An Illustrated Guide to Prog Rock Instruments - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Author

Message

Topic Search

Topic Options

Dayvenkirq View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970

Posted: February 01 2013 at 11:35

Lee and Lifeson double-necks are there.

Gerinski

Prog Reviewer

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154

Posted: February 01 2013 at 12:01

Dayvenkirq wrote:

Lee and Lifeson double-necks are there.

Yeah, I did not mention their brands (Gibson and Rickenbacker if I'm not wrong) but they are there, it's not the purpose to mention and show every instrument ever used, there are so many others missing as well!

But some mentioning to fretless basses is perhaps indeed deserved.

Edited by Gerinski - February 01 2013 at 12:24

Angelo

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Joined: May 07 2006
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 13244

Posted: February 01 2013 at 14:00

My bad... I missed that photo while scrolling through the post.

ISKC Rock Radio
I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected]

HemispheresOfXanadu View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: June 28 2012
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 4339

Posted: February 02 2013 at 20:26

This is awesome! The keys part was really helpful. Smile

Ajay

Forum Senior Member

Joined: February 01 2013
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 221

Posted: February 02 2013 at 23:37

Great roundup! You've done a lot of work and shared your great knowledge of and passion for these wonderful instruments. Well done. I'll take one of each, please.

Allow me to share a little Fairlight love. Yes, the timing kept it from taking part in the symphonic rock of the '70s. In the '80s, though, as you noted, Peter Gabriel used it - as did Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, and Rick Wright, who made albums which have been described as "made in the Fairlight." Not to mention Trevor Horn and his production team who made heavy use of it in producing Yes. The Fairlight really was one of the major sounds of the '80s.

Shameless namedrop: I've met Peter Vogel, the inventor of the Fairlight. Our children attend the same school. He's a lovely man. He's emulated the Fairlight for iPad, and at this year's NAMM he took over one of his 30th anniversary Fairlight CMIs to show and ended up selling it. More power to him.

prog4evr

Forum Senior Member

Joined: September 22 2005
Location: Wuhan, China
Status: Offline
Points: 1455

Posted: February 03 2013 at 00:00

Very well-researched and articulate article! Among the myriad keyboard instruments, you forgot to mention the Mander Pipe Organ. Was Rick Wakeman the only one to ever play it live while touring with Yes?

Vin776

Forum Newbie

Joined: February 01 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Status: Offline
Points: 18

Posted: February 03 2013 at 04:33

It's Vincent from Bluebeard - I really appreciate your kind words. By the way, I sold synthesizers - and programmed them professionally for Yamaha for years. I worked in music stores from 1972-1985 or so (my day job). If you ever want to talk shop - I am a guitarist, but the money in sales was in synthesizers, et all

We used a Hammond M-3 (easier to carry)

Mini Moog

Arp String Ensemble

Farfisa organ/elec piano mix (like on Bad Dream)

And in the studio Yamaha or Steinway grand pianos - hear Sad Forgotten Song

I also use Roland Guitar synthesizers since 1978

I am writing a book and would love a review. Let me know where I can send CDs (I hate MP3s)

- Vincent

I added you to my Buddy list. Ok?

Vincent Bitetti - Video Game & Media Consultant (and prog rock musician)

Gerinski

Prog Reviewer

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154

Posted: February 03 2013 at 10:53

prog4evr wrote:

Very well-researched and articulate article! Among the myriad keyboard instruments, you forgot to mention the Mander Pipe Organ. Was Rick Wakeman the only one to ever play it live while touring with Yes?

A Mander Pipe Organ being played live on tour? I'm not aware of that and I would be surprised if that was true.

The Mander Pipe Organ he played for the recording of CTTE and Jane Seymour (Six Wives of Henry VIII) was the one at the church of St. Gilles, Cripplegate (which is actually an organ from the 18th century but fully rebuilt by Mander).

He also recorded at the church of St. Martin, Vevey, Switzerland for Parallels (Going for the One) and Judas Iscariot (Criminal Record).

Keith Emerson used the organ at the church of St. Marks for The Only Way (Tarkus).

Good idea, I'l add an entry!

cstack3

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Online
Points: 7265

Posted: February 03 2013 at 23:24

Indeed, an excellent and very comprehensive article! Thank you for mentioning Andy Manson (John Paul Jones' acoustic builder), he is the brother of my own luthier Hugh Manson of Exeter, Devon UK. Hugh is the luthier and tech for Jones, Steve Howe, Martin Barre and many more. My bass in my avatar is a Hugh Manson custom fretless bass.

I would like to see a bit more about Robert Fripp regarding his use of the Roland synth guitar system, as he really drove that innovation very far. This is a very good interview: http://www.joness.com/gr300/fripp.htm

Your history of the Chamberlin/Mellotron was excellent, and I appreciate its accuracy! Even more information about these amazing instruments may be found at this exhaustive website:

http://www.planetmellotron.com/index.htm

Please keep up the good work! Much could be written about guitar effect pedals....Fripp told me that he always used the "cheapest fuzz tone he could find since they all sound the same," and he first used the guitar volume pedal "to emulate the sound of a violin." Steve Hackett, Peter Banks and many others also used the volume pedal extensively throughout the seventies.

Other common devices were the wah pedal, and various delays & chorus sounds. Fripp was an early pioneer in many of these, with his "Fripp pedal board" (which, when I saw it up close, was quite primitive and jury-rigged!)

Of course, these guitar devices weren't exclusive to prog, but the prog musicians seemed to use them in novel ways that were distinct from musicians in hard rock, blues rock etc. John Wetton employed a fuzz tone and wah with bass on occasion, and David Cross used wah pedal with his amplified violin.

Edited by cstack3 - February 03 2013 at 23:35

cstack3

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Online
Points: 7265

Posted: February 03 2013 at 23:45

Gerinski wrote:

A Mander Pipe Organ being played live on tour? I'm not aware of that and I would be surprised if that was true.

He also recorded at the church of St. Martin, Vevey, Switzerland for Parallels (Going for the One) and Judas Iscariot (Criminal Record).

Keith Emerson used the organ at the church of St. Marks for The Only Way (Tarkus).

Good idea, I'l add an entry!

As I recall, Wakeman toured with a portable Mander pipe organ for the "Going For The One" tour, which I saw in Chicago in September, 1977. Great show!

Wakeman talks quite a bit about his touring rig in this interview, it is especially interesting for keyboard fans!

http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/feb/febxx_79.html

Vin776

Forum Newbie

Joined: February 01 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Status: Offline
Points: 18

Posted: February 04 2013 at 08:25

Hello

Nice articles

My band used a lot of that "stuff" we even put together a device we called the Bluechestra for guitar

If you get a minute check us out at www.reverbnation.com/thestoryofbluebeard and play Bad Dream and They're Not Like They Used to Be and maybe Come to The Dance

Looking to make new friends ere!

Best

Vincent Bitetti newbie

Guitarist Bluebeard

Vincent Bitetti - Video Game & Media Consultant (and prog rock musician)

Gerinski

Prog Reviewer

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154

Posted: February 04 2013 at 09:46

cstack3 wrote:

Wakeman talks quite a bit about his touring rig in this interview, it is especially interesting for keyboard fans!

http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/feb/febxx_79.html

Thanks for the link, a very interesting interview, I did not know that the pipe organ tracks he played in Vevey Switzerland were actually recorded in the studio in the UK via a leased telephone line, that's really funny.

I have also found some references to a portable Mander pipe organ for the GFTO tour but nothing very clear, I want to believe it but I would like some harder evidence in order to mention it in my article, if anyone can provide further info it would be great!

cstack3

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Online
Points: 7265

Posted: February 04 2013 at 10:49

Gerinski wrote:

cstack3 wrote:

Wakeman talks quite a bit about his touring rig in this interview, it is especially interesting for keyboard fans!

http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/feb/febxx_79.html

This guy also talks about it:

Within that section, the buildup of Rick Wakeman‘s pipe organ solo. Saw this live in concert (St. Louis Checkerdome, September of 1978, Tormato tour), when the stage was in the round and real pipe organ – a portable Mander with pipes under the stage – was used.

http://blogdebill.com/?p=165

Maktor

Forum Newbie

Joined: November 07 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 2

Posted: February 06 2013 at 11:02

Great guide!

Gerinski

Prog Reviewer

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154

Posted: February 06 2013 at 14:29

This interview with Wakeman indeed confirms that he toured with a Mander pipe organ so I have edited the entry, it was indeed used in the GFTO tour, not Tormato (the first question is about his gear in the Tormato tour and he says that "the RMI Keyboard Computer took away the need to carry the Mander Pipe Organ this time").

http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/feb/febxx_79.html

Rick's comment compelled me to add a well deserved entry for RMI and I have also done a couple of updates in the Birotron and Farfisa entries.

Edited by Gerinski - February 06 2013 at 15:15

cstack3

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Online
Points: 7265

Posted: February 08 2013 at 18:34

Gerinski wrote:

This interview with Wakeman indeed confirms that he toured with a Mander pipe organ so I have edited the entry, it was indeed used in the GFTO tour, not Tormato (the first question is about his gear in the Tormato tour and he says that "the RMI Keyboard Computer took away the need to carry the Mander Pipe Organ this time").

http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/feb/febxx_79.html

Rick's comment compelled me to add a well deserved entry for RMI and I have also done a couple of updates in the Birotron and Farfisa entries.

Well done! You've taken on an ambitious project!

I saw Yes on the GFTO tour, Chicago 1977 (I don't remember which day though). I DO remember them opening with "Parallels," and that Mander pipe organ just shook the place (a huge hall!). Steve Howe wailed on a red Stratocaster, it was a fantastic concert! (well, ALL Yes concerts I've seen have been fantastic!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Yes_concert_tours#Going_for_the_One_Tour

Gerinski

Prog Reviewer

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154

Posted: February 09 2013 at 06:20

Entries for fretless basses and 5 / 6 string basses added, and a couple of updates in other entries.

Gerinski