Instruments of prog: The Mellotron
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Listen to the mixwit. It's not a mix, just one song. In the beginning, do you here the beautiful strings? Chances are, you've heard that sound and instrument before but didn't know exactly what you were hearing. It's not strings, although it sounds like it. It's not a synthesizer, although it is a keyboard. It's the mellotron. The mellotron is one of the most unusual keyboards ever devised, I feel. Rather than rely on soundbanks, filters, and other things to make sounds, the mellotron operated on a tape loop system. The idea for this instrument began in the 1940's, when a guy named Harry Chamberlin decided to record himself playing things, and then wondered what would happen if he saved those recordings, and built another machine to play those tapes while he played over them. He ended up selling his idea to another company, who went with it and created the mellotron.
The basic mellotron had three settings: strings, winds, and brass. Each note on each setting was an individual tape that would loop when it's note was played. so what you're hearing when you listen to a mellotron is an actual recording of the original instrument. Of course, it doesn't sound exactly like that. What comes out has a slightly different sound (what prog reviewers love to describe as "haunting"), a sound unique enough to forever be associated with certain bands and sounds.
The band most often associated with the Mellotron is King Crimson. In the 1970 this band released quite a few heavily mellotron-ladened albums. This song, "Starless" is just one example of that. But they weren't the first or the last. The mellotron has been used by hundreds, if not thousands, of bands, ranging from The Moody Blues to ABBA to Argent to Elvis Costello to Herbie Hancock to Kraftwerk. The most famous song, though, is probably "Strawberrhy Fields Forever" by The Fab Four. The flute sounds in the beginning? You guessed it. Mellotron.
More info can be found at www.mellotron.com
By the way, listen to the whole song. Even though it's 12 minutes long, it's well worth it, as it is 12 of the most kick-butt minutes ever recorded.
Comments (13)
HERE HEAR _ this band rocks their... erm... uhhhh... socks off !!! Yeah !!! Check them out kiddies !!!
You had to go and pick one of my favorite tunes.
Well, I figure, if you're going to post something about the mellotron, go balls to the wall and take no prisoners. Seriously, this whole song is one big build up. Intense doesn't even begin to describe it.
And that you did, in spades.
Same company as put out the moog emulator puts this out too:
http://www.gforcesoftware.com/ins_mtron.php
Thanks for the kicks.... got my ass in gear.
I saw that one the other day when I was poking around their site. I've used Mellotron sounds before, but they were just downloaded samples from some website I found so long ago I can't remember it. Would love to have this on my side.
Oh, and glad to help with the ass moving!
Tom Waits is a big fan of the mellowtron as well. I'll have to find an example later...
I'd like to hear that. The little I've heard from him has been interesting, and decidedly mellotron-less.
Here's a great link to some Mellotron and Chamberlin (the mellotrons cousin) tracks:
http://www.rhapsody.com/playlistcentral/playlistdetail?playlistId=9273286
But here's a Tom Waits mellotron specific track. Apparently he likes the vibraphone sound on the Mellotron. I'm sure it's on many more tracks, but this was a specific one I found mentioned.
Your tape don't work.
It was just working for me . . . did you give it a minute? It starts out kind of soft.
It was spinning but no time was counting.