Clavioline Demonstration Analog Monosynth

[@spockboy]

The Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man" brought me here. Excellent demonstration.

[@terrythekittieful]

One of the best uses of the clavioline. They didn't go overboard using it on 'BYARM',..typical tasteful use of an exotic instrument by the Fabs.

[@jojo212]

Me too! Loved your demonstration! Thx!

[@caroleelaschwa5294]

Me too! Always loved that intro! And had no idea it was John rolling an orange over a clavioline

[@yurynovalis785]

The same reason I'm here

[@Keemun_Tea]

I would personally say one of the most famous uses of this instrument is in the Telstar track from 1962. This is actually the reason I'm here! Wonderful video though, very interesting.

[@m.j.nilsson]

I'm checking out this video because of the Del Shannon - Runaway solo

[@PaintHerWhite]

Me too!!

[@jonathanlundquist5845]

Ahhhh thanks for that. Did not know

[@Jamie_E_Pritchard]

Same here. For years I thought Telstar used a theremin, but apparently not.

[@johndogwater]

What an hilarious sounding thing. Bach didn't know what he was missing.

[@joefish6091]

Pipe organs can be played with in fun ways, pipes and air, same principle.

[@setphaser]

Omg I came here only for Telstar, and got so much more thank you!

[@thomasstambaugh5181]

Various sources report that the Clavioline was used for the distinctive sitar-sounding parts in "Baby You're a Rich Man", by the Beatles. That's what brough me here.

[@jonksmodels]

Me too

[@goldenultra]

Me too, Lennon used the oboe setting which is supposed to sound like an Indian flute, the sound is a little irritating. Maybe it is supposed to as the song is about fakeness....you can play with it if you get the east west fab 4 vst. I believe Lennon played just the white notes chronological with an orange it is called the D mixodical scale.😊

[@jesusbencomo3495]

Hello Steve, I loved that piano/clavioline version of Brandenburg Concert No.3 !!

[@papsfx]

I have one, but without the stand, the sounds from this machine are so great

[@CJMusic2]

I'm currently writing the score for a documentary currently being made about Joe Meek and the tea chest tapes - I think Russ Caligari from Ginger and Pickles recently visited you guys and did some recording sessions - and I had to replicate the 'Telstar' Clavioline sound for one of the pieces. It took me hours and I ended up layering about 8 different sounds to me get anywhere close. What a fantastic sounding instrument!

[@alanh7495]

A most interesting and entertaining demonstration of the clavioline. A pioneering electronic instrument that was years ahead of its time.

[@popemalevolent1]

wonderful insight into a beautiful machine

[@throwabrick]

Del Shannon brought me here. Kind of. What a really cool piece of kit, I wonder how many people tried to modify them when they were still a new thing.

[@MrGiloine]

Fantastic small keyboard ! Vangelis used it a lot in 70's ! Thanks for this vid !

[@xander9564]

Cewl! Jack White played one on the White Stripes song "Icky Thump."

[@eottoe2001]

Thank you for the post. I remember hearing it as a kid on AM radio but didn't know what it was. Really appreciate this.

[@michaelfuria4257]

So, please play the solo to "Runaway"!!

[@joefish6091]

What a beautiful instrument.

[@souljazzfactory63]

I think the B sawtooth sound 2:14 was used for the "Screen Gems Presentation" end-title music in the early 70s

[@VintageKeysStudio]

I will check this out, thanks!

[@themediocrepretender]

I think so too, but they actually used a Moog synthesizer for that would love to see one in person tbh

[@Inivican]

This video deserves more views. This is fascinating

[@DaveBessell]

Nice demo - entertaining and informative as always.

[@setphaser]

13:15 Telstar heaven

[@mgconlan]

The musician most closely identified with the clavioline was the late great avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader and keyboard player Sun Ra. It's nice to see the demonstration and realize how Sun Ra got some of those spacey sounds on his records.

[@agnidas5816]

8:25 such clean pure tone... goodness ! and warm too from the capacitors... Genuinely sounds like something you would spend like 5-15 grand reproducing today at least

[@stoneyboyd]

3:32 is reminding me of some of the live performances of “Any Colour You Like” by Pink Floyd

[@Bixogrilopazeamor]

You lost a great opportunity to play the riff from Jerk It Out by Caesars Palace at 4:12. XD Love your videos, man. I couldn't even imagine that something like this existed, even more so in 1958. Thanks for showing it to us with such passion and detail!

[@blastfromthepast7005]

Many thanks for your rendering of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 Allegro 14:04. I too was introduced to Bach through Walter (Wendy) Carlos in the early '70s. I still have two of those vinyl records.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Ahh thanks me too!

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

This is a wonderful look at the Clavioline. The sound is pretty cool, love the music you played with it. Now I want the Behringer version, or at least an iPad app, emulation 🙂 I really appreciate all the technical details you provide about it, as a retired electronics tech, and fellow synth geek. Thanks for sharing, and best wishes for your continued success/fun with music 🎶🎹⚡

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you so much! :)

[@stkeyna]

Awesome sound you've got there, Steve. Great video, Louisa. Thank you.

[@johnfleming4276]

Great playing, and demonstration of the instrument. It had a lot of nice character. I liked the ‘bass clarinet’ type sounds you got out of the lower register especially.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you very much!

[@anonymusum]

I had fun. Thank you!

[@DeadKoby]

Very fun. Gotta love old school tube gear.

[@kgbinfo]

Wow this thing can produce some pretty heavy bass tones. I want one!

[@freeman61]

You are AMAZING !!!

[@steveandrews7088]

A fantastic instrument and very portable too!

[@dansonthetube]

OK 😇 I liked & subscribed 😁 I restored part of the case and made a handle for one of these belonging to my mate Dave! it's designed to fit under the piano keyboard (But you never mentioned that!) P.s. Loved 'Switched on Bach' ❤

[@dansonthetube]

I too really enjoyed this video so many thanks 😊

[@martifingers]

Lovely sound, beautifully demonstrated.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Many thanks!

[@adeeponionbrah]

Well now….we both listened to Carlos and I play the flip side of Telstar, Jungle Fever. A simple song brain worm.

[@williamjordan5554]

Telstar was played on one.

[@revtonynewnham]

Very interesting. Keep up the good work.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you!

[@martesmuerto]

that telstar sounds lovely! cheers

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you!

[@precbass]

I think,though I may be wrong,that the unusual shape shape of the instrument would enable it to be situated under the keyboard of the piano.If that stand was lowered slightly,it would slide gently under the main keyboard.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Yes that’s correct! :)

[@damirhlobik6488]

great video, thank you

[@wavecast64]

I loved the little bit of Brandenburg at the end. Switched on Bach was what got me personally into classical and the reason why I wanted my piano teacher to teach me the two part inventions and wachet auf so bad

[@VintageKeysStudio]

That’s great - yes. I remember at age 6 I didn’t realise the moog modular was monophonic and thought that there existed a synth that would let you play multiple lines using multiple timbres somehow

[@colchiccoduvapassa]

It's funny because I did the vice versa travel. In the early '70 I was totally into classic music and Switched on Bach (and clockwork orange too) was my bridge to contemporary prog rock music.

[@lorencarlin2087]

Amazing! Just amazing!

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thanks a lot!

[@pascalcoole2725]

Given the time it was produced, pretty impressive.

[@dwaynesturge5556]

Your range of music is quite incredible and you are enjoyable to watch and listen to - hail Europeans (me: English Irish Scottish German French and Welsh so you tickle my fancy in your take on music my friend :)

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you very much! :)

[@BillDerBerg]

beautiful

[@minosvoutsinos]

Hi Steve, I think it's not an alligator or snake skin, but actually a "Galuchat" skin effect or maybe even an original. Galuchat is called "Shagreen" in English. It is shaved shark or ray skin and was a very prestigeous an luxurious item in the 20ies and 30ies. I think you forgot tho mention that the shape of this instrument was made this way to make it fit under a piano keyboard so that the height of the Clavioline matches the height of the piano keyboard. Anyway, I like your videos and your style very much. Keep going on, you do fine! Greetings from Paris

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you so much, Minos! I might have to write a piece of music called ‘Shaved Shark’ now you have told me this! All the best Steve

[@minosvoutsinos]

@@VintageKeysStudio Wonderful Idea. I won't ask for royalties.

[@agnidas5816]

5:19 sounds a lot like the chiptune audio from the NES/SNES. Like the starting beeps in their formula 1 and other racing games. Similar circuits probably ... copied over from early synths. Hmm. I wonder if those were supposed to be electric organs like from baseball stadiums.

[@imslicc]

The part where you play at the end of the video, made me say wow out loud a couple of times O=

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thank you!

[@anyversionofme]

I'm getting mine in one week. It also appears in the Giu' La Testa soundtrack - "Scherzi a parte". by Ennio Morricone. Thanks for the video. Does the reverb comes from the Clavioline... I think there was a version with a spring reverb. By the way, you've got a new suscriber!

[@paulj0557tonehead]

The Hammond F100 sounds more like this and was used on the *Wild World of Animals* intro. I have an ebony 1955 Hammond S6 Hammond Necklace Reverb and AO-35 Reverb amp. It's a bit smoother and refined. I'll put a 1 wire switchable mod in the reply with link to the S6 schematic, which is from the way back machine. The Owners/ Service manual I have printed into a nice booklet. Glad I did because it disappeared. However the all important schematic is online. I'll photograph anything from the manual if you want if you need it. (mod in reply VVV )

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thanks very much - have you seen our S6 video? I have a service manual for that . I would like to see the ebony S6! - do you have a photo? :)

[@jojo212]

Lived your Walter (Wendy) Carlos' piece from Switched on Bach

[@jojo212]

Loved

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

It sounds like the old CBS tv "in color" bumper from the late 60s

[@VintageKeysStudio]

I'll have to seek that out

[@archdukeofsynth]

Great "Switched-On Fart" segment!

[@AndrewAHayes]

I notice the name Selmer on the front, IMany many years ago I used to frequent a music store on Denmark Street London that was called Selmer, I wonder if the two are related.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Very definitely yes - Selmer imported lots of instruments and also I think were licensed to rebrand some stuff with their own name. I am sure someone on here will know more.

[@CapitaineNautilus]

Do you have any information or guess about how the Max Brook's synth worked, in the original version of "My Little Runaway" by Del Shannon? In particular, how he could do those glissandi that can be heard in the solo?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Cheers - I used to know but have become muddled so I will do some research and hopefully do a video based on this solo at some point soon! :)

[@CapitaineNautilus]

@@VintageKeysStudio That would be wonderful!

[@Karlfalcon]

Makes me think of educational films from the 70s.

[@royandjacqueline1294]

The Footage Detectives, from The Talking Pictures Channel brought us here. They're talking about Journey into Space ✝️

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Great!

[@caroleelaschwa5294]

Thanks I just discovered this instrument after a lifelong love affair with the intro to Baby You’re a Rich Man…

[@rays7805]

I'd always heard it stated definitively that it was a Clavioline in Telstar. I think the guy from The Moontrekkers, who used it on "Night of the Vampire", has it now. Also, there was "Runaway" by Del Shannon, which had a heavily modified synthesizer that apparently began life as an ordinary Clavioline. Edit: Yeah, told ya. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3PQi3Rum9-Cgs0

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Thanks for fact checking! What an interesting watch.

[@peterorr999]

That hilarious keyboard was a Runaway hit.

[@cardboardmusic]

I have one which has been siting in its box for 40 years as the knee lever was broken off when I found it. Maybe I should see if there's a way of fixing it!

[@VintageKeysStudio]

If you're in the UK we can fix it for you!

[@cardboardmusic]

@@VintageKeysStudio I'm from the UK so maybe the next time I'm over I could leave it with you for repair? I'll look up your contact - it would be great to fix it!

[@VintageKeysStudio]

@@cardboardmusic ok great yes that would be fine

[@divermike8943]

Some of the settings sound similar to a harpsichord to me, sans vibrato of course. The clarinet sounds are familiar but I can't place from what popular tunes. Maybe someone can help with that. For Del Shannon's "Runaway" the settings are vibrato I, Amplitude ON, 3 and 8. I THINK. LOL. Stealing those settings from another KZbin video I put on pause. :-D

[@maksphoto78]

The famous lead in Del Shannon "Runaway!"

[@VintageKeysStudio]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXa6pGmNodqErtUsi=5vdGYovnv_ZLDeFc

[@AsafSmilan]

Hi, I have a Selmer clavioline concert reverb from1962 and the reverb tank input transducer is dead. Do you know what is the impedance of the input transducer / can you please measure the DC resistance of your tank input and output? Maybe your tank have a Gibbs code on it?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Sadly my Clavioline doesn’t have a reverb tank. Has your tank got any code on it?

[@AsafSmilan]

@@VintageKeysStudio Unfortunately there are no codes on the reverb tank.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Send me some photos of the tank if you can - contact me through the website vintagekeysstudio.com and we can talk via email

[@Nickelbender]

I think the Telstar sound was made not in a single take. Of course knowing Joe and his way of doing things and also I have read on the subject that during the recording of Telstar the clavioline was overdubbed with multiple different settings and of course EQ changes, compression etc. I personally dream of owning a clavioline since I would love to try to re-record Telstar with all analog equipment (not that it would be better than the original) but sadly I don't have the money to buy a clavioline. Tho I have been planning on trying to clone one.

[@RenaissanceEarCandy]

Sounds like the keyboard parts in many Del Shannon songs. Probably was that instrument.

[@peterking2794]

I was given an old Clavioline about 20 years ago and my plan was to do it up. However, I had to sell it when we emigrated to France and thought the buyer might have renovated it but, alas, I fear they might have just robbed the 6V6 valves (and the rest) and dumped it. The b'stards! 😞

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Oh no! That’s a great pity

[@alvarolever2448]

Tasty...lot of sounds from Vangelis, The Apocalypse of John and Earth albums

[@intarc0giotto]

sounds like the keyboard part of an ondes martenot

[@macraur]

vangelis used it on his early albums

[@keiranbradley3238]

How difficult would it be to build a pre amp to use the amplifier of this for use with a guitar?.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Not difficult but potentially lethal if you are not sure what you are doing - seek professional assistance

[@keiranbradley3238]

I wouldn't be building the pre-amp myself but I can get the power amp section and was thinking there would be those old multi pin connections to sort out/deal with. It's a beautiful old thing but I'm not sure I can save them all, I already have too much analogue gear to keep up with. Always enjoy the content, thanks.

[@the786ltd]

FUN FACT: This keyboard was used by Kalyanji of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo for the famous snake music in 1954 Bollywood film, Nagin.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Brilliant’ i will have a watch!

[@caveatemp]

Steve, where can we find your original recordings? A band perhaps?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Ahh yes - I am known as Steve Christie's Wrong (aka The Goose and The Crow, Startled Crab, and Serena Rooney Dougal, to name but a few other projects!) - vintagekeysrecords.bandcamp.com or streaming platforms everywhere :)

[@U014B]

Wait a minute, that bass guitar in the background: isn't it supposed to be way shorter and have surgical tubing for strings?

[@2wm]

I thought I had read it was a heavily modified Clavioline.

[@BlueFritzie]

Steve is there any software you know of with the full sounds of the Clavioline? Just curious. Thanks.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

As far as I know, no one has made one. I am not very knowledgeable about new software, so I could be wrong

[@BlueFritzie]

@@VintageKeysStudio Thanks, I did later find a company (B & H for $59) that sold “Sonic Reality’s Key’s of 60’s and 70’s”. It supposedly has some Clavioline sounds.

[@keiranbradley3238]

It looks like Selmer made the amp?.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

I think they were just a sales company in the UK.

[@keiranbradley3238]

Selmer made a boat load of amps right into the seventies as well as many other musical instruments. Your pulling my walking appendage aren't you?, Haha.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

@@keiranbradley3238 as far as I know this amp and keyboard was made in France, but I could be wrong - it’s been a long time since I opened it up and I have had several different claviolines over the years. Selmer rebranded a lot of imported stuff that they didn’t make as well as making their own gear.

[@keiranbradley3238]

@VKS you will know better than myself having owned it for so long, I thought the voltage selector and the power line looked very "Selmerish" and the general size, there's a Selmer Clavioline amp on evilbay just now that's identical to yours apart from the colour, that one's blue and grey, it's a beautiful old thing.

[@keiranbradley3238]

@VKS I love your content, it's very much appreciated, it must be a nightmare maintaining all that old gear!. Thanks.

[@louisarevolta]

12:19 sounds like Sweep on acid!

[@imslicc]

is that a real plate reverb?

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Yes

[@XY_Dude]

cool little unit. Note - it is a bit of a crime to have a beautiful Steinway grand so horribly in need of tuning!

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Cheers! the piano is tuned every 3-6 months or sometimes especially for piano sessions. I think you will find it’s the clavioline that’s out of tune, which is where most of its charm lies

[@XY_Dude]

@@VintageKeysStudio outstanding! I have heard so many artists that do not bother to tune prior to a recording. In this case it was one note that caught my ear: A3 (so sorry, not a troll, just surprised) Great music room!!

[@francescomontefiori7064]

😀👍

[@lsswappedcessna]

11:31 taco tuesday, huh? yeah I wish I could get one in decent shape.

[@bobbybrooks4826]

That's WHERE' Your first electric GUITAR AMPLIFIER CAME FROM amplifier...

[@batata_dog]

0:25 xDDD

[@rustynail6819]

Moog invented then synth....(Clavioline has entered the chat).

[@sssyntax]

This is a really good video but what is with the glitch editing? Very distracting and unnecessary.

[@VintageKeysStudio]

Sorry about that