20 Inventions That Changed Music

Music Talk
1

I found this video and topic fascinating:

What say you, fellow music and tech nerds?

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2

I picked number 1 right from the start! This was a good watch, definitely agree with the listing.

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3

I don’t think they had a separate blurb about transistors, though, right? They mentioned them in passing when they talked about vacuum tubes. But, if you’re gonna put Walkmans and iPods on the list, it seems the transistor is pretty key to making those things work. Otherwise, yes, pretty cool.

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4

I’d have put mag tape further up the list; or perhaps lump all music recording into one.

And 1956 is a bit early for personal computers; sure there were single-user computers around back then, but “personal” also implies affordable which the early ones weren’t. It wasn’t until the 1970s until personal computers were reasonably affordable.

5

Pretty great video. I never thought about impac of some of those things.

6

I think they should have done two birds and specifically said the transistor radio. Which is really what made radio blow up, cars, beach, just general portability.

7

I was thinking similarly. They could have lumped vacuum tubes and transistors together into “things that amplify electrical signals”. But these are nitpicks. There is no question the things they chose are all big deals in making music what it is today.

8

Not what I was thinking at all. I was thinking more like the Mellotron, or the Theramin. :joy:

9

Great list! I was very surprised to hear magnetic tape so high, but it totally makes sense. Radio was a great addition as well - impacting format, content, distribution, and monitization.

I would add:

  1. Transistor / op-amp - most of this list isn’t possible without it.

  2. Digital Signal Processing - ADCs, DACs, and the information theory used to process the digital bit stream is the foundation of digital music (thank you Shannon and Nyquist).

  3. Microphone - ability to convert air pressure into electrical signals.

10

Electricity and america should be included.

11

Lol. Technically electricity is not an invention. Electrical circuits…I suppose are inventions but at this point are usually combinations of lots of smaller inventions like vacuum tubes, capacitors, batteries, etc. Then if we’re going argue that countries should go on this list, I think a case can be made that the UK shaped the current music industry more than the US did. Americans were pretty resistent to much of the musical styles that formed pop music in the late 50s and 60s. The British really propelled the industry forward in those days, shaping what the industry is now.

12

Horse with no name is a good song but I don’t know…

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13

I want to say a race of american. But its such a touchy subject in america.

Music - vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

How many on the bong rips scale 1-5 to understand what is music ?

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14

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Then maybe mary jane should have been on the list, cause hand in hand.

15

I’m confused. I thought she grew up in an Indiana town and had a good-lookin’ ma who never was around. :thinking:

:rofl:

16

O for sure mind altering substances changed music. If you think about it music is a form of mind control. What occured in evolutionary history for humans to crave certain grouping of sounds. What is that ? :thinking:

63fal

17

The Drum/Percussion/Beat should be # 1 that basic caveman, primeval rhythmic beat drove hunt’s, war parties, celebrations and helped with day to day life :man_shrugging:t2:

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Soon after Goonga developed a light emitting device which he called a tube to tame the screams, with this and the cavernous environment he created a warm sound with a large soundstage :man_shrugging:t2: Who knows lol