Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists
Subject: Fwd: [Mellotronists] sheet music for the mellotron...
From: RotateyDiskers@...
Date: 2004-03-22
In a message dated 22/03/2004 19:51:05 GMT Standard Time, andy.thompson@... writes:
Ah yes! the old "Watcher of the Skies intro 'tron part" conversation.
Andy is quite correct here (again!!). Whilst Lord Banks of Keybleboard still had the MkII the opening was performed (studio and live) entirely on said baby with bass accordion in the left hand ... (someone on the list actually got this info from Tony Banks direct.) I've seen it played entirly on 'tron a couple of times going back to the Merton Civic Hall gig in Wimbledon which was before Foxtrot was released.
Initially, the idea of an accordion in "that" sound occurs as bonkers until you hear one. The bottom notes are incredibly dark and powerful and, being a reed, mixes well with the brass side of the "Watcher" mix as much of the sound comes from saxes. It makes me shudder just to think about it!!...............
Ooohh! .....(I just thought about it.)
So what exactly was played on the "accordion" side is an interesting point as a sustained F-sharp is not possible due to the highly controversial, and some would say, unconstitutional 8-second rule. It sounds like some sneaky altering of an F-sharp and an octave below or above (depending on where you start)
Now a Polka verison of our beloved tune would be on par with the infamous "Discoballs" tribute to Pink Floyd. (man, you should hear Arnlod Layne with Jannik Topp on bass)
RD
> Attached to this e-mail is the transcription of "Watcher of the Skies"
> that I did up for the people who attended the Tronto MkII workshop in
> 2001. If you want to be authentic to Tony Banks playing live, then you
> should start out playing the bass clef part with your right hand on a
> Hammond organ (bass pedals, too, if you have them!), and your left hand
> playing the treble clef part on the mellotron. At the Moderato section,
> use both hands on the mellotron.
Only after he replace his MkII with the M400 - otherwise, all MkII.
> I watched Messr. Banks play it a few times live and this is the way he
> did it. If you want to do a studio version, then go totally nuts with
> overdubs and added octaves. Somebody on the list has said that Banks
> used a mellotron bass accordian sound in the studio version but I don't
> recommend doing that because of the tendency for it to cause the piece
> to break out into a polka -- which would be a very shocking thing
> indeed!
Albeit amusing. :-)
Andy T.