Keyboard Question

[Newsgroups]

Mark, you'll doubtless know the answer to this. I've always wondered (but
never think to ask) how Tony accomplishes the portamento effect in the
keyboard solo in Stagnation. Is he adjusting the Mellotron tape speed on
the fly? Is it even a Mellotron? Just curious.

Jim

[Mark Rae]

Post by Newsgroups
Mark, you'll doubtless know the answer to this. I've always wondered (but
never think to ask) how Tony accomplishes the portamento effect in the
keyboard solo in Stagnation. Is he adjusting the Mellotron tape speed on
the fly? Is it even a Mellotron? Just curious.

On Trespass Tony played piano, Hammond organ and a Mk II Mellotron which
belonged to Trident Studios - Tony didn't get his own Tron until the first
half of 1971, on Steve's recommendation.

There are some Tron strings on Stagnation, but not until after the Hammond
solo.

And there's no way you're going to get portamento on a piano, at least, not
without some effects, but certainly not in 1970.

So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

[Allan Matthews]

Post by Mark Rae

Post by Newsgroups
Mark, you'll doubtless know the answer to this. I've always wondered (but
never think to ask) how Tony accomplishes the portamento effect in the
keyboard solo in Stagnation. Is he adjusting the Mellotron tape speed on
the fly? Is it even a Mellotron? Just curious.

On Trespass Tony played piano, Hammond organ and a Mk II Mellotron which
belonged to Trident Studios - Tony didn't get his own Tron until the first
half of 1971, on Steve's recommendation.
There are some Tron strings on Stagnation, but not until after the Hammond
solo.
And there's no way you're going to get portamento on a piano, at least, not
without some effects, but certainly not in 1970.
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

Zomg! Capacitors!

As someone who once owned a Hammond, I'll vouche for this. I've always
known, from the 1st time I heard Trespass, that that was what Tony was
doing. I did it too. It was a fun thing to play around with.

I can't think of another example of anyone besides him doing it on
record, either.

allan

[Mark Rae]

Post by Allan Matthews

Post by Mark Rae
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

Zomg! Capacitors!
As someone who once owned a Hammond, I'll vouch for this. I've always
known, from the 1st time I heard Trespass, that that was what Tony was
doing. I did it too. It was a fun thing to play around with.

But not very good for the Hammond!

Post by Allan Matthews
I can't think of another example of anyone besides him doing it on
record, either.

Hmm - is that a challenge... ;-)

[Godolphin&fellow]

Post by Mark Rae

Post by Allan Matthews

Post by Mark Rae
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

Zomg! Capacitors!
As someone who once owned a Hammond, I'll vouch for this.  I've always
known, from the 1st time I heard Trespass, that that was what Tony was
doing.  I did it too.  It was a fun thing to play around with.

But not very good for the Hammond!

Post by Allan Matthews
I can't think of another example of anyone besides him doing it on
record, either.

Hmm - is that a challenge... ;-)

The one that comes to mind for me is the live version of "America" by
The Nice... in the last part of the song seems there was a lot of
that. I haven't actually heard that music in about 30 years. As a
teenager I use to wonder how it was done.

[j***@hotmail.com]

Post by Mark Rae
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

On the final chord of Twilight Alehouse, the pitch seems to actually
go *higher* than the original at times -- was this typical? (I'm not
sure how the mechanics of the Hammond actually worked.)

[Allan Matthews]

In article <0d182f5c-964c-470b-9426-cd1d1fbaca78
@w1g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, ***@hotmail.com says...

Post by j***@hotmail.com

Post by Mark Rae
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

On the final chord of Twilight Alehouse, the pitch seems to actually
go *higher* than the original at times -- was this typical? (I'm not
sure how the mechanics of the Hammond actually worked.)

In my experience the pitch falls when you turn it off and rises when you
turn it back on. Of course, it may be different with different organ
models.

allan

[Mark Rae]

Post by Allan Matthews

Post by j***@hotmail.com
On the final chord of Twilight Alehouse, the pitch seems to actually
go *higher* than the original at times -- was this typical? (I'm not
sure how the mechanics of the Hammond actually worked.)

In my experience the pitch falls when you turn it off and rises when you
turn it back on.

That's right and, typically, the pitch will rise somewhere between a
semitone and tone higher than the note(s) you were playing when you cut the
power, before returning to the correct note(s). Something to do with the
tonewheels "settling down"...

[Mark Rae]

Post by j***@hotmail.com

Post by Mark Rae
So, we're left with the Hammond, and what Tony's doing here is playing with
its power switch. This was the same technique he used on the end of Twilight
Alehouse. This is actually a very difficult thing to get right because if
you leave it too long you actually switch the thing off altogether.

On the final chord of Twilight Alehouse, the pitch seems to actually
go *higher* than the original at times -- was this typical?

Yes.

Post by j***@hotmail.com
(I'm not sure how the mechanics of the Hammond actually worked.)

OK.