Very Important Hillage thread- what is this instrument?!
#1 Very Important Hillage thread- what is this instrument?!
My apologies for yet more Hillage talk, but this is a question from deep within my psyche, troubling me since that momentous day in August '77 when I first heard this album, and is therefore very important.
.... Yesterday, whilst heating cathodes with young DTB I asked him what he thought was happening in the middle of Hillages' glorious solo, from 2.29- 2.58;
Y'see, I thought this bit might be some sort of 'TONTOed' electric violin? In the day, I even tried to play along on my violin... (bless!) but, funnily enough, I could never get it to sound quite like Hillage(!)....
So, anyone, any ideas what instrument is playing here? DTB shattered my illusions by suggesting it was a keyboard playing- surely not?!
I've always loved the sound of Hillages guitar throughout this record, from the very start of 'Hello Dawn' and Mr Bass informed me it was a specific guitar he used, sorry Dave, I've forgotten, what was it again?!
Please people help me out, here....!
Ta
Thomas
Testing 1-2-1-2
.... Yesterday, whilst heating cathodes with young DTB I asked him what he thought was happening in the middle of Hillages' glorious solo, from 2.29- 2.58;
Y'see, I thought this bit might be some sort of 'TONTOed' electric violin? In the day, I even tried to play along on my violin... (bless!) but, funnily enough, I could never get it to sound quite like Hillage(!)....
So, anyone, any ideas what instrument is playing here? DTB shattered my illusions by suggesting it was a keyboard playing- surely not?!
I've always loved the sound of Hillages guitar throughout this record, from the very start of 'Hello Dawn' and Mr Bass informed me it was a specific guitar he used, sorry Dave, I've forgotten, what was it again?!
Please people help me out, here....!
Ta
Thomas
Testing 1-2-1-2
Last edited by thomas on Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#2
Sounds like it could well be guitar, with a rolled off tone and the notes violined like Rory used to do.
Jeff Beck has been heard doing similar to great effect.
Jeff Beck has been heard doing similar to great effect.
Chris
#3
Looking at the sleeve notes, Hillage is down as playing Guitar Synth (not sure which one), that would be my bet.
Give the time, maybe a GR-500
Give the time, maybe a GR-500
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#4
Like this Thomas!
See the URL for the you tube linky? looks like this ""
To make a cool looking you tube link just copy the bit after the part in the URL ".....watch?v=XXXXXXXXXX" , which in this case is "8bp1jVqTyEw".
Back here on a 'post reply' window see the 'you tube' button? Click that once to open the brackets like this [youtube] then insert the bit of the url you copied on the You tube page.... eg 8bp1jVqTyEw then click the 'you tube button again to close the brackets, should look like this [/youtube] . So the full link here should look like [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 8bp1jVqTyEw[/media] but not in italics.
Preview the post and all being well you should see the link like the grown ups do!
Back to 'the sound' on the solo section you've highlighted at 2.29... I'm sure its a keyboard/synth played with judicious pitch bend. Sounds lush analogue to me but I'm no keyboard player so might be wrong, just an avid listener!
The acoustic guitar sound all over that album I think comes from an Ovation brand guitar. They have a very distinctive piezo pickup sound. They also often have a rounded rear composite body which also maybe contributes to that sound, see Joany with her's ?
DTB
Last edited by Dave the bass on Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#5
OOoo, yeah, good point. I always forget about them. Could be.Nick wrote:Looking at the sleeve notes, Hillage is down as playing Guitar Synth (not sure which one), that would be my bet.
Give the time, maybe a GR-500
The phrasing of the solo is that of a guitarist BUT.... the sound is 'synthy' TME (To My Ears).
DTB
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#6
..but but but....
This could have gone on the other Hillage thread - that I launched only about 2-3 weeks ago.
Sorry , I must have acquired a fetish for neatness all of a sudden
This could have gone on the other Hillage thread - that I launched only about 2-3 weeks ago.
Sorry , I must have acquired a fetish for neatness all of a sudden
"Once you find out ... the Circumstances ; then you can go out"
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#7
One cannot have too many Hillage threads.
Note that down some one!
DTB
Note that down some one!
DTB
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#8
Too true, Dave , and it has drawn my attention to the fact I have a copy of Motivation Radio somewhere that I need to extract from the shelf.
I have heard that sound you identify from 'Green' also, to a lesser extent .
I have heard that sound you identify from 'Green' also, to a lesser extent .
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#9
Having listened, I think as Nick suggests it's guitar synth. Note the reverb on some of the long notes. Having said that, why bother? It's crap music anyway
Sorry, it doesn't do anything for me
Sorry, it doesn't do anything for me
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Douglas Adams (HHGTTG)
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#10
Ban him! Forever, or even longer!Greg wrote: Having said that, why bother? It's crap music anyway
DTB
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#12
{* licks pencil *} "One ... cannot ..... have .... too ... many ..... Hillage .... threads"Dave the bass wrote:One cannot have too many Hillage threads.
Note that down some one!
DTB
OK done.
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#13
Aha, thanks Nick, huh, these new fangled synths, eh?! A cursory google of GR-500 brings this upLooking at the sleeve notes, Hillage is down as playing Guitar Synth (not sure which one), that would be my bet.
Give the time, maybe a GR-500
(thanks for the tutorial, DTB!)
... and arguably, at exactly the 1.01 mark he makes a fairly similar sound.... my puzzle may at last be solved...
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#14
The more I listen to the solo the more convinced I am that it's guitar, and not guitar synth.
Guitar synth technology at the time was not sufficiently evolved to track things like finger vibrato accurately.
The synth like sound could be reverse guitar ...
I found this out on the www., and both are done with the GR500
http://www.cedricwillems.com/mp3/Cedric ... _short.mp3
http://www.cedricwillems.com/mp3/Cedric ... _short.mp3
Guitar synth technology at the time was not sufficiently evolved to track things like finger vibrato accurately.
The synth like sound could be reverse guitar ...
I found this out on the www., and both are done with the GR500
http://www.cedricwillems.com/mp3/Cedric ... _short.mp3
http://www.cedricwillems.com/mp3/Cedric ... _short.mp3
Chris
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#15
Maybe.The Stratmangler wrote:The more I listen to the solo the more convinced I am that it's guitar, and not guitar synth.
Guitar synth technology at the time was not sufficiently evolved to track things like finger vibrato accurately.
The synth like sound could be reverse guitar ...
I still think its a keyboard mimicking a guitar solo because as y'say Guit Synth tech hadn't evolved that far as Thomas's vid link shows to pitch bend like the solo under discussion incorporates BUT....dot dot dot.... I believe keyboard based Synth's had. The sounds are simmilar but the expressive pitch bending isn't , which (to me) pull's the (not agressive!) argument away from guitar synths back to keyboard synths.
Backwards guitar, mmm, possibly but the attack and decay aren't quite there IMHO for that sound.
So there! *steps down off imaginary soap box!!!*
Ace thread BTW. Good work MrT!
DTB
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