Music, an entity throughout mankind has evolved alongside us as modern society formed. Similar to entities such as transportation or agriculture, man has added new inventions and innovations onto music due to the new technologies of their current times. This paper will look at these pieces of technology throughout the 20th Century, leading towards the use of music . Furthermore, in terms of “digital technology” this paper will encapsulate pieces of technology that utilized one or more of the following: electronic instruments, digital instruments, computers, software, and digital audio equipment. Also, while looking at these inventions, the paper will dive into the ways the invention effected music at that time and how their effects are still …show more content…
During this time, war was rampant which lead to inventions globally, being made to stop opposing forces. The first example from the Early Tech stage, the theremin, was originally intended to research the schematics of proximity mines, but eventually became one of the first digital music devices in its extensive history. Developed in the late 1910s by Leon theremin, the theremin consists of two antennae, one vertical antennae to control pitch and the other antennae to control the volume.
To produce a sound the thereminist holds his or her arms in the air within the field. The closer the right hand is to the vertical antenna the higher the pitch, while the closer the left hand is to the horizontal antenna the softer the volume. The right hand moves back and forth at different intervals, while the left hand moves up and down to modulate the volume. Unlike most traditional instruments, there’s no separation of tones, like keys on a piano, so the theremin’s trademark sound is an eerie gliding between notes. It’s notoriously difficult to play, and very few have mastered the …show more content…
As stated earlier, the Hammond Organ was the first electronic instrument, though successful, was only targeted to the wealthy at the time. At the price point given, the general public was not able to own the first electronic instrument, this is where Constant Martin and the clavioline steps into play. In 1947, the clavioline was made, it was an electronic keyboard that contained separate amplifier and speaker units. The clavioline used a vacuum tube oscillator to produce a buzzy waveform, almost a square wave, which could then be altered using high-pass and low-pass filtering, as well as the vibrato. The amplifier also deliberately provided a large amount of distortion in its sound. With these innovations and the lower price point, the clavioline sold extremely well to the general masses. After the initial sales, several other companies such as Gibson and Selmar began producing various models of the clavioline which brought up the sales numbers and the number of people with an electronic instrument increased as well. All in all, the clavioline, like the Hammond Organ grandfathered in the use of electronic instruments,but on a much grander scale by having a mass production of