The Mellotron Group

I've been having piano lessons for the last few years, originally with the idea of helping me to play the mellotron and more recently just for the fun of it. Whilst waiting for the happy day that #1565 is playable I've been practicing with M-tron and I am not sure that classical piano lessons are a good preparation for mellotron playing. If my teacher could see some of the hand positions I get forced into I don't think she would be impressed.

I've read somewhere that often the best mellotron players are not always the best keyboard players. I don't think Mike Pinder or Woolly are the most gifted keyboard players I have heard but they are great tron players. Rick Wakeman and Dave Greenslade I think are better pianists but I can't really speak about their tron playing.

Any thoughts?

Mark

Hey Mark-

Interesting string. Here's a random observation.
I think one has to be inspired by a specific
instrument, be it Mellotron, trombone, or piano. I
took piano lessons in the early '70s, and never got
very coordinated with 2 hands playing at once, so I
dropped it. My mistake. But, I WAS a distracted
teenager. On the other hand, I played 'cello from 4th
grade to college, loved it, and craved the interaction
with the orchestra. I could easily pick it up again.
On a higher level, I think Pinder saw an immediate
connection between the 'tron and rock music(kind of a
"Eureka!" moment), and ran with it. Listening to the
pre-Hayward Moodies, I heard some real quality in his
piano chops. It would be interesting to hear "Go Now"
with Mellotron applied.
Wakeman and Tony Banks both seemed to approach the
'tron in a very utilitarian way("Put some 'tron in
that break!"). Rick exposed the soul of the 'tron
better, but hated its shortcomings. Also, a 'tron can
frustrate fast keyboard players.
You've probably thought of taking a piano score and
applying it to other instruments somehow. It worked
for Debussy many times. Carlos and Tomita did
electronic tailoring of orchestral scores too.
I would say that you should keep up the piano
lessons, but try to view it with the mind of a
conductor/composer.

You have a good day-

-Bruce Daily


--- Mark Pring <markpringnz@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I've been having piano lessons for the last few
> years, originally with the idea of helping me to
> play the mellotron and more recently just for the
> fun of it. Whilst waiting for the happy day that
> #1565 is playable I've been practicing with M-tron
> and I am not sure that classical piano lessons are a
> good preparation for mellotron playing. If my
> teacher could see some of the hand positions I get
> forced into I don't think she would be impressed.
>
> I've read somewhere that often the best mellotron
> players are not always the best keyboard players. I
> don't think Mike Pinder or Woolly are the most
> gifted keyboard players I have heard but they are
> great tron players. Rick Wakeman and Dave Greenslade
> I think are better pianists but I can't really speak
> about their tron playing.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, Mark Pring
<markpringnz@...> wrote:

>
> I've been having piano lessons for the last few years, originally

with the idea of helping me to play the mellotron and more recently
just for the fun of it. Whilst waiting for the happy day that #1565
is playable I've been practicing with M-tron and I am not sure that
classical piano lessons are a good preparation for mellotron playing.
If my teacher could see some of the hand positions I get forced into
I don't think she would be impressed.

>
> I've read somewhere that often the best mellotron players are not

always the best keyboard players. I don't think Mike Pinder or Woolly
are the most gifted keyboard players I have heard but they are great
tron players. Rick Wakeman and Dave Greenslade I think are better
pianists but I can't really speak about their tron playing.

>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Mark
>

I've often thought the same thing. Just because one is a good pianist
doen't mean you have the feel for a Mellotron. I think a closer
instrument to the Mellotron would be organ. The same also goes for
switching from piano to organ. A friend of mine is a fantastic
pianist, but he doesn't have the feel for organ.

Looks like a few of us agree on Wakeman's and Bank's Tron skills (and
opinions).

Bernie

I've been playing piano since an early age, and if nothing else it gives your hands a certain
amount of dexterity, and (if you're doing the theory too) a pretty good grounding in -er-
theory. In my teenage years I headed for keyboard land, and swamped myself with synth
pads and samples, etc - it's wasn't the same kind of playing style at all - two different
worlds, but with the same basic interface.

I headed back to piano land in later years, simply because it gave me a lot more
expression than any of my old keyboards - and a much more personal relationship than a
synth or sampler: I imagine it's similar with a Tron (like you MTron and the MA CD are my
only Tronnish access just now).

Playing classical piano pieces on a Tron probably won't work very well, but keeping up the
piano lessons for a while might just give you different perspectives on your playing later.

I don't think any of that made sense.

Owen

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, Mark Pring <markpringnz@...> wrote:
>
> I've been having piano lessons for the last few years, originally with the idea of helping
me to play the mellotron and more recently just for the fun of it. Whilst waiting for the
happy day that #1565 is playable I've been practicing with M-tron and I am not sure that
classical piano lessons are a good preparation for mellotron playing. If my teacher could
see some of the hand positions I get forced into I don't think she would be impressed.
>
> I've read somewhere that often the best mellotron players are not always the best
keyboard players. I don't think Mike Pinder or Woolly are the most gifted keyboard players
I have heard but they are great tron players. Rick Wakeman and Dave Greenslade I think
are better pianists but I can't really speak about their tron playing.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Mark
>

Hi Owen,
Your comments made perfect sense. I enjoy playing my modest piano more than any keyboard with the possible exception of the M4000 and my teacher's Steinway Grand. A choice between her piano and an M4000 would be very difficult. Only kidding, no contest.

I hope that playing a working #1565 will be as much fun, I think M-tron is a bit maligned there are 5 or 6 pretty useful voices and for the price that is quite good.

I still hope to play Bach on the tron but I agree it isn't easy with the very restricted range of the mellotron. I have have used the M-tron to accompany my wife on the flute but results weren't pretty!

Mark

--- On Tue, 5/20/08, thinkingalouduk <owen@thinking-aloud.co.uk> wrote:

From: thinkingalouduk <owen@thinking-aloud.co.uk>
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Mellotron vs Piano
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 2:30 AM

I've been playing piano since an early age, and if nothing else it gives your hands a certain
amount of dexterity, and (if you're doing the theory too) a pretty good grounding in -er-
theory. In my teenage years I headed for keyboard land, and swamped myself with synth
pads and samples, etc - it's wasn't the same kind of playing style at all - two different
worlds, but with the same basic interface.

I headed back to piano land in later years, simply because it gave me a lot more
expression than any of my old keyboards - and a much more personal relationship than a
synth or sampler: I imagine it's similar with a Tron (like you MTron and the MA CD are my
only Tronnish access just now).

Playing classical piano pieces on a Tron probably won't work very well, but keeping up the
piano lessons for a while might just give you different perspectives on your playing later.

I don't think any of that made sense.

Owen

--- In newmellotrongroup@ yahoogroups. com, Mark Pring <markpringnz@ ...> wrote:
>
> I've been having piano lessons for the last few years, originally with the idea of helping
me to play the mellotron and more recently just for the fun of it. Whilst waiting for the
happy day that #1565 is playable I've been practicing with M-tron and I am not sure that
classical piano lessons are a good preparation for mellotron playing. If my teacher could
see some of the hand positions I get forced into I don't think she would be impressed.
>
> I've read somewhere that often the best mellotron players are not always the best
keyboard players. I don't think Mike Pinder or Woolly are the most gifted keyboard players
I have heard but they are great tron players. Rick Wakeman and Dave Greenslade I think
are better pianists but I can't really speak about their tron playing.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Mark
>