There
was a time when people had to pluck or bow or hit a string, or blow
air through a pipe or reed or horn, or hit a bell or drum or wooden
block in order to make music...
And
then the electronics revolution swept through every industry and art
form, including music. Bob Moog was a pioneer of electronic music and
invented the Moog synthesizer.
Reading
about Moog's college career, you might not have imagined him making a
huge contribution to music. Moog, who was born in 1934 and brought up
in New York City, earned a bachelor's degree in physics, a second
bachelor's in electrical engineering, and a PhD in engineering
physics.
Indeed,
all his life Moog thought of himself as an engineer and toolmaker.
It's just that his customers – the people who used his tools –
were musicians!
Moog
started his first company when he was just 19 years old. He made
theremins, an electronic musical instrument that can be played
without being touched. Two metal antennas sense the position of the
player's hands. The player controls pitch with one hand and volume
with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified
and sent to a speaker.
Moog's
synthesizer, on the other hand, had a keyboard and buttons and
controls as well as some automatic sound generators and rhythms.
Play
Today!
If
you have an electronic keyboard or other electronic instrument, play
a song today in honor of Moog. If not, check out this virtual piano
and these virtual drums.
I
love to set up a drum beat and then play on top of that. Here is a
virtual keyboard that allows you to do just that!
Also
on this date:
Creative animation doodle by google for BobMoog
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