Classic Keys is a beautifully photographed and illustrated book focusing on the signature rock keyboard sounds of the 1950s to the early 1980s. It celebrates the Hammond B-3 organ, Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, the Vox Continental and Farfisa combo organs, the Hohner Clavinet, the Mellotron, the Minimoog and other famous and collectable instruments.
“This book is a must for all who love keyboards and their history and indeed, music in general.
It should be on every music lover’s bookshelf.”
Rick Wakeman
Keyboard player for Yes, solo artist and session player
From the earliest days of rock music, the role of keyboards has grown dramatically. Advancements in electronics created a crescendo of musical invention. In the thirty short years between 1950 and 1980, the rock keyboard went from being whatever down-on-its-luck piano awaited a band in a bar or concert hall to a portable digital orchestra. It made keyboards a centerpiece of the sound of many top rock bands, and a handful of them became icons of both sound and design. Their sounds live on: Digitally, in the memory chips of modern keyboards, and in their original form thanks to a growing group of musicians and collectors of many ages and nationalities.
Classic Keys explores the sound, lore, and technology of these iconic instruments, including their place in the historical development of keyboard instruments, music, and the international keyboard instrument industry. Twelve significant instruments are presented as the chapter foundations, together with information about and comparisons with more than thirty-six others. Included are short profiles of modern musicians, composers, and others who collect, use, and prize these instruments years after they went out of production.
Both authors are avid musicians, collect and restore vintage keyboards, and are well-known and respected in the international community of web forums devoted to these instruments.
In Classic Keys, the story of keyboard development is structured around the twelve signature keyboard sounds of the rock era. Historical context is provided in Overture and three introductory chapters, and then expanded in the instrument-themed chapters.
Classic Keys is the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in music, music history or popular culture. It discusses and illustrates some of the world’s most collectible vintage instruments at a level of detail to satisfy collectors and restorers, and contains exclusive information and images that are not available on the web.
Classic Keys is the ideal gift for:
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Musicians
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Vintage instrument collectors
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Home recording enthusiasts
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Music students
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Music educators
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University music departments
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Recording studios
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Museum curators
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Cultural studies enthusiasts and students
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Industrial designers
About the Authors:
ALAN LENHOFF has been a writer, editor, and executive for major U.S. newspapers, and a magazine publisher. He lives in Birmingham, Michigan.
DAVID ROBERTSON is an industrial designer, commercial photographer, and design historian from Adelaide, Australia. He is a member of the Order of Australia for services to professional design.
The Book Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
560 color and B&W illustrations
Publisher: University of North Texas Press (November, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574417762
ISBN-13: 978-1574417760
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 12.5 inches
© Alan S. Lenhoff & David E. Robertson 2019
Permissions:
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336
Denton, TX 76203-5017
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