-hearted anti-democratic communist perspective down your throats but probably not.also I remembered my password I'm so impressed with myself am I coherent I don't even care thanks if you read this far you're the best whoever you are TGM: Orb2013-04-03 03:52:00

An Illustrated Guide to Prog Rock Instruments

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:31:38 EST

Blog posted by Gerinski — AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO PROG ROCK INSTRUMENTS Given the long history of Progressive Rock at the time of writing (January 2013) the number of different instruments ever used by Prog Rock musicians is so large that any attempt to make a comprehensive list would be a titanic and probably pointless effort, but in this article I am reviewing some of the most relevant instruments used in Prog Rock from an historical point of view, especially focusing in those widely used in the classic Prog Rock period of the 1970's, although I have also included some more modern interesting instruments. Most references are made generically (e.g. 'the Hammond Organ') but I have also included some particular instrument pieces owned and played by famous Prog musicians (e.g. 'Chris Squire's Wal Triple-Neck Bass'). Traditional instruments like guitars, basses, drums or flutes were nothing new when Prog flourished and have seen limited innovation right up to the present. The development of the synthesizer on the other hand went very much in parallel with the development of Prog Rock itself, for this reason the keyboards and synths are covered with greater historical detail, while entries for traditional instruments such as guitars, basses, flutes etc are limited to a few general comments. The history of synths is only covered until the rise of digital synths in the early 1980's, after that the number of different manufacturers and models would become prohibitively long. Moreover, in modern times (since the advent of MIDI in 1983) the keyboard model we see being played by a certain musician does not always tell much, frequently they are used only as controllers and the actual synthesizers or sound patches are located in racks or audio workstations. THE CHAMBERLIN When asked about quintessential Prog Rock instruments many will think of the Mellotron, but no reference to the 'Tron' would be fair without mentioning its direct precursor the Chamberlin, since the Mellotron was born essentially as an illegal copy of the Chamberlin. Developed from 1948 onwards by Henry Chamberlin in the US, this keyboard was the first sampler (or more precisely the first Rompler since it could only play back sounds, not record them): pressing the keys triggered playback of pre-recorded tapes with recordings of real instruments. The sounds included assorted keyboards, bowed and plucked strings, winds, voices etc (in some models even rhythms). Each note tape had a maximum duration of 8 seconds and returned to its starting position when the key was released or when reaching the end. For the first time it allowed producing realistic orchestral and vocal sounds from a keyboard. It was originally designed as a home instrument, not portable (until the release of the M1 model in 1970) which made them delicate and not suitable for Rock bands outside of the studio. The M1 model released in 1970 was compact and portable (even more than the Mellotron M400) but by then the Mellotron had taken over (see the Mellotron entry) and the Chamberlin has unfairly remained rather obscure and unrecognised compared to the Mellotron. Many consider the sound samples of the Chamberlin to be of superior quality than those of the Mellotron. The 1951 model 200 was the first melodic Chamberlin (the first model 100 from 1948 played only rhythm loops) Chamberlin 600 1962 Chamberlin M1 THE MELLOTRON In 1962 a sales employee of Chamberlin Bill Fransen fled to Europe with two Chamberlin 600's and without Henry Chamberlin's knowledge he claimed that the instrument was his invention and made a deal with the Bradley brothers from the UK to build upon the design and manufacture the machines. So although the Bradleys introduced some modifications, the Mellotron Mark I was born in 1963 essentially as an illegal copy of the Chamberlin 600, the 3 violin samples were even the same from the Chamberlin (the other instruments were newly recorded). Mellotron Mark I When Henry Chamberlin and the Bradleys realised the situation they discussed and eventually reached an agreement by which Chamberlin would receive some royalties for the original design and for some period Chamberlins would be sold in the US and Mellotrons would be sold in Europe. In retrospect Mr. Chamberlin probably regretted this point, the Pop and Progressive music scene during the 2nd half of the 1960's was more innovative in Europe than in the US so by the time the instrument really kicked in during the late 1960's it was the Mellotron and not the Chamberlin which got the limelight, and by its heyday in the 1970's few people remembered the Chamberlin at all.There is a bit of a mess with the different companies involved in producing and selling Mellotrons so to clarify things a bit let's start by saying that the Bradleys original company was called Bradmatic but for the Mellotron business they established 2 new companies, the sales and distribution arm was called Mellotronics and the manufacturing arm was called Streetly Electronics. As with the Chamberlin, the first Mellotrons were not portable but this changed with the release of the M400 model in 1970, by far the most popular and widely used in Prog Rock. Due to its smaller size it could only use 3 different instrument tape sets at a time but it compensated by having the tapes in cartridges which could be replaced rather quickly. EMI also produced 100 units of the M400 under license, named M400S, reportedly of lower quality. Mellotron M300 Mellotron M400 Due to the tapes playback system (of 8 seconds duration like the Chamberlin) which had to return to their starting position before being able to be played again, they had a slow action not making them suitable for fast playing and the notes did not decay naturally when the key was released, but they were great for slow passages of sustained sounds such as strings, choirs, brass or flutes which were difficult to mimic by synthesizers of the time (besides their big advantage of being polyphonic versus their contemporary synthesizers). Mellotrons are infamous for being very sensitive and unreliable, the tapes often jammed, the motors and mechanics did not work properly etc. Musicians on tour frequently decided to take two of them in order to have a backup and they had to be repaired in between gigs. In 1975 the Mk V was released which was basically two M400's put together in a single cabinet. Mellotron Mk V Around 1976 there were some legal disputes regarding the name Mellotron, which was licensed to the US distributor DMI (Dallas Musical Instruments) which went quickly bankrupt and then re-established as Sound Sales (retaining the Mellotron name licence) to continue producing and selling Mellotrons.Streetly continued also producing Mellotrons but had to sell them under the name Novatron. In 1981 Streetly released the rare Novatron T550 which was packed in a flight case for touring convenience, but only 4 of them were made. Novatron T550 From their side Sound Sales developed the also very rare Mellotron 4-Track which could play the 4 tracks simultaneously (each track with independent EQ, panning and mix volume), of which only 4 units were produced in 1981 (to add to the names mess, the manufacturing company of the 4-Track was Bomar Fabricators). Sound Sales Mellotron 4-Track In the late 1970's the development of more advanced synthesizers such as the polyphonic string machines and synthesizers (see the Polyphonic Synthesizers entry), and the development of digital technology including sampling with the Synclavier and Fairlight caused a quick fade out of the mechanical Mellotron, which suddenly felt like an ancient machine. The revival of Prog in the 1990's renewed the interest in the Mellotron but before that, in the late 1980's the rights for the name Mellotron were acquired by an American guy called Dave Kean.A Swedish guy called Marcus Resch who was repairing Mellotrons for bands like Anglagard and Anekdoten teamed with Dave Kean in the 1990's to start producing Mellotron service parts, and as from 2001 with the benefit of owning the name Mellotron they released new and improved analog replicas of the M400 (which they called Mk VI) and of the Mk V (which they called Mk VII). From 2010 they also produce a digital model the Mellotron M4000D.The German Manikin's Memotron is another popular digital replica and of course sample patches are available in other keyboards or for uploading to workstations. Mellotron 4000D Memotron (by Manikin) A son of one of the original Bradley brothers from his side restarted Streetly in the 1990's to repair and restore Mellotrons, and in 2007 Streetly released a completely new model, the M4000, analog but with a completely redesigned tapes system which allows 24 sounds in the machine at once, eliminating the need for removable cartridges. This was not marketed as Novatron but simply as 'M4000 by Streetly Electronics'. Streetly M4000 Some archetypal uses of the Mellotron (aka 'the Tron') can be heard in the intro to Genesis Watcher Of The Skies, the choirs in King Crimson's Epitaph or In The Court Of The Crimson King, or the flute in Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven. THE BIROTRON The brief existence of the Birotron is anecdotical but worth mentioning due to the involvement of Rick Wakeman and to its extreme rarity. It was developed by Dave Biro in late 1974 as an attempt to solve the Mellotron's weak points, and on paper it delivered. Instead of tapes of 8 seconds duration the Birotron used closed tape loops which could hold the sound indefinitely, this gave it also a much quicker action allowing playing of faster phrases, it had individual attack and decay settings for each note and a pitch shifter knob. Regarding reliability nobody knows, it disappeared before anyone could tell. Rick Wakeman was so impressed by the early prototype that he decided to co-fund the project, some machines were built and advertisement started in 1976, and the company Birotronics received over 1000 orders from customers like Keith Emerson, Elton John, John Paul Jones or Patrick Moraz. Unfortunately issues during late pre-mass-production development to ensure high quality and reliability, plus the need to record all the samples with real musicians resulted in increasingly high costs and Rick Wakeman's finances were going through a deep period, and the project was finally aborted. It is unknown how many were built precisely, according to some accounts only 17 fully complete machines were built and only 2 survive today, which has earned the Birotron the title of rarest modern musical instrument. It is known to have been used by Wakeman in the album 'Tormato' and the YesShows tour, and although he owned up to 4 of them he does not have one anymore. Birotron B90 Rick Wakeman live with Yes in 1978. The two devices on the right top of the picture are two Birotron B90's (atop an RMI Keyboard Computer). On the left of the picture we see a Minimoog atop a Yamaha CP-30 electric piano and in front of Rick a Polymoog atop the Hammond. THE HAMMOND ORGAN An iconic keyboard like few others, the Hammond Organ was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 as an affordable alternative to pipe organs in churches and upright pianos in middle class family homes. As such it is not just a prominent instrument in Rock music, it has had massive presence in nearly every style of popular music since the late 1930's, gospel, blues, jazz, soul, pop, prog or hard rock. It generated the notes by mechanical tonewheels rotating in front of an electromagnetic pickup. The mix of the different harmonic components could be altered in real time by its famous drawbars providing a very rich range of possible organ timbres, this versatility surely contributed to its huge success in such a wide range of music styles. A very frequent companion to the Hammond was the Leslie Speaker cabinet, which amplified and released the sound via two rotating speakers. The rotation produces an oscilating doppler effect which creates a very unique sound, a bit similar to a phaser effect. The Hammond was the first organ powerful enough to allow keyboardists to play live alongside rock electric guitarists without having to feel 'in the background'. Many different models have been built but from a Prog Rock perspective the B-3, C-3 and L-100 were probably the most widely used (Tony Banks used a T-102 which was a model very similar to the L-100). Virtually every respectable keyboardist in the 1970's Prog Rock scene had a Hammond, but we may mention Jon Lord and Keith Emerson as particularly notable users. Keith Emerson's live performances stabbing knives on his L-100 to hold the sustain or playing it upside-down from the floor became iconic (although his regular playing was done on a C-3 placed below the Modular Moog). Hammond B-3 and Leslie Cabinet Hammond L-100 Keith Emerson abusing his L-100 THE MOOG MODULAR SYNTHESIZER Robert (Bob) Moog was the most prominent pioneer in the development of the modern analog synthesizers utilized in Rock music. The precise division between 'Electric or Electronic Organ' and 'Synthesizer' (if there should be any at all) is controversial with early devices such as the Telharmonium, the Trautonium or the Ondes Martenot dividing opinions, but often the first really fully-performing musical synthesizer is considered to be the vacuum-tube Hammond Novachord from 1939 (which incidentally was fully polyphonic!) but it was way too ahead of its time, very complex and costly, and WW2 quickly interrupted its production before people could really understand it, and it remained mostly used to generate eerie sounds for movies and TV shows rather than actual music. Hammond Novachord The Buchla synthesizers from the early 1960's also predated the Moogs but they were also oriented to universities or the cinema, TV and electronic music industry rather than to live performing musicians (one of their characteristic features was a touch-plate keyboard instead of a real musical keyboard). Buchla 100 1963 Touch-Plate Keyboard in a Buchla Robert Moog on the other hand set out to develop the synthesizer for actual performing musicians. Based on ideas first proposed by Harold Bode and the work of Buchla, in the mid 1960's he further developed the technology of voltage-controlled sound synthesis based on transistors (compared to previous vacuum-tube technologies like in the Novachord) and a sort of road-map for standardising sound electric signals manipulation. So for example, he devised how to generate a basic sound wave from a voltage-controlled oscillator, but also a systematic method for modifying that original signal through subsequent 'modules' before releasing it to the amp and speakers. So the original signal could be processed through different modules such as signal amplifiers, envelope generator, filters, modulators etc until it got the final shape. The modern musical analog modular synthesizer was born. The instrument received a lot of exposure when Wendy Carlos recorded the album Switched On Bach in 1968, a selection of JS Bach pieces played entirely on Moog synth. Keith Emerson had also been closely following the Moog development and cooperated with Robert Moog in improving the instrument and popularized the new synth from his band The Nice and later on ELP. The Modular Moog was not a definite machine but rather a flexible concept, frequently custom assembled with different modules according to each musician's desires so each unit might look bigger or smaller or slightly different, and it's important to realise that the Moog Modular was not 'a keyboard' but rather a sound generator-processor system. The musical keyboard was the most convenient user interface to provide input to the system, but other interfaces could be used such as the ribbon controller famously used by Keith Emerson in the video of Pictures At An Exhibition (these considerations apply to many other synthesizers as well). Early Moog with keyboard and ribbon controllers Moog System 55 configuration, the basic one used by Keith Emerson The different modules had to be connected with patch cables which provided a powerful visual sense of huge complexity. Keith Emerson's Moog array even included a CRT osciloscope. Keith Emerson's Modular Moog array The Moog Modular was monophonic, in 1975 Moog released the Polymoog as their polyphonic synth alternative. Moog also conceived a 3-piece Synth Ensemble which they called "The Constellation" consisting of a polyphonic synth called Apollo (which would become the Polymoog), a monophonic solo synth called Lyra (basically a bigger and upgraded Minimoog, some of which technology would be used in the 1978 Multimoog) and a foot pedals bass synth called Taurus (which would become the famous Taurus bass pedals). The Apollo and Lyra prototypes were played by Keith Emerson in the Brain Salad Surgery album and the 1973-1974 ELP tour including the famous California Jam gig but the Constellation Ensemble was never actually marketed, yet it paved the way to two important new instruments the Polymoog and the Taurus bass pedals. The Moog Constellation Ensemble concept The Lyra prototype The Apollo prototype The ensemble of Apollo plus Lyra Keith Emerson playing the Apollo and Lyra at the 1974 California Jam THE MINIMOOG The Moog Modular synths were huge, expensive and cumbersome with all their patch cables, so in 1970 Moog released a very compact monophonic synth which was affordable and could be used for great soloing, the Minimoog D (the models A to C were pre-production prototypes). It was a revolution and it became a paradigm for Prog Rock, allowing keyboard players to rival guitar solos from a compact device. It was small enough that it could be conveniently placed on top of other larger flat-top keyboards (it fitted nicely on top of a Mellotron or a piano), and it offered amazing crisp tones suitable for aggressive soloing. Many of the synth solo lines heard in quintessential 1970's Prog Rock albums were played on a Minimoog, Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson being archetypal Minimoog users. The Minimoog was also the first synth to include the two wheels at the left for pitch bend and modulation which have become an industry standard since. They had some reputation for getting out of tune though (a problem referred to as 'drift', occurring especially with temperature changes and typical of many early analog synthesizers). In 2002 a modern version was released, the Minimoog Voyager, still analog and monophonic but with many improvements and MIDI interface. An XL version with extended keyboard was also produced. Minimoog D Minimoog Voyager XL Robert Moog with his 'creatures' in 1974: a System 55 Modular, a Minimoog, a Sonic Six with a Ribbon Controller on top and a Percussion Controller THE ARP SYNTHESIZERS ARP was the main competitor to Moog in the 1970's. Their first product was the ARP2500, a big modular synth released in 1970 which anecdotically appeared in the movie Close Encounters Of The Third Kind playing the famous 5 notes phrase to communicate with the aliens. It was also the machine used by The Who's Pete Townshend for the famous intro to Won't Get Fooled Again. Unlike the Moog Modular the different modules did not need to be connected by patch cables, instead patching was done by its characteristic Matrix sliding switches which although less intuitive and probably not simpler gave it a much cleaner look. ARP2500 in 'full option' mode Jimmy Page endorsing the ARP2500 Pete Townshend with his ARP2500 ARP's smaller synths were direct rivals of the Minimoog, mostly the monophonic Soloist / Pro-Soloist (a favourite of Tony Banks) and the duophonic Odyssey. ARP Pro-Soloist ARP Odyssey The ARP2600 was another great synth sitting in between the big modular systems and the compact ones. ARP2600 Joe Zawinul endorsing the ARP2600 Another interesting product was the ARP-Solina String Ensemble, a compact polyphonic electronic keyboard belonging more to the family of 'string machines' rather than actual synthesizers (see the 'Polyphonic Synthesizers entry) focussed on a few strings and wind sounds and addressed to rival the Mellotron without its mechanical problems. In 1975 a rare synth version called ARP String Synthesizer was released. ARP-Solina String Ensemble Notable ARP users include Tony Banks, Jean Michel Jarre, Kansas, Pete Townshend and Stevie Wonder. In the mid 1970's ARP invested many resources in developing a guitar-controlled synthesizer, the Avatar, but it was a commercial failure and sadly ARP finally closed by bankrupcy in 1981. THE EMS VCS3 AND SYNTHI EMS (Electronic Music Studios) from the UK did not get quite as big as the Americans Moog and ARP but they released some remarkable products. While most people were focusing on big modular synths costing several thousands of dollars or pounds, EMS launched in 1969 (1 year before Moog released the Minimoog) an extremely affordable little synth, the VCS3, which retailed at just UK� 330, by comparison the Minimoog would retail at US$ 1,500 which was probably something like around UK� 600. Admittedly the VCS3 did not include the external keyboard which needed to be purchased separately if one wanted to use the instrument melodically (the DK1 or DK2 keyboards costing around another UK� 150, although you could also plug in the signal from some other organ or keyboard), and even without a keyboard it could be used to generate sound effects using its knobs and innovative joystick. The EMS VCS3 Mark I But besides the price tag, the other remarkable characteristic of the VCS3 was that unlike the Minimoog, ARP Pro-Soloist or other small synths which were pre-wired, the VCS3 was a real modular synth with full patching possibilities, just reduced to a very small size. It had a 16x16 matrix grid where patching was done by inserting conductive pins, quite neat. These two features meant that the VCS3 made the world of modular synthesizers affordable to the large public (a specific educational version the Synthi E was eventually produced). In 1971 EMS released the Synthi A and in 1972 the Synthi AKS, which were both based on the VCS3 but even more portable, contained in a plastic briefcase, with the AKS including a touch-plate keyboard (K) and a sequencer (S). The EMS Synthi AKS Shifting from one extreme to the other, in 1971 EMS released also a huge modular synth, the Synthi 100, oriented to studios (the BBC used one frequently for sci-fi and horror sound effects such as for Doctor Who), costing around UK� 10,000 (depending on the precise specs) and featuring two huge 60x60 matrix patching grids, two duophonic keyboards, sequencer and optionally a vocoder. The EMS Synthi 100 One of the two 60x60 matrix patching grids on the Synthi 100 THE FENDER RHODES The archetypal electric piano, the Rhodes was developed by Harold Rhodes in the 1950's. It generates sound by a sort of tuning forks which vibrations are picked up by electromagnetic pickups. It has a characteristic bright bell-like ethereal sound and was widely used in Jazz-Rock / Fusion. There have been several versions. Fender Rhodes Mk I Stage 88 A variation was the Rhodes Piano Bass, a short version with the pitch range of an electric bass, most famously played by The Doors' Ray Manzarek. A Rhodes Piano Bass on top of a Gibson G101 organ, the setup frequently used by Ray Manzarek with The Doors THE WURLITZER ELECTRONIC PIANO The Wurlitzer electric piano (trademarked 'electronic piano' and informally known as 'Wurly') and the RMI Electra-Piano were the biggest rivals to the Rhodes. The Wurlitzer electric pianos were originally released in 1954 but the really successful model for the Prog generation was the model 200 released in 1968. The sound was generated by steel reeds whose vibrations were picked up by an electromagnetic pickup and it was not too different from the Rhodes. The electric Piano in Queen's 'You're My Best Friend' was a Wurly. Wurlitzer 200A 1972 THE RMI ELECTRA-PIANO AND KEYBOARDS The RMI (Rocky Mount Instruments) Electra-Piano was the other most popular electric piano next to the Rhodes and the Wurly. Unlike the Rhodes or other electric pianos which produced the sound by mechanical / acoustic means and then collected them via electromagnetic pickups, the RMI produced its sound completely electronically from transistors, giving it a rather unique sound quite different from a real electric piano or harpsichord. Rick Wakeman, Jon Lord and Tony Banks were frequent users and the RMI Electra-Piano was the instrument used by Banks for those sweeping arpeggios in the background of 'The Carpet Crawlers'. RMI Electra-Piano 300 In 1974 RMI released two revolutionary instruments: The Keyboard Computer was the first portable digital sampler, it included 29 fixed sounds but also a punch-card reader where additional cards with other sounds could be inserted. Rick Wakeman became an early fan. Two models were produced the KC-I and the 1975 KC-II. The RMI Keyboard Computer KC-II The other revolutionary instrument was the 1974 RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, the first commercial digital synth which was way too ahead of its time and remained rather obscure. The RMI Harmonic Synthesizer THE HOHNER CLAVINET The Hohner Clavinet sounded a bit like an electrified harpsichord, producing bright staccato sounds. In some sense it was like an electric guitar triggered by keys. Many Prog Rock keyboardists used them, one notable user being Kerry Minnear from Gentle Giant. Hohner Clavinet D6 FARFISA ORGANS Farfisa from Italy produced organs of nice warm sounds, the Professional Duo was a very appreciated model. Notable users include Pink Floyd's Rick Wright, Van Der Graaf Generator's Hugh Banton or Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. Pink Floyd Rick Wright's Farfisa Compact Duo Organ Farfisa also produced some synths such as the analog 1975 Synthorchestra (polyphonic on 4 preset sounds and monophonic for the rest) or the 1979 digital Soundmaker. Farfisa Synthorchestra Farfisa Soundmaker PATRICK MORAZ's ONE-OFF VAKO ORCHESTRON The Orchestron was not a prominent instrument in Prog Rock at all but it deserves mentioning by the fact that Patrick Moraz commissioned a one-off instrument which he used in 'Relayer' and his solo album 'I'. It has a funny history, it evolved from an early 1970's Mattel toy-home keyboard called the Optigan which was actually a sampler, not too different in concept from the Mellotron except that it had the sounds stored in optical discs instead of magnetic tapes. The home keyboard was not successful and the idea was sold to a company called Vako who presumably saw in it a big potential in the professional music sector as an alternative to the successful but unreliable Mellotron (at least that's what the name they gave it suggests).The commercial Orchestron was a rather small unit with just one 36-keys manual, but Patrick Moraz liked the concept and commissioned a one-off instrument with 3 keyboard manuals, a bit similar in looks to the Yamaha GX-1, which he used in Yes' 'Relayer' and his solo album 'The Story Of I'.At any rate, Vako was probably not an experienced enough company in the music instruments business, the quality of the sound samples in the commercial unit was not so good, and the price was high, and the Orchestron was a commercial failure. Only around 50 units of the commercial single-keyboard model were produced and besides Moraz, Kraftwerk were the only relevant band who used it. Patrick Moraz's 3-Manual Custom Vako Orchestron-X POLYPHONIC ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS All the early 1970's synths were monophonic (they could only play one note at a time, not chords). In most monophonic synths, if more than one note was played only the last one sounded. Some exceptions like the ARP Odyssey, the EMS Synthi 100 or E-mu Modular achieved duophonic polyphony by actually combining two synths one for each note played, and some complex setups could achieve higher polyphony (for example with the E-mu one could in principle combine 10 synths to obtain 10-voice polyphony) but early polyphony methods were not practical and musicians wanted to be able to play chords with their synths. E-mu Modular 1973 The first commercial polyphonic analog synths were Moog's Polymoog and the huge 3-manual Yamaha GX-1 (evolved from the Yamaha Electone EX-42 organ and the Yamaha CSY-1 combo of organ plus monophonic synth), both released in 1975. The GX-1 was famously used by Keith Emerson in the Works Live tour video and John Paul Jones and Stevie Wonder were other notable users. Moog Polymoog 203a Yamaha GX-1 The ARP Omni (1975) was polyphonic but only on two preset sounds Violin and Viola (similar case with the Farfisa Synthorchestra). Other competitors soon followed, the Oberheim 4-Voice (1975), the Korg PE-1000 / 2000 (1976), Korg PS-3100 (1977) and notably the hugely successful Prophet-5 by Sequential Circuits (1978).Here it is convenient to point out that in the mid 1970's a particular family of instruments was developed which blurred the until-then generally accepted concept of the difference between an Electronic Organ or Keyboard and a Synthesizer: the Preset Synthesizers, and particularly the sub-set which came to be known as 'String Machines'. Up to that point the general wisdom said that an instrument providing only preset sounds without any possibilities for editing them and with fixed pitch generation was 'an electronic organ or keyboard', while synthesizers allowed the musician to build the sound from scratch and control every parameter, from the basic sound wave shape (traditionally organs could only produce square waves while synths could also produce sine, sawtooth and triangle) to the envelope and filters, and their tone generators could produce any pitch not just the fixed tone pitches of the chromatic scale keys of the keyboard.Preset Synthesizers were a sort of hybrid, they generated the tones as a synth but the sounds were pre-programmed, and some of them allowed editing of some parameters, some more than others. Moreover traditional Organ-like instruments started to have variable pitch tools such as portamento and pitch-bend and increasingly advanced features, further blurring the previous concepts. The ARP Soloist / Pro-Soloist were actually preset synths with a few possibilities for editing the sound. Some devices focused on preset sounds and sacrificed editing possibilities, and this made it easier for the manufacturer to make them polyphonic. Many of these instruments focused on strings sounds and therefore became known as 'String Machines', or as 'Poly Ensembles' when they included other sounds such as brass, flutes, pianos, percussions etc. The ARP Omni mentioned above was such an instrument, as well as the Korgs PE-1000 and PE-2000 (PE standing for Poly Ensemble, the PE-1000 dedicated to percussive sounds and the PE-2000 to strings and sustained sounds, while the true variable Korg synths were the PS family).To distinguish them from Preset Synths, 'true' synths with advanced synthesis and editing capabilities were called 'Variable' or 'Programmable' Synthesizers, although there is no precise dividing line between them.Until the arrival of digital synths polyphony for variable synths was still limited, for example the iconic Prophet-5 had just 5-voice polyphony, in comparison modern upper-level digital synths have 128-voice polyphony (note that polyphony does not only allow playing 'with more than one finger', if that was the case 10-voice polyphony would be the maximum needed for any player with two hands. Extended polyphony allows different sounds to be played simultaneously from a set of notes, for example playing 6 fingers with 3 different simultaneous patches will use 18 voices, or it allows maintaining sustain of sounds even after you have already started playing something else etc).Understanding that there was no definite dividing line between Preset Synths and Variable Synths, one might say that the only fully polyphonic analog variable synths ever made (besides the Hammond Novachord) were the Polymoog (with 71-voice polyphony for 71 keys) and the Korg PS-3100 / 3200 / 3300 (with 48-voice polyphony for their 48 keys). Oberheim 4-Voice Korg PS-3100 Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 Another problem with the 1970's analog synths was the lack of memory, which was still a very expensive resource. As mentioned before, some models in the mid 1970's offered some factory presets which the user could take as a starting point and then modify, but the modified patch could not be stored again, the musician had to reprogram the sound every time and for every song. When the musician or engineer found a sound patch he liked he had to write all the settings down in a so-called patch-sheet so he could recover the very same sound at a later moment. Even a monster like the Yamaha GX-1 or the 1977 Korg PS-3100 did not have any memory, and by as late as 1978 even a top-level synth such as the Korg PS-3200 had only 16 user-storable patches. One of the reasons for the Prophet-5 huge success was that it had 40 patches memory (even more in later versions). Synths produced as from the mid 1980's (both analog or digital) started to have some decent storage memory, for example the successful 1984 Roland Juno 106 had 128 memory patches. Korg PS-3200 Example of a Patch-Sheet THE SYNCLAVIER Besides the obscure RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, the Synclavier by New England Digital was the first commercial digital music synth and sampler. It was essentially a computer rather than a musical instrument in the traditional sense, the first version released in 1977 did not even have a musical keyboard controller but only a computer-like keyboard. Off-the-shelf personal computer components did not exist yet so the company had to produce all the hardware and software in-house. It allowed both digital sound synthesis and (as from 1979) also digital sampling. A musical keyboard interface was eventually offered but the sounds could be triggered from other devices, Pat Metheny used the Synclavier extensively controlling it from his Roland controller guitar. They were expensive machines and as such many were owned by music studios and producers rather than individual musicians, although some notable owners included Pat Metheny and Frank Zappa. Synclavier I Frank Zappa with a Synclavier II THE FAIRLIGHT The Australian Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was very much a product of the 1980's and therefore not prominent in classic Prog Rock but it is relevant from an historical perspective as the device, together with the Synclavier, which made the bridge from analog synthesizers and analog samplers like the Mellotron to digital synthesizers and samplers. Launched in 1979 (same timing as the second generation Synclavier) it was also essentially a computer designed to generate or sample sounds digitally. A characteristic feature was the CRT monochrome screen displaying the sound waveform and patterns, a precursor to modern DAW (Digital Audio Workstations) user interfaces, and including a light pen for editing (the Synclavier had also a CRT monitor but with simpler display features). Many artists used the Fairlight in the 1980's including Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Geoff Downes, Klaus Schulze or Queen, but the fast development of digital sound technology caused the expensive Synclavier and Fairlight to gradually decline in favour of more affordable and compact digital synth keyboards such as the Yamaha DX series (1983's DX-7 was hugely popular and the top-line DX-1, altough expensive was also successful), the Roland D-50 or the Korg M1. The Synclavier and Fairlight remained used mainly in studios and also for their sampling capability until more advanced samplers were developed in the late 1980's. Fairlight CMI Klaus Schulze's gear in the mid 1980's MIDI MIDI is not an instrument but it's a technology which radically changed the way music is created and played, and having reached in our journey the point of the development of the first digital synth keyboards it seems appropriate to dedicate some comment to it. At the end of the 1970's some manufacturers started to develop ways to connect different devices from their product line-up, so for example playing from one keyboard you could use also a sound patch from another one, but it became quickly evident that if each manufacturer started developing his own non-compatible technology this would give little benefit for the musicians, who commonly used instruments from different manufacturers. Dave Smith from Sequential Circuits was the main developer of a proposal for a universal interface between electronic music devices, which he introduced at the Audio Engineering Society show in 1981. The proposal was discussed and fine-tuned between several manufacturers and completed in 1983 with the name MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). MIDI messages tell the receiving device information about when and how to trigger a sound (for example bank and program number to trigger, pitch, velocity or vibrato parameters, duration, panning setting etc) but nothing about the sound itself, which is up to the receiving device to generate. However MIDI has enabled much more than simply playing one instrument's sound from another one, it has effectively converted music from an audio product into a 'computer commodity', triggering a whole new world of possibilities including the use of sequencers, exchange of modifiable music files, remote programming and many others. MIDI has revolutionized the way many musicians create and play music and it fueled the development of numerous new devices such as sequencers and workstations, samplers, drum machines, multitude of non-keyboard controller instruments such as the Synthaxe, the Yamaha G10 MIDI Guitar, the Haken Continuum or the recent Eigenharp, or even the possibility to control the show lights from the controller instrument. Many of the important pre-MIDI analog synths can be retrofitted with MIDI interface ports. Scheme of MIDI connected devices: When switched on the same channel, playing the keyboard will produce its piano sound and also the strings and brass sounds from the sound modules. THE PIANO It may seem unnecessary and trivial to include such an ubiquotous instrument as the piano in this list, but it would be unfair not to mention it either. The acoustic piano has played a big role in Prog Rock so at least a brief mention is deserved. Many Prog masterpieces owe their magnificence to the delicate yet powerful sound of the acoustic piano, Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman being prime examples. Obviously there are many brands and each keyboardist had his own preferences but pianos by Steinway & Sons seem to have enjoyed much support from the 1970's Prog keyboard gurus. Grand pianos undoubtedly deliver the richest and most refined sound but Keith Emerson gave also some relevance to the humble upright piano with his honky-tonk / ragtime tunes such as Jeremy Bender, The Sheriff or Benny The Bouncer.If one particular piano deserves mentioning is Keith Emerson's 1973's spinning piano. He used it very few times due to the complexity of installing its mechanism and because once the keyboard lid closed on his fingers while spinning Keith Emerson at the Steinway Grand Piano Keith Emerson's spinning piano THE PIPE ORGAN Some of the keyboard gurus wanting the top in bombastic and majestic sounds thought that the sound of electric organs was not enough and they wanted to incorporate the sound of the real classical thing, church pipe organs. The first Prog musician to record with a real pipe organ was probably Keith Emerson, playing the Royal Festival Hall organ for 'The Three Fates' (ELP debut album) and later the Flentrop Organ at St. Mark's Church for 'The Only Way' (Tarkus album).Rick Wakeman followed playing the Mander Pipe Organ at the Church of St. Gilles, Cripplegate, for 'Close To The Edge' and later also for 'Jane Seymour' (from The Six Wives Of Henry VIII album). This is actually an 18th century organ originally made by Jordan and Bridge in 1733 but completely reworked and maintained by Mander in the 20thcentury.Rick Wakeman also recorded pipe organ parts for 'Parallels' (Yes Going For The One album) and 'Judas Iscariot' (from his solo album Criminal Record) using the organ at St. Martin's church in Vevey, Switzerland (curiously, Rick played the organ in Switzerland and the sound was transmitted in real time to the studio in the UK via a leased telephone line and recorded there in the UK).Wakeman even used a portable Mander pipe organ in the Going For The One tour. Pipe Organ at St. Gilles, Cripplegate THE CONTINUUM FINGERBOARD The Continuum was made popular by Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess. Developed by Lippold Haken and marketed as from 2002 the Continuum is a MIDI controller which enables playing continuously changing sounds by sliding one's fingers through its surface, in some sense it can be considered a descendant of the Trautonium from the 1930's and the ribbon controller of the Moogs. The interface is a key-less and fret-less neoprene surface with sensors which provide 3-D sensitivity, the position on the X horizontal axis determines pitch and the position on the vertical Y axis and the pressure applied (Z axis) can be programmed to determine for example timbre and amplitude variation. The pitch variation can be programmed to be either really continuum or following the tempered chromatic scale to limit portamento effect. It is 16-voice polyphonic. Haken Continuum Fingerboard THE MARCODI HARPEJJI The Harpejji is another recent instrument embraced by Dream Theater's Jordan Ruddess, consisting of a stringed flat platform on which the musician can tap with both hands. Marcodi Harpejji THE THEREMIN While not very prominent in Prog Rock the Theremin is unique enough to deserve some mentioning. Originally invented in 1928 by the Russian Leon Theremin, it produces sounds without actually touching the instrument. Typically it has two antennas and the performer moves his hands around them, the instrument senses the distance and movement of the hands from the antennas and converts them into sound, one antenna determines pitch and the other determines amplitude (volume). Robert Moog produced Theremins before his breakthrough work in developing the synthesizer. The Theremin produces eerie sounds and has been used by Jimmy Page, Jean Michel Jarre, the Spanish Los Canarios in their album Ciclos and other experimental music. Some modern Roland keyboards have a so-called D-Beam Controller which uses the movement of the hand in front of a beam of infrared light to control certain parameters or effects, looking similar to controlling a Theremin, you may see it in modern-era Geoff Downes playing. Jimmy Page and the Theremin KEYTARS Keytar is a generic term referring to any keyboard which can be hung from the musician's shoulders in the way a guitar is, although no instrument has ever been officially called keytar. Descendants from the 1979 Performance Music Systems Syntar, they became popular in the 1980's with main manufacturers including Moog, Roland, Korg and Yamaha. Some models were synths on their own while others are simply keyboard MIDI controllers. Although they were mainly used for Synth Pop some Prog and Jazz-Rock / Fusion musicians embraced them such as Rick Wakeman, Geoff Downes or Herbie Hancock. The PMS Syntar The 1980 Moog Liberation was the first commercial keytar Geoff Downes playing a modern Roland Keytar THE SYNTHAXE The Synthaxe became known thanks to Allan Holdsworth, its most fervent supporter and virtuoso player. Released in 1984 it was a MIDI controller combining guitar and keyboard features. The left hand controlled a guitar-like fretboard, with sensors determining the fingers position and the string bend. The right hand could be used on either a separate set of 6 short strings as in a guitar or on a 6-keys keyboard (or on keys triggering the 3 bass strings, the 3 trebble strings or the 6 strings at once). The fretboard was in an upwards angle for easier left hand operation. A tremolo bar was also included which could be programmed to control different MIDI parameters. Despite Holdsworth's excellent work with it in albums such as Atavachron, the Synthaxe was very expensive and required a re-training of playing technique which few musicians were willing to undertake (among all other obvious things, the width of the frets was constant all along the fretboard, unlike in a normal guitar where the frets become narrower the more you move towards the body, this was supposed to make it easier for the performer but it is unclear whether this was the case or it made it even harder for musicians trained in standard guitars), and sadly it was a commercial failure with less than 100 made. The Synthaxe Allan Holdsworth playing the Synthaxe THE FENDER STRATOCASTER Obviously there have been plenty of electric guitars around, but in terms of electric rock guitars in the 1970's there were two major camps, the Fender Stratocaster players and the Gibson Les Paul players. The Fender Stratocaster, aka the 'Strat', was first released in 1954 as one of the first solid-body Rock & Roll guitars, it had great looks with its revolutionary double-cutaway design and the neck head with all 6 strings tuning machines together on the top side, and quickly became an icon. Many versions have been produced and many if not most guitarists have customised them or got signature versions so generalizing about it is tricky. It had 3 single-coil pickups and a trademark pick-up selection switch, originally of 3 positions which eventually became 5 providing a very nice range of different tonalities. Another important feature was a standard tremolo-bar bridge in many versions. Some players found the sound a bit too thin and added humbucker pickups for a thicker sound, mainly on the bridge pickup, which became informally known as 'Fat-Strats'. Users are countless including Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Mike Oldfield, Ritchie Blackmore or Eric Clapton. David Gilmour playing a Fender Stratocaster THE FENDER TELECASTER The single-cutaway Telecaster (aka 'the Tele') was not much used in Prog Rock, its sound was thin and bright, more adapted to country, blues, jazz and standard Rock & Roll, but it's an historically important guitar anyway and has been used also by Prog guitarists with certain frequency. Anecdotically Steve Morse in his early Dixie Dregs days played a customized guitar referred to as 'The Frankenstein' with Telecaster body and Stratocaster neck (other heavily customized guitars have been called Frankenstein for example Eddie Van Halen's most famous instrument). Steve Howe playing a Fender Telecaster Steve Morse's 'Frankenstein' hybrid of Tele and Strat THE GIBSON LES PAUL Next to the Fender supporters there was the Gibson supporters camp and Gibson's most succesful model was the Les Paul, a guitar originally launched in 1952 which became the other solid-body iconic rock guitar together with the Fender Strat. Same as with the Strat it has received continuous upgrades and received countless customisations by its owners so only some generic statements can be made. A characteristic feature was the 3-position pick-up selection switch on top of the strings. Although the very first Les Paul had single-coil pickups, Les Pauls in the late 1960's and 1970's had 2 humbuckers, making it one of the main differences with the Stratocaster. Les Pauls typically did not have a tremolo bar although several guitarists such as Steve Hackett eventually had versions with one. Users are again countless including Jimmy Page, Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett or Pete Townshend. Steve Hackett playing a Gibson Les Paul THE GIBSON ES SERIES The hollow or semi-hollow body Gibsons ES-175, ES-335 and other ES series models were favourite guitars of Steve Howe, Alex Lifeson or Pat Metheny. Steve Howe with a Gibson ES-175 Alex Lifeson playing a Gibson ES-335 THE GIBSON SG Not very prominent in Prog but also an important guitar in the 1970's Rock scene, Gibson's double-cutaway model was made famous by guitarists like Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi or AC/DC's Angus Young, but it was also used by some Prog artists such as Frank Zappa, Kansas Kerry Livgren or The Who's Pete Townshend. Frank Zappa with a Gibson SG IBANEZ GUITARS Next to Fender and Gibson, Ibanez from Japan was the next major player in the electric guitar business. They were not too prominent in the 1970's Rock scene but they were very appreciated in the Jazz-Rock / Fusion scene, and the brand sky-rocketed in the 1980's with their immensely successful line of metal-oriented guitars. Pat Metheny with his signature Ibanez PM200 ACOUSTIC GUITARS Nylon and 6 or 12-string acoustic guitars were fundamental to classic Prog, from the gorgeous trio playing of Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks in the beginning of Supper's Ready to Greg Lake's ballads, Steve Howe's The Clap or Alex Lifeson intro to A Farewell To Kings, nylon and acoustic guitars have provided some of Prog history's most magical moments. Obviously countless brands and models were used, Ovation, Martin, Gretsch, Gibson or Zemaitis being popular. Steve Hackett with his Yairi nylon guitar 7 AND 8 STRING GUITARS Guitars are 6 string instruments, aren't they? Well it seemed so until the late 1980's when Frank Zappa's disciple Steve Vai thought that 6 was not enough, and he got Ibanez to build him a 7-string guitar. Originally he tried having the 7th string to be a higher note (a high A compared to the standard 1st string E) but the string had to be so thin that it broke frequently so he changed to the opposite, having the extra string as a super-low B (compared to the standard 6th string E). The result was very powerful power-chord sounds and extended ultra-low soloing range, very effective for music based on these two techniques rather than full chords, and after Vai's seminal album Passion And Warfare Ibanez 7-string guitars have been quite successful. With one more string the traditional chord and scale forms were no longer the rule, eventually people started to experiment with alternate tunings which opened new possibilities, explored mostly in the Metal genre for example by Steve Vai's disciple Devin Townsend. Since then many metal guitarists have embraced 7-string and even 8-string guitars, Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders or Meshuggah's Fredrick Thordendal and Marten Hagstrom being notable 8-string guitar players. Ibanez M8M 8-string guitar (Meshuggah) Not relevant for classic Prog but now that we mention multi-stringed guitars, a short digression about the curious BC Rich 10-string configuration. Normal guitars are 6-stringed, or 12-stringed where each string is doubled in unison or with one octave shift producing a richer, natural chorus-like sound.BC Rich guitars were popular in the 1970's and 1980's among hard-rock and metal guitarists for their unusal agressive shapes (and excellent sound). The model Bich 10 had a 10-string layout where the first 4 strings were doubled and the last 2 were not, providing a hybrid sound with rich trebbles and powerful dryer basses (this is something some players did on 12-string guitars, just not installing the double string on the bass notes). The standard 6 strings had the tuning machines on the neck head as usual, while the 4 double strings (which could be installed or not, so it could be also a regular 6-string guitar) were installed in the opposite direction with the tuning machines in the body. The string configuration of the BC Rich Bich 10 BRIAN MAY'S 'RED SPECIAL' GUITAR Queen's Brian May handcrafted his own guitar together with his father in the mid-late 1960's and for sure they succeded, giving it not only a very unique and recognisable shape but also getting one the most unique tones in the history of rock guitars. Most of the wood came from an old fireplace, the tremolo arm was made from a bicycle saddlebag holder and the tremolo itself used a knife edge and motorcycle valve springs. The Mays coiled the pickups themselves and designed the wiring and there probably lies the secret of its personal sound. Brian's habit to use a sixpence coin as plectrum probably contributed as well. Another distinctive feature is the individual on/off switches and phase shifters for each pickup, possibly more difficult to manage quickly but enabling more possible combinations than traditional 3 or 5 position switches. As far as I know it was also the first electric guitar to feature a full two-octave (24 frets) fretboard. Endorsed replicas of the Red Special have been marketed by Guild and Burns, and as of 2004 by his own company Brian May Guitars. Brian May and his Red Special THE ROLAND GR GUITAR SYNTH AND CONTROLLER GUITARS While the costly development and unsuccessful sales of the Avatar guitar-controlled synth was largely responsible for the sad demise of ARP, Roland was the brand which did not give up and eventually achieved success in this field. The ARP Avatar received input from a special hexaphonic pickup which could be installed on any guitar (the term 'hexaphonic' here applied to the pickup only, meaning that it could pickup signals from any of the six strings, the synth itself was monophonic), but Roland thought that it would be better to offer a complete package of synth plus guitar in order to be sure that the instrument would have a consistent performance and a recognizable sound. However Roland was not a guitar maker so they collaborated with Ibanez for building the guitars. Roland's first commercial guitar synth was the 1977 GR-500 with GS-500 guitar controller but it was not successful, it required a change in playing style (for example it was important to dampen any strings not being played to avoid unwanted noises) and although it included some clever polyphonic operation in some of its sections like the 'Polyensemble', the true synth section ('Solo Melody') was monophonic. The turning point came with the release of the truly polyphonic GR-300 in 1980 with the G-303 controller guitar (or the more expensive G-808 which was not so succesful). This synth was a big success thanks to being polyphonic and to the fact that the G-303 was an excellent guitar in itself, and many important players embraced it, Pat Metheny, Robert Fripp, Andy Summers and Adrian Belew among others. The Roland GR-300 Guitar Synth with the G-303 Guitar Developing a 6-voice polyphonic synth (one for each string) was not so much of a problem by 1979, but another issue was developing a suitable pickup. Traditional pickups merge the sound of the 6 strings into a single signal but the synth needed to receive each string as an isolated signal one for each voice. Besides 2 traditional humbucker pickups to produce normal guitar sounds, the G-303 / 808 had a special pickup next to the bridge which was in fact 6 tiny pickups, one for each string to feed the synth. A feature of these pickups was that they could feedback vibration back to the strings achieving infinite sustain. Detail of the synth pickup in the G-303 Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew with their G-303's Robert Fripp noted that the guitar-synth had some limitations which required approaching it as a new instrument with its own playing technique and not simply utilizing standard guitar playing techniques with it. The limitations he was referring to were mainly some delay from the moment of picking until the sound was produced, which prevented fast picking phrases with good tempo accuracy, and a tendency to pickup sympathetic vibrations from the strings adjacent to the one you were playing. The G-303 could also be made to control other synths and from 1983 it was offered in package with the Synclavier II. The Synclavier II with Roland G-303 Guitar Package Pat Metheny with his Synclavier II-controller G-303 which integrated the synth remote control panel in the guitar body A next generation came with the GR-700 synth and its very 1980's shaped G-707 controller in 1984. Nowadays Roland continues producing guitar synths but no guitars anymore, the special pickups can be easily installed on any guitar. Jimmy Page with the GR-700 synth and the G-707 controller guitar THE E-BOW The E-Bow is not an instrument in itself but a battery-powered device which is held with the picking hand and placed in front of the guitar (or other steel-string instrument) strings and emits a magnetic field causing the strings to vibrate, producing a smooth and infinitely sustained sound. Pitch is controled with the fretboard hand as usual. Slowly approaching the E-Bow to the strings creates a slow-attack sound which can be then sustained for long, mimicking the sound of violins, flutes etc. Advertisement of the first E-Bow from 1977 LAP STEEL GUITARS The Lap Guitar is an evolution of the Steel / Slide playing technique on regular steel-stringed guitars, where a tube of metal or glass (usually put on one's finger) is slid along the fretboard producing a portamento effect (continuous pitch change opposite to to the quantized chromatic pitch shift of the frets). The tube is called a Steel and the technique uses Slide, thereby the two names are interchangeably used. Steel playing probably started in Hawaii in the 19th century. One can play with a Steel with the guitar hung in normal position, but players realised that placing the guitar horizontally on one's lap gave them more control on the fretboard hand movement. From there it was only a matter of time that specialized horizontal instruments would be developed, the Lap Steel Guitars. They exist since the early 20th century and were commonly used in country and bluegrass, and eventually they got electrified same as regular steel-string guitars. Steve Howe and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour are notable players.A variation of the Lap Steel Guitar is the Pedal Steel Guitar, which additionally has some pedals and rods which the musician can operate with his feet and knees to produce pitch bend, volume control or other effects. David Gilmour playing a lap steel guitar John Paul Jones had a curious 8-string steel bass/guitar manufactured by Hugh Manson, the Lapaphone, which is a hybrid between a traditional strapped instrument and a horizontal Lap one, the strings plane is tilted 45 degrees so the performer can play over the top of the neck as in a real Lap but still enjoying the mobility of a strapped instrument (this design is based on the Melobar from the late 1960's). The squared screen below the strings is a Kaoss 2-D MIDI controller (also included in some guitars Manson has built for Muse's Matt Bellamy). He played it with Them Crooked Vultures. John Paul Jones playing the Hugh Manson Lapaphone THE FENDER PRECISION & JAZZ BASSES If on the electric guitar camp the main rivalry was between Fender and Gibson, in the camp of bass guitars Gibson was not so strong (although they produced some fine basses such as the Ripper, the Grabber, the Les Paul and the SG / EB series). In bass guitars the main rivalry was between Fender and Rickenbacker. Fender's most popular bass was the Precision Bass (aka P-bass), following the Stratocaster guitar design. They often featured a single-coil split pickup. Another successful model was the Fender Jazz Bass (aka J-bass), a favourite of Rush's Geddy Lee or Jaco Pastorius and recognizable because the volume and tone knobs are mounted on a separate guard (usually chromed). Fender bassists are also countless, Greg Lake or Roger Waters among them. Roger Waters playing a Fender Precision Bass Geddy Lee playing a Fender Jazz Bass THE RICKENBACKER BASS The Fender bass sound was smooth, deep and warm. By contrast the Rickenbacker was crisper, with powerful trebble notes great for soloing or lead phrases but also a devastatingly fat bass tone. The most famous models are the 4000 series, mainly the 4001 and 4003. Yes' Chris Squire, Rush Geddy Lee or Genesis Mike Rutherford played Rickenbackers frequently. Chris Squire with a Rickenbacker 4001 FRETLESS BASSES Some players explored fretless instruments which provided a smoother, portamento-oriented sound probably coming from traditional jazz contrabass influences. Fretless technique is quite demanding on the fretboard hand, not only regarding the accurate fingers position for precise pitch but also the way the finger needs to be pressed against the fretboard for good sustain, legatto's etc.Jaco Pastorius modified one of his Fender Jazz basses to make it fretless and was one of the first modern bassists to promote it. Fretless bass was mostly used in Jazz-Rock / Fusion but also several more traditional Prog Rock bassists have used it including Geddy Lee or Roger Waters.Some instruments are 'lined fretless basses' where the frets are replaced by lines on the fretboard, others may have dot markers on the fretboard although this is unusual (frequently this betrays a bass which has been defretted), usually they have markers only on the top side of the neck. Jaco Pastorius playing a fretless Ibanez Tony Franklin playing a fretless Fender Precision bass Incidentally, fretless guitars exist as well although they are rare, their sound is damped and technique is very demanding, but some Prog and experimental artists have used them such as Frank Zappa, Adrian Belew or Andy Summers. Andy Summers with a Custom Fretless Hamer Terry Atkins from Parker Guitars with the Custom Dragonfly Fretless they built for Adrian Belew 5 AND MORE STRING BASSES Although basses were traditionally 4-string instruments, following the same trend as electric guitars several musicians and manufacturers started experimenting with more strings, and nowadays 5 and 6 string basses are quite common (even some with more strings, whose actual playability is questionable). Dream Theater's John Myung playing an Earnie Ball Music Man Bongo 6 6-string bass. A different variation of multi-string basses are the 8-string basses consisting of 4 doubled strings, following the same principle as 12-string guitars, such as the Alembic played by Greg Lake around 1977. Greg Lake playing his 8-string Alembic bass THE MOOG TAURUS BASS PEDALS SYNTH Evolved from the prototype Taurus from the Constellation Ensemble (see the Moog Modular Synth entry), the Taurus pedals were yet another inventive innovation by Moog. Most organs had always had bass pedals but they got somehow lost with the advent of the electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Moog thought that this needed not be the case and conceived the Taurus, but the surprise came when after having conceived it as a bass pedals module for keyboardists, it was actually bassists who enthusiastically embraced it! Most Rock keyboardists played standing up and they frequently moved around different keyboards, and this made it impractical for them to operate pedals. Bassists on the other hand were more free, it was already a standard practice for guitarists to operate multiple effects pedals while the availability of pedals for bassists was more limited, so they had still room to take in some more work, and it was about bass lines anyway. Released in 1975, many Prog bassists embraced the Taurus pedals to complement their sound and the instrument provided an unbelievably powerful and sustained super-bass tone, unheard of at the time, especially in live playing where it provided a kind of early surround, you felt it more than you heard it. The Taurus I had 13 pedals, 3 preset sounds and one user programmable sound (without storage memory). In 1981 the Taurus II was launched with 18 pedals and a control panel which could be placed on a stand at waist height for easier programming, but it did not enjoy the success of the Taurus I. In 2010 Moog released the Taurus 3, again with 13 pedals and attempting to recover the genuine Taurus I sound in an updated machine. Notable users include Genesis Mike Rutherford, Rush's Geddy Lee, Yes Chris Squire or Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. The Moog Taurus I DOUBLE NECK GUITARS / BASSES As part of the frequent Prog maxim of 'more is better', many Prog Rock guitarists and bassists embraced double-neck instruments, and although some people may say that it was more for the show than anything else there is no denying that especially for live playing they offered the musicians an increased sound versatility. The configuration depended on each musician's taste, bass and 6-string guitar, 6-string and 12-string guitar, bass and 12-string guitar, which one was on top and which one at the bottom etc. A common problem was weight, making them tiring to play for a long uninterrupted period of time. Notable users include Genesis Mike Rutherford, Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson or Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page. Mike Rutherford had a curious double neck, a Custom Shergold Modulator which could be assembled as a double neck (bass and 12-string guitar) or disassembled and played as two separate instruments. Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee playing their double-neck instruments Steve Howe playing a double-neck Gibson EDS-1275 One of Mike Rutherford's double-neck Shergolds Greg Lake and his double-neck Zemaitis Mike Rutherford's Custom Shergold Modulator disassembled Mike Rutherford playing the assembled Shergold Modulator CHRIS SQUIER's TRIPLE NECK WAL When Rick Wakeman was preparing his Journey To The Center Of The Earth tour, he wanted something special for the show and he commissioned Wal guitars to manufacture a triple-neck instrument. The monster was played by his bassist at the time Roger Newell but it belonged to Rick and when he returned to Yes for the Going For The One album he took it with him and lent it to Chris Squire. It had a (lined) fretless bass at at the bottom, a fretted bass in the middle and a 6-string guitar at the top. It became Chris' choice instrument for the live performance of Awaken, and when Rick left Yes again he gave it permanently to Chris. The original Wal was very heavy and Squire eventually had a lighter replica made in Japan and donated the original to Hard Rock Cafe where it stands today in New York. The Wal triple-neck played by Roger Newell The Wal triple-neck played by Chris Squire Other Prog musicians to have used triple-neck instruments include Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page (in their case 6 and 12-string guitars plus mandolin, manufactured by luthier Andy Manson). John Paul Jones playing his Andy Manson triple-neck THE CHAPMAN STICK The Chapman Stick was first launched in 1974. It consists of a long and wide fretboard where the musician taps with both hands. Several models have been produced with 8, 10 or 12 strings. A particularity of the Chapman Stick is that unlike in a guitar the lowest pitch string is located in the center of the fretboard. Tony Levin was the pioneer in incorporating it to Prog Rock. Trey Gunn is another notable player. Tony Levin playing the Chapman Stick THE WARR GUITAR The Warr Guitar is a hybrid of a guitar and a Chapman Stick. It allows playing it like a Chapman tapping with both hands but it also allows other common guitar techniques such as strumming, picking with a plectrum or slapping. Different version exist with different number of strings, typically 8, 12 or 14. Most players use a string setup like in the Chapman with the lowest pitch string in the center of the fretboard although some choose for a standard guitar setup with the lowest pitch string at the top. Trey Gunn is the most notable Prog Rock player. Trey Gunn playing the Warr Guitar PAT METHENY's PIKASSO GUITAR Another unique and curious string instrument is the Pikasso guitar made by luthier Linda Manzer for Pat Metheny. It has 42 strings. The main 6-string neck is used to play the background chords by tapping (it can control his Synclavier to produce keyboard-like or other sounds) and the melodies are played by plucking other strings as in a harp. Pat Metheny's Pikasso guitar PAT METHENY's ORCHESTRION Always an experimenter, Metheny's most ambitious project to date is probably the Orchestrion. His fascination for mechanical instruments started as a kid with his grandfather's player piano, and the Orchestrion is the culmination of this fascination. It consists of a huge array of instruments which play mechanically driven by solenoids triggered by Metheny's playing on the guitar and loops / sequencers. So it's a one-man orchestra with which Metheny alone can play complete multi-intrument musical pieces in real time.It includes piano, marimba, vibraphone, bass, drums, cymbals and various percussion instruments, blown bottles... He recorded the Orchestrion album with it in 2010 and more impressively he dared to tour live with it, with great success. Pat Metheny with his Orchestrion ACOUSTIC DRUMS AND PERCUSSIONS There's not much to say about traditional acoustic drumkits and percussions except that in 1970's Prog, size did matter. Again the 'more is better' philosophy seemed to call for a race for which drummer would have the biggest and most spectacular drumkit. As usual in Prog though, the great thing is that drummers did really take their skills to the limit to use effectively all those elements (unlike other music styles where sometimes a huge drumkit was present but hardly taken advantage of). Double bass drums, more than one snare for different nuances, lots of toms, floor toms and cymbals were the norm. Drummers frequently complemented their drumkits with assorted percusssions, chimes, tubular bells, cowbells, gongs, bells, xylophones or glockenspiels. Up to the present many manufacturers have made good drums but in the 1970's the most appreciated brands were probably Ludwig, Tama, Pearl and Premier. Regarding cymbals Paiste, Zildjian and Sabian were the most common. One of Terry Bozzio's drum kits (notice the bass drum pedals) CARL PALMER's STAINLESS STEEL DRUMKIT It's not the purpose here to go into any detail about particular drumkits, but if one deserves mention is Carl Palmer's 1973 rotating custom drumkit made of stainless steel (its construction was sponsored by British Steel). The drum shells were of half-inch thick steel sheet and he asked jeweler Paul Raven to manually carve drawings on them using a dentist drill. The whole thing weighted 2.5 tons and several stages had to be reinforced to hold its weight and in some cases gigs had to be cancelled altogether. Although it was an acoustic kit it included a synthesizer processing the sound from the microphones (the famous effect in the Toccata solo), effectively making it the first electronic drum kit. He didn't use it for long. Carl Palmer's stainless steel drum kit THE ROTOTOMS Rototoms (also spelled Roto Toms) are toms consisting only of a drum head held by a circular frame, without shell. Modern Rototoms were first marketed by Remo although the idea is derived from mechanisms applied to bongos and symphonic drums since as early as the 1920's. The characteristic idea behind Rototoms is quick and precise tuning for melodic percussion. Normal tom heads need tuning by adjusting several tuning bolts in the perimeter of the frame (the number of bolts depending on the tom brand and diameter but typically around 6) and this makes precise melodic / chromatic tuning cumbersome and time-consuming. Rototoms on the other hand are mounted on a threaded central bolt and tuning is adjusted by simply turning the tom frame clockwise or anti-clockwise. This allows very easy and fast precise tuning. The sound of the Rototoms is not deep but rather trebble and percussive, ideal for starting a long fill and then switching to normal lower-pitch toms. Bill Bruford was an early embracer but many other drummers have used them. Rototoms in Bill Bruford's kit THE TAMA OCTOBAN TOMS Tama released the Octoban toms in 1978 and although the name is Tama trademark the term Octoban has become generically used for this kind of toms, although they are also sometimes called tube-toms, quarter toms or Rata Toms which is the trademark from another manufacturer DW Drums. They are deep shell, single-headed toms where the pitch variation comes from change in shell length instead of from change in shell diameter. The diameter is fixed and small (150 mm in the original Tama model). The term Octoban makes reference to 'eight' and 'octave' since the original Tama Octobans range consist of a set of 8 different shell lenghts ranging from 280 to 600 mm tuned melodically covering one octave range (frequently drummers installed only 2 or 4 of them in their kits). Simon Phillips, Bill Bruford or Stewart Copeland have used them frequently. The complete set of 8 Octobans Octobans in Stewart Copeland's kit ELECTRONIC DRUMS Although some purists may despise electronic drums, they offered a path for innovation in the 1980's and several great Prog drummers have made excellent use of them including Neil Peart, Bill Bruford, Nick Mason or Phil Collins. The first commercial electronic drumkit was the Simmons SDS-5 released in 1980, famous for the hexagonal shape of its drums which allowed positioning them in a honeycomb pattern, and Simmons continued releasing upgraded versions until its demise in the late 1990's when mostly Roland (and to a much lesser extent Yamaha) took over the electronic drums market. A main problem of Simmons drums was that the response of the heads to the drummer's sticks did not feel natural compared to acoustic drumheads, causing many drummers to not feel entirely comfortable and getting fatigue. Roland released its first electronic drums called 'Compact Drum System' in 1992 and although technically superior to the Simmons in many respects, they still suffered from uncomfortable feedback from the heads to the drummer's hands. Roland understood that this was the main problem for real success and set out to cooperate with Remo, the top manufacturer of acoustic drum heads, to find a solution. Together they developed a new head material they called 'mesh drumhead' which among other properties could be tensioned in the way traditional acoustic heads are tuned but without affecting the pitch, just in order to adjust the feedback to the drummer's preference. This plus further innovations in the electronics culminated in the V-Drums of 1997. Since then Roland V-Drums have become the most popular electronic drums. Originally the electronic cymbal sounds were rather poor and even today many professional drummers still use acoustic cymbals even when playing electronic drums, but the sound quality of electronic cymbals has improved a lot and is now fairly realistic. Drummers who have tastefully integrated acoustic and electronic drums include Bill Bruford, Neil Peart or Nick Mason, sometimes having rotating kits which depending on the orientation are mostly an acoustic kit or mostly an electronic kit. Simmons Drums in Bill Bruford's kit THE TUBULAR BELLS Despite the iconic cover of Mike Oldfield's debut album, tubular bells are straight vertical tuned pipes mounted on a rack and played with wooden hammers. The idea behind Mike Oldfield's album artwork was a destroyed tubular bell. Tubular Bells THE HARP Personally I would have liked the harp to be more prominent in Prog Rock since I love its timbre, but its appearances were limited. The best known use is perhaps by Yes Jon Anderson, who while not being a harp virtuoso produced some nice accompaniments for example in the middle section of Awaken. Queen's Brian May is credited with playing the harp in some Queen songs but reportedly he could not really play it, he recorded each chord one at a time and then they were put together in the studio. Yes Jon Anderson playing the harp THE VIOLIN Bowed string instruments have also had their place in classic Prog Rock with bands like Gentle Giant using Violas, Cellos etc, but perhaps the most significant is the violin, either amplified or in fully electric form. Key users of violin were Kansas Robby Steinhardt (and later David Ragsdale), Eddie Jobson from UK and Jethro Tull and Jean-Luc Ponty. Eddie Jobson with his famous transparent violin THE FLUTE AND RECORDER The archetypal flute player in Prog Rock is Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, but also Genesis Peter Gabriel made great use of it in early Genesis, as well as Focus Thijs Van Leer. Gentle Giant used also both flutes and recorders. Peter Gabriel playing the flute THE SAXOPHONE The Sax was most widely used as a main instrument in Jazz-Rock / Fusion than in standard Prog Rock but it surely deserves a mention. David Jackson from Van Der Graaf Generator is perhaps the most notable Prog musician dedicated to Sax, but Sax has also played an important role as soloing instrument, Pink Floyd's 'Money' being a classical example. David Jackson with his famous two saxes THE TALK BOX The Talk Box, sometimes called 'the talking guitar' was not very used in Prog but it has been occasionally used by David Gilmour (in 'Pigs' for example), Steve Morse and others. While there were older similar devices the modern Talk Box was created by Bob Heil in 1973 and made popular mostly by Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. In a Talk Box the sound signal from the guitar (or other instrument) amp is sent to the box which contains a small speaker driver connected to a plastic tube which goes up into the mouth of the performer, who has a microphone in front of him. The sound of the guitar enters the mouth where it is altered by the mouth's shape and is then picked up by the microphone. By changing the mouth's shape and tongue position the performer can alter the harmonics of the sound in different ways, and if he mouths words the resulting sound seems as if the guitar is talking. A Talk Box David Gilmour playing with a Talk Box THE VOCODER The Vocoder produces a sort of robotic voice. The basic concept was originally developed in the 1930's for encoding voice telecommunications but it eventually got also into the music world, with Robert Moog once again being one of its first developers for music in the late 1960's. The system's input consists of a microphone (called the 'modulator signal') and a 'carrier signal' (usually a synthesizer producing any sound). The performer talks or sings into the microphone at the same time as he plays the synth, the spectral characteristics of the voice are analysed and mapped into the synth source sound, producing a hybrid signal between both, with the synth sound adopting some of the vocal qualities, and depending on the synth sound used sounding more or less as a talking synth. Kraftwerk used it frequently for example in the 'Autobahn' album, other users have been Alan Parsons in 'I Robot', Pink Floyd (the barking dog in 'Dogs') or Mike Oldfield (for example in 'Five Miles Out'). Several manufacturers produced Vocoders including Moog, Korg, EMS or Roland. A Korg Vocoder SOUND EFFECTS Soon after the electrification of instruments, musicians and engineers learnt that the sound could be altered in different ways, sometimes unwantedly such as when an electric guitar sounded distorted if the signal gain was too high, sometimes by electromechanical means such as producing reverberation by inserting a spring between a transducer and a pickup in a spring reverb effect, or by purely electronic means, and gradually started to use these techniques in their favour in order to deliberately manipulate the sound. Effects were mostly used on electric guitars although they gradually became commonly used with keyboards, basses and any other instruments. Nowadays there is a huge range of effects available, Boss alone which is one the classic manufacturers has 56 different stompboxes in their line-up, and digital sound technology has pushed the boundaries of sound manipulation to the point where there are no limits anymore, so here I will mention only the most common single effects used in the 1970's and 1980's (which in any case remain the main ingredients of most modern complex effects). Effects processors come in different formats, stompboxes are the classic single-effect pedals which can be connected in series and they were the most commonly used in the 1970's, their main advantage being flexibility, you can combine them from different manufacturers and connect them in different sequences. Later on floor multi-FX pedalboards became popular because among other things they allowed storing multi-FX combinations as user presets which could be called at a press of a pedal switch. Rack-mounted effects can offer more sophisticated technology without the size limitation of floor units. Finally effects can also be built-in in the instruments themselves or amps. Boss Stompbox Effects Pedals The main classic effects can be classified by the kind of sound alteration they produce: a) Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz: all these work by increasing gain and clipping the ends of the wave amplitude making it more 'square-wave' and modifying the harmonics. Overdrive is a kind of mild Distortion which appears at higher volumes but sounds cleaner at low volumes. Fuzz is no so much based on adding gain but mainly on clipping the wave shape, producing that typical late 1960's sound which while distorted, it does not sound 'Heavy Metal'. b) Reverb / Delay: These add echoes to the original sound. Reverb reproduces the natural echo of a spatial location where the sound waves are reflected by the walls and ceiling and gradually fade out. Delay is a more artificial echo where the sound is simply repeated after a time interval, once or multiple times. A Loop effect would be another modern effect in this category. c) Modulation effects: these would include Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Vibrato and Phase Shifters. These effects typically split the sound and to some of the signals alter slightly the timbre, pitch, phase or amplitude, and then recombine them all together, resulting in a richer, more 'rippling' sound. d) EQ / Wah-Wah: these alter the equalization across the frequency spectrum. The Wah-Wah does so dynamically in real time at the musicians will using a potentiometer pedal. The Talk-Box could be included in this category as well. e) Pitch-Shift: these would include Octavers, Pitch-Shifters and Harmonizers. f) Volume-related: these would include Volume pedals, Compressors (which dampen the attack and amplify the sustain, smoothening the sound) and Noise Gates (which eliminate sounds below a certain volume threshold to reduce hiss and noise). Gerinski2013-06-16 09:40:11

My Personal Prog Collection Video blog

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 04:36:59 EST

Blog posted by AtomicCrimsonRush — Yes here I am with another blog, proggers, and this time something a little bit different as I endeavour to reveal piece by piece bits of an obsessed progheads collection. My own. I decided to show it by posting videos as that's the easiest way and I had fun doing it and finally you all get to hear me drone on in my half Australian half pommy accent. Dont' ask. Please comment on the vids. They are all on youtube but I am posting them here in one blog spot. I am going to talk about the collection as I go through it too. Anyway here we go and we start with Rush - my favourites. Enjoy and have a laugh at my raving on. [TUBE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2gV3LJtp44[/TUBE] Oh and post your own collection vids if you have any... its fun proggers. AtomicCrimsonRush2012-11-12 02:04:58

Discovering Australian Prog

Sat, 8 Sep 2012 08:54:03 EST

Blog posted by AtomicCrimsonRush — Discovering Australian Prog Australian Prog is certainly not something that is prolific and many of the bands fade into obscurity due to not being as popular as UK, USA or Italian prog, and that is understandable. However there is a heck of a lot of great Oz prog out there and it deserves some commendation. Some info on Australia: We have 6 states and 2 territories. Australian Capital Territory (ACT) ..... Capital city: CanberraNew South Wales (NSW) ..... Capital city: SydneyNorthern Territory (ACT) ..... Capital city: DarwinQueensland (QLD) ..... Capital city: BrisbaneSouth Australia (SA) ..... Capital city: AdelaideTasmania (TAS) ..... Capital city: HobartVictoria (VIC) ..... Capital city: MelbourneWestern Australia (WA) ..... Capital city: PerthWe have our own slang: but of course this is stereotypical....ahem... We are known for the following iconic images:Animals - Kangaroos Tasmanian Devils which look nothing like this, nor do they spin on their bums Koalas (that are not really bears!) and the Platypus None of these animals wander or jump around the streets as much as one may think, rather they are more likely found in zoos or wildlife reserves. (although a bunch of Tassie devils were found killing my chickens years ago when I lived in the bush). Farmers do not chew straw or wear straw hats, in fact the only straw farmers use is to feed the cows. Our landmarks are well known:Ayers Rock Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge Great Barrier Reef Parliament in Canberra Its a place of beautiful scenery found in places such as: Cradle Mountain Great Ocean Road Bondi Beach Fraser Island Shark Bay The Australian Alps and Kangaroo Island On Tv our kids watch: Hi-5 The Wiggles The teens watch Home and Away The X Factor The adults watch Packed to the rafters.... and other shows Occasionally our TV shows make an impact in Great Britain: They go nuts over: and: Australian movies often make some kind of world impact: We tend to eat: Sweets Meat and fish N Chips we cook on barbeques and we drink beer We drink these while watching our beloved Aussie Rules Footy And many of us Aussies also love prog! As an Australian myself I feel it in my interests to fly the flag and create a prog blog dedicated solely to Australian prog artists. I want to review their albums here and share info on the individual artists. To start here is the list of Oz Prog as listed on PA: (marked in Blue as I introduce/review each band) - AEON OF HORUS Tech/Extreme Prog MetalAHKMED Psychedelic/Space RockALARUM Tech/Extreme Prog MetalALCHEMIST Tech/Extreme Prog MetalDAEVID ALLEN Canterbury SceneALPHA OMEGA Psychedelic/Space RockALTERA ENIGMA Tech/Extreme Prog MetalTHE AMENTA Tech/Extreme Prog MetalANUBIS Neo-ProgAPRICOT RAIL Post Rock/Math rockAQUANAUT Psychedelic/Space RockARAGON Neo-ProgARCANE Heavy ProgARIEL Prog RelatedARNIOE Crossover ProgAYERS ROCK Jazz Rock/FusionBAK Experimental/Post MetalBAKERY Heavy ProgBECAUSE OF GHOSTS Post Rock/Math rockIVAN BERTOLLA Progressive MetalBRAINSTORM Psychedelic/Space RockBREAKING ORBIT Heavy ProgCHRIS BROOKS Progressive MetalCALIGULA'S HORSE Progressive MetalCHAOS DIVINE Tech/Extreme Prog MetalTHE CHURCH Prog RelatedCIRCLES Tech/Extreme Prog MetalCOSMIC NOMADS Heavy ProgBEN CRAVEN Crossover ProgCYBOTRON Progressive ElectronicDEAD CAN DANCE Prog FolkDEAD LETTER CIRCUS Neo-ProgDEAD LETTER OPENER Tech/Extreme Prog MetalTHE DEAD SEA Post Rock/Math rockTHE DEATH COBRA Heavy ProgDIRTY THREE Post Rock/Math rockVIRGIL DONATI Jazz Rock/FusionDRUNKEN GUNMEN Psychedelic/Space RockENN�S T�LA Crossover ProgENTER TWILIGHT Progressive MetalFEARSCAPE Tech/Extreme Prog MetalFRACTURE Progressive MetalFRATERNITY Eclectic ProgGALADRIEL Prog FolkHALCYON Experimental/Post MetalHEIRS Experimental/Post MetalHEMINA Progressive MetalHOTEL WRECKING CITY TRADERS Psychedelic/Space RockIRONWOOD Experimental/Post MetalKAISER AND THE MACHINES OF CREATION Progressive MetalARIEL KALMA Progressive ElectronicKANGURU Indo-Prog/Raga RockKARNIVOOL Heavy ProgKATABASIS Tech/Extreme Prog MetalKETTLESPIDER Heavy ProgPAUL KIDNEY EXPERIENCE Psychedelic/Space RockLAURA Post Rock/Math rockA LONELY CROWD Heavy ProgTHE LONGEST DAY Psychedelic/Space RockIAN MACFARLANE Progressive ElectronicMACKENZIE THEORY Jazz Rock/FusionMADDEN AND HARRIS Prog FolkTHE MASTERS APPRENTICES Proto-ProgMENISCUS Experimental/Post MetalTHE MERLIN BIRD Prog FolkMARIO MILLO Symphonic ProgMONTRESOR Heavy ProgMUSHROOM GIANT Psychedelic/Space RockMYRIAD Psychedelic/Space RockNE OBLIVISCARIS Tech/Extreme Prog MetalCHRIS NEAL Crossover ProgNEATH Tech/Extreme Prog MetalNEXUS Tech/Extreme Prog MetalNIMROD Crossover ProgNOCTIS Experimental/Post MetalGAVIN O'LOGHLEN & COTTERS BEQUEST Prog FolkOCHRE Progressive MetalTHE OVALS Psychedelic/Space RockPATCH Crossover ProgPEAK Progressive ElectronicPIRANA Crossover ProgPIRATE Heavy ProgPORTAL Tech/Extreme Prog MetalPSYCROPTIC Tech/Extreme Prog MetalPVT (PIVOT) Post Rock/Math rockQUANDARY Progressive MetalRAINBOW GENERATOR Progressive ElectronicRAINBOW THEATRE Symphonic ProgSCLERA Tech/Extreme Prog MetalSEBASTIAN HARDIE Symphonic ProgSERIOUS BEAK Tech/Extreme Prog MetalSH'MANTRA Psychedelic/Space RockSLEEPMAKESWAVES Post Rock/Math rockSNAKES ALIVE Crossover ProgSOLKYRI Post Rock/Math rockSPECTRUM Crossover ProgSQUAT CLUB Heavy ProgTHE SUN BLINDNESS Psychedelic/Space RockSUPERDENSECRUSHLOADFACTOR RIO/Avant-ProgSYZYGY Progressive MetalTALIESIN Progressive MetalTAMAM SHUD Crossover ProgTANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING Post Rock/Math rockTARAMIS Tech/Extreme Prog MetalTHE THIRD ENDING Crossover ProgTHIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING Post Rock/Math rockTRANSCENDING MORTALITY Progressive MetalTULLY Eclectic ProgUML�UT Eclectic ProgUNITOPIA Crossover ProgVANISHING POINT Progressive MetalVAUXDVIHL Progressive MetalVIRGIN BLACK Experimental/Post MetalVOYAGER Progressive MetalWHEN DAY DESCENDS Experimental/Post MetalTAL WILKENFELD Jazz Rock/FusionWINDCHASE Symphonic ProgWITHOUTENDING Progressive Metal Of these bands there are many that come from the 70s era, such as Tully, Spectrum, Daevid Allen, Tamam Shud, Rainbow Theatre and Sebastian Hardie, but lately there has been an upsurgence of Oz Prog of recent times, making an impact in the prog community such as great bands like Breaking Orbit, Anubis, Hemina, Syzygy, and Unitopia. Enjoy this blog as I unveil the world of Australian Prog. AtomicCrimsonRush2013-05-16 08:03:05

The Infernal Prog Blog (with Conor Fynes)

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 05:30:55 EST

Blog posted by Conor Fynes — I guess some of you will be already familiar with my writing, but I'd like to use this as a more informal way to talk about, and share music. In specific, the 'darker' side of progressive rock. Darkness can be taken to mean many things in a musical context; lyrics, atmosphere, or even scales can bring that feeling of dread to a listener. From my experience as a listener, 'darker' music tends to have a longer-lasting impact. Progressive rock is certainly no stranger to the melancholic, but I find that some of the most haunting music gets overlooked by proggers at large. Although much of the music here will be progressive in nature, what I intend to do is share music of the atmospheric persuasion, regardless of mellotron density or flute solos. Deathspell Omega - DroughtArbitrary Darkness Meter: 9 Evils out of 10.[TUBE]9SV4vCQGJko[/TUBE] Although I imagine they have received a good share of recognition for their intensely avant-garde style, it seems fitting that I would start things off by presenting one of my favourite bands and their latest material. For those who haven't heard Deathspell Omega, it's not something I would be inclined to recommend right away, unless they have an ear for black metal and chaos. I wrote a review for this new EP "Drought" and was pleasantly blown away. It may not quite knock the immortal "Fas - Ite, Maledicti in Ignem Aeturnum" (also by DSO) off its block as my favourite black metal release, but it really demonstrates a development in what these guys do. It sounds ridiculous to say, but this arguably the cleanest sounding Deathspell have ever been. They are still wildly technical, but they've reined in the avant-garde compositions a bit. There's lots of dissonance and bizarreness to digest in the 21 minutes, but Deathspell's more focused approach makes every minute of the music feel relevant somehow. It's not going to sit well with everyone's ears, but I feel inclined to call this the best release I've heard thus far this year. It may have achieved a full 10/10 Evils, but some pesky melodies might give the listener a sense of hope towards the end. Conor Fynes2012-08-06 05:36:23

Colossal Voids

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:15:10 EST

Blog posted by sleeper — Colossal Voids is my attempt at a blog to share/shout about many of the bands that have become favorites of mine over the near 7 years that I've been an active member of this site. Those bands that can collectively be described as Progressive Metal, particularly from the Post/Experimental and Tech/Extreme sub genres as well as notable standouts from "vanilla" Prog Metal, have taken up a great deal of that time and as such will for the focus of this blog. I hope that in the end everybody will find at least one band they can enjoy here. I will start with a group that have been a particular favorite of mine for several years now but have become largely forgotten since their split more than 10 years ago, In the Woods.... These days, mixing Black Metal and Progressive Rock together is very much the cool thing to do and for the most part nobody bats an eyelid anymore since it's pretty common, but doing just that in 1992 certainly raised a few brows. Originally going by the name Green Carnation (yes, that Green Carnation) until main man Tchort left to become Emperor's bassist, the band was reformed under the leadership of the Botteri brothers and Jan Transith and re-named In the Woods... In the bands less than 10 years of existence they made quite an impact with 3 very different albums, a compilation, a live album and starting it all with the Isle of Men EP, being credited with starting Pagan Metal and one of the early pioneers of Progressive Black Metal and even Psychodelic Metal (I'll just stick with Prog Metal, though). This EP perfectly demonstrated their early attempts to meld the genres of Prog and Black Metal, with the experimentalism of the former and the raw edge of the latter. I have to admit that the high pitched Black Metal shrieks of Transith dont appeal too much even to me, but are usually well down in the mix and the quality of the music makes up for it. Tell de Dode is probably the best example off this demo (that didn't make it onto the album). [TUBE]gDUrJfMdMq4[/TUBE] The debut albu, HEart of the Ages, kept up the style but much more developed and "polished" with Transith making making better use of his clean vocals along side his shrieks. Production remained raw and cheap, with a lot of background hiss noticable in the quietest moments, but it worked for the style and all the instruments remained clear enough in the mix. I particularly love the opening track, Yearning the Seeds of a New Dimension, with its spacy keyboard opening, the epic Wolan's Return (a re-recording of Wotan's Return from the EP) in the middle of the album and this closer below, The Divinity of Wisdom. Though it's a flawed album it still contains some of the best music I've ever heard. [TUBE]ndHwLdGnYcw[/TUBE] Two years after HEart... came the bands second album, Omnio. and with it came many changes. First of note was the complete abandonment of the shrieking vocals and so too was the BM production style dropped in favour of a much clearer sound. Compositionally it was a further refinement and exploration of the teritory already covered but the complete change in recording quality breathed new life into it, allowing each instrument to shine more than previously. A female vocalist made sporadic appearances on the album and many of the songs used 3 guitars to create a wall of sound. The Epic 27 minute title track Omnio? is the dominant piece on here but the much shorter I am Your Flesh and opening epic 299.796 km/h match it for quality. If I have one problem it's that the band went too far with the production as it robs the sound of quite a bit of it's edge, something that doesnt help and holds back what is really 5 of the best songs I've ever heard. [TUBE]jDGPaenOx5c[/TUBE] [TUBE]XCXUubXeL4s&feature=related[/TUBE] Though the bands third and final full studio album, Strange in Stereo, embraces much shorter song structures and a departure from the spralling epics of the previous albums, it's arguably their most experimental release with vastly different structures and greater veriety between songs that still manage to create the same dark, melencholic mood that tipifies the band. The triple guitars are back down to two now but female singer Soprana is now a full member of the band next to Transith and strings and guitar effects play a much bigger part. [TUBE]yaRH2KPePSA[/TUBE] [TUBE]1RdvRf_s17k[/TUBE] [TUBE]-Mo_LnI-PWs[/TUBE] The final studio recording from the band was the compilation, Three Times Sevon on a Pilgramige. This was a collection of cover songs of old Psychodelic and early prog rock tracks like Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit and King Crimson's Epitaph, along with some of their own tracks, both new and re-recorded old songs. Not a bad album but I find the production lacks that edge even more than Omnio does. [TUBE]zT3qzmyWLlg[/TUBE] They also released a double live album of their final ever gig from December 2000. Though it's a live album, for me it remains the ultimate performance from the band with an excellent medley of HEart of the Ages materiel in Heartworks (Transith either couldn't or wouldnt do the shrieks anymore), a one off, brand new song called Beer, a good selection of songs from Strange in Stereo and Three Times Seven... and the entire Omnio album, giving the material the bite it really needed. Below is the only live video of the concert that I've ever been able to find, and given the quality I suspect the whole gig is lost out there somewhere, and it's not even a complete song, missing the first couple of minutes from I am Your Flesh, but it's worth watching to get an idea of the albums quality, particulary the chunky bass sound. Its sad to think that after the lights went down, In the Woods... no longer existed with the Botteri brothers joining Tchort for the revived Green Carnation, who started out apping the Omnio sound in jam session form for their first two albums (yes, even Light of Day...) without getting close to the quality on display here. [TUBE]9q_Vo-4yFdM&feature=related[/TUBE] sleeper2012-07-18 16:16:38

DHUBNMOMB: the most disgusting bass sounds in prog

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 14:53:25 EST

Blog posted by Triceratopsoil — In too few elements of our lives is sheer nastiness a selling point; fortunately, this is not the case when it comes to bass tone. In this (hopefully) weekly blog, I will be giving you the lowdown on some progressive albums that feature dirty, ugly, bass sounds that are frankly just revolting. I hope you can appreciate them on the same level as I do. If you are familiar with an album fitting the above criteria - preferably relatively obscure - and you'd like to bring it to my attention, send me a PM and it might end up here in a couple weeks (especially if you play on it). For Episode 2, click here Likewise, Episode 3 olol it's Episode 4 Looking for Episode 5? Holy Moly Episode 6! EPISODE 1: Led Bib's Sensible Shoes A particularly wild brand of noisy avant-jazz, Led Bib's album Sensible Shoes features wailing saxophone, noodly electric piano, and pounding drums punctuated by upright bass that is at times so gain-laden that it is indistinguishable from flatulence. Truly a thing of beauty. [tube]wp-Mh0SnDME[/tube] Until next week, keep FLUHGHF JGKULH BRUP Triceratopsoil2013-01-26 13:15:08

Us and Them?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:45:47 EST

Blog posted by timburlane — I've been trying to figure out exactly how many copies of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" I've bought in my life. I know I've owned it at least three times on vinyl an then either worn it out, lost it or lent it to someone never to be seen again. When it comes to CD copies it's probably even more especially since the band, or actually their record label, like to re-master and re-issue it every fifteen minutes. Take the latest incarnation. Three different editions - "discovery", "experience" and "immersion" - have been released, the first being a pointless re-master, (yes ANOTHER one), of the album without any extra tracks, the second featuring an extra disc with a really interesting live performance from 1974 and the third being a multi-disc behemoth with surround sound, DVD, quad and stereo versions plus more extra tracks and some other bits of tat. The re-master is of value only to people with bionic ears as far as I can tell, certainly compared to the previous one. The sound quality is excellent but then it always was so why buy it? I don't have the gear to play quad or 5.1 surround mixes and I'm unlikely to be getting it anytime soon so that stuff is of no interest to me but there are some tantalising demos and stuff from the aborted "Household Objects" project which I'd love to hear. but not enough to pay eighty quid! Now Pink Floyd can't possibly need more money, (although I'm sure they won't say "no" when the royalty cheque arrives - I wouldn't), but EMI clearly find themselves in rather more straitened circumstances because it's the company which is behind the reissue campaign. Or should I say "campaigns"? These days they start as soon as an album is released and go on long beyond the working or even natural life of the artist. The way I heard it EMI's attitude can no longer be described as "so happy we can hardly count" as an increasingly bloated and moribund record industry struggles to appease it's shareholders and struggles with a massive change in how we procure and consume music. So what do they do? They get round their boardroom table and tut and shake their heads and then they come up with the brilliant idea of selling stuff they've already sold to people who have already bought it. "Which are the products that have kept us in fat bonuses in the past?" they ask. "Why can't they do more stuff? Or, even better, why don't we just save money on all those expensive production costs and punt the stuff they've already done and call it a 'heritage' or 'anniversary' or 'collectors' edition? The credulous public has always fallen for that gag, especially when we dress it up in pretty packaging!" And this is the point of this rant. I'm tired of it and I would like them to stop. Perhaps it's time that these big companies faced up to the fact that the WELL HAS RUN DRY and it's time to take some risks and invest in new talent or simply give up. In this day and age I don't believe that death of the majors would be a huge problem. Artists are already finding new ways to gain exposure and sell their music and small independent companies manage to make a living whilst also treating their artists with significantly more fairness and respect. It seems to me that the only thing we stand to lose is vast sea of mediocre drivel which has always been the stock in trade of popular music. Of course artists would have to rethink their expectations as well. I have no problem at all with the death of the whole culture of "stardom" because this is where the artist allows the record company to screw over both themselves and the public. It may not be a universal attitude but a significant number of young musicians in particular don't want to make a living they want to be "Famous" they want to be "Stars". They don't just rehearse their songs they rehearse their acceptance speeches and interviews. They don't just work on honing their performance skills and song craft, it has to be media skills and public profile and to some these fame-management skills are more important than the real business of being creative. Although I'm no great fan of their music, I'll take Radiohead and their wilful adherence and commitment to creativity at the expense of super-stardom over the self-satisfied self-regard of tired old acts like U2 any day of the week. I hope Thom Yorke and his pals never succumb to the temptation to give us endless re-mastered reissues and if they find interesting archive material I sincerely hope they put it out as such on its own merits, not as some add-on to an old album in new packaging. I'm not especially keen on latter-day pot-Fish Marillion but I have total admiration for the way they've kept the band growing and thriving by rejecting the old music business model and pioneering a new one of their own. They maintain a career and they have their artistic self-respect and credibility. Acts like these are craftsmen and women, not stars. So, here's to the collapse of the music industry, an end to stars and the re-emergence of the musician as a craftsperson.timburlane2012-01-30 12:47:24