Music
Ever since I was a young 'un, I've enjoyed music. My first record was Telstar by
the Tornados, a record I still have, although somewhat worn now. I have vague memories of owning a wind up record
player with the horn - but no dog! Now what would that be worth now?
At about 9 or 10 years of age I started to take piano lessons. The house wasn't
big enough for a piano so my dad 'acquired' a wind blown thing which was basically
an accordian on legs. It had about 2 and a half octaves, a pile of buttons on the
left hand side for chords ... and I hated it! I really wanted an organ, or a drum
kit, but I got neither. I wasn't very good at playing I'm afraid and after a couple
of years I managed to get the lessons scrapped and that was the end of that. My
musical prowess is approximately zero although I still like to have a 'tinkle' on
the Yamaha Clavinova we now have.
In the seventies, it was the era of the Moog. Now there was an instrument and like
many others, I was introduced to it with the "Switched On Bach" album by Wendy (Walter)
Carlos. So, basically, in my dreams I always wished I could have one of those fantastic
instruments. This led to an interest in the artists who used these: Wendy (Walter)
Carlos, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Mike Oldfield, Jean-Jaques Perry and Gerson Kingsley and Jean
Michelle Jarre. I still have the records.
Today, there are so many electronic keyboards around these days, my son has Korg
and Yamaha synths and modules, as well as a Yamaha Clavinova which replaced a Yamaha
HS-4 organ. Alas, we still don't have a Moog despite how much I suggest he really
needs one! My son is somewhat more gifted than me, his great grandma was an organist
so perhaps it's from there he gets his talent, it certainly isn't from me. He has stuck with it after also going to lessons to learn how to play and read
music.
The electrtonic instruments of today are fabulous and relatively cheap compared to the early
Moogs. They are polyphonic, have samplers, sequencers and can be connected to computers.
However, would all this have been possible without the vision and ingenuity of Dr
Bob Moog, who sadly passed away in 2005? The electronic music legacy we have today
is down
to him. The "bob moog foundation" has been established to promote the fusion of
technology and music and is supported by many of the Moog 'stars' such as Rick Wakeman
and Wendy Carlos.
Moog Foundation official URL :
http://www.moogfoundation.org
Moog Foundation slogan : make waves. support bob’s legacy.
Bob's Website :
http://www.bobmoog.com