Comment de mauvaises imitations ont donné de bons claviers ? - Les folles inventions musicales

PV Nova tells the story of musical instruments that have imitated other instruments. Have you ever heard a trumpet solo played by a synth? But... a terrible synth... Yes, synths and electric pianos have often tried to imitate other instruments, and sometimes they're not great. But there are quite a few keyboards that have completely failed in their imitation and yet have left their mark on musical history. Credits! The story I'm about to tell you begins during World War II. A man named Harold Rhodes joined the US Air Force and, as a pianist, was tasked with boosting the morale of soldiers wounded at the front. The problem was that lugging around a piano was tough. So he decided to build a smaller, lighter version. A normal piano is full of little hammers striking steel strings. But instead, Rhodes chose to vibrate pieces of aluminum he salvaged from bomber wings. Oh well, you make do with what you have! His instrument was a huge success, and yet... it didn't sound like a piano at all. But that's okay! Larger, amplified versions would emerge, and we'd find this very distinctive sound on many songs from the 60s and 70s. I'm thinking in particular of "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors. Another instrument that tried to imitate the piano and didn't quite succeed: the Wurlitzer. Created in the 50s, it's an electric piano with a very specific sound that would become the trademark of the band Supertramp. I could also tell you about the CP-70 invented by Yamaha, which we hear on U2's New Year's Day, and which is already closer to a piano, even if it's not quite there yet. But I'd rather talk about the Mellotron. Appearing in the 1960s, it was one of the first instruments to use samples. Unlike many synthesizers that tried to reproduce the sound of various instruments, the Mellotron worked with samples, meaning that each note on the keyboard controlled the playback of a small magnetic tape containing the recording to be played. A bit like an audio cassette. But since sampling techniques weren't very advanced at the time, this is what you get when you play the violin with the Mellotron, for example. Or the flute. It doesn't really sound like the original instrument, but many musicians still decided that even if the sound wasn't realistic, it wasn't uninteresting. And that's how the Mellotron's flute sound ended up on some iconic pieces. Not bad for a failed flute sound, eh? Along the same lines, are you familiar with the Clavinet? Invented in 1964, this electric piano was intended for classical musicians, as it was meant to be a sort of portable harpsichord. So... Okay, the resemblance isn't exactly striking, but once again, the sound of this instrument appealed to musicians who weren't at all classical, and the Clavinet even became one of the iconic sounds of funk and reggae. So, I hope you enjoyed these few examples of instruments that were somewhat misstepped in their imitations, but which ended up marking musical history thanks to their very distinctive sounds. I'll save the TR-808 for a special episode; until then, bye! ####################################### This series traces the wild artistic, technical, and technological adventure of music. Presented by PV Nova (THE essential music YouTuber), the program focuses on tracing part of the history of music through the evolution of technologies and techniques. In other words: how has music been influenced by these discoveries? In three to four minutes, PV shows how certain advances have opened the door to a whole world of new possibilities. How the sound reinforcement of instruments has changed the role of musicians within the orchestra. How recording techniques have allowed us to approach the concept of the album in a new light... ######################################## Even more content on: https://education.francetv.fr/ Join us on: Facebook:   / francetveducation   Twitter:   / francetveducation   Instagram:   / francetveduc   Snapchat:   / francetveduc