Ellie Hjemmet’s husband Mike sometimes says, “You can make an electric guitar sound like anything but a guitar.” And as a life-long acoustic guitar player, I know exactly what he means. Something about the attack, the resonance, the feel of a good acoustic guitar is very different from that of an electric guitar. Not that I don’t like electric guitars, not that I don’t think that Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana are guitar geniuses. But an electric guitar is a different instrument with a different sound.

Over Christmas, Patty added a xylophone to the collection of instruments that she will use for performances of Sound Traveler. She adds this to the trumpet, bass, concertina, kick drum, doumbek, maraca, and tambourine that she already plays. All of which we combine with the guitar, harmonica, and mandolin that I provide to make a mini-orchestra of instrumental color. In addition, we both sing on almost every song. A friend in jest said, “Why don’t you just get a synthesizer and play everything!”

Hey, synthesizers are cool. I loved what the Moody Blues did with theirs, and the Who created unearthly backgrounds that stirred the soul. Manheim Steamroller’s Christmas creations speak for themselves as effective musical expression. But the keyboard players in these groups didn’t play everything; they played keyboards and synthesizers. The Moody Blues played a real flute, real acoustic guitars, real drums, and a real bass along with synthesizer. Ray Charles once said, “I don’t see well, but I hear good! I like the sound of real instruments playing real music.”

Well, I know we’re not Ray Charles and the Raylettes, but we do play real instruments. When Sound Traveler plays, if you think you hear a trumpet, you do. If you think you hear a mandolin, that’s what it is. If you think you hear a xylophone, you’ll know that Patty has found something else that has captured her musical imagination. And I think it sounds good — real good.

I hope your Christmas was great. Sound Traveler had a wonderful, if informal, Christmas music tour, and now we are preparing for a New Year’s Eve performance at Applebee’s on Merritt Island. Make plans to come and hear Patty’s newest instrumental addition. Let’s ring in the best year ever! — Bob Tatum

To respond to this post, click on the title, scroll down, and tell us what you think.

4 Comments to “SongTravelin’: 12.28.10 — Why not a Synthesizer?”

• December 28, 2010 at 10:04 am
  Jacques says:

  The sound that an instrument produces comes from a variety of factors, While electronics can do an amazing job of imitating the sound of an instrument, it can never duplicate all of the factors involved. For example, the wood of a Steinway grand piano is a little different than that of a Yamaha. The slightly aged strings and worn frets of a professionally played acoustic guitar will not sound the same as a new guitar with absolutely fresh strings — and even new strings have variances. Finally, even the body of the player will affect the sound projected by an acoustic instrument. So I agree. Synthesizers are amazing, but I don’t see anything replacing real acoustic instruments.
• December 28, 2010 at 1:53 pm
  Patty says:

  I love all of my instruments for different reasons.

  I love my trumpet because we’ve been together for a really long time (30 years and counting with my Bach Strad – thanks to my mom and dad for buying me the best horn money can buy once I had proven that I would stick with it) and it is truly a part of me. After all this time, I can’t remember not playing. It’s like breathing.

  I appreciate my guitar, Tak, for introducing me to the wonderful world of playing by ear and for opening the door to my bass playing, which I dearly love. Playing bass just feels so good.

  And then I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Squishy, my concertina, because he makes such a happy little sound. For an instrument that I just don’t understand at all, I have a blast playing him.

  Now my love is growing for all things percussion. Growing up, my mom used to say that she wished I had become a percussionist because back in my younger days I struggled with braces, allergies, colds, tonsillitis, etc., which is difficult for a competitive horn player to handle. I guess she’s finally getting her wish, because I’m working with a kick drum/tambourine combo (Thumper), doumbek, and maraca/egg shakers.

  We just brought home a xylophone yesterday, and we’re already composing with it today. It makes another joyful noise, and Bob says I’m taking to it like a duck to water. It’s such a new member to our musical family that it doesn’t have a name yet. Any suggestions? I’m leaning toward Angel, but I’m open to ideas.

  Yes, there are many musical instruments for me to love and to be thankful for. I don’t think this is the end of the acqusition process, either. But something I’m even more thankful for than the diversity of instruments is my partner, the super-talented and ever-amazing Bob, who encourages me and embraces all of my instruments and me every single day.

  Bob, I love them, but I love you more.
• December 29, 2010 at 10:35 am
  Ed says:

  But for those of us playing “alone and unamplified” as one songwriter once put it, Overdubbing and sympathizing are a requirement.
• December 29, 2010 at 1:20 pm
  admin says:

  As long as you are quoting such prestigious writers, then your comment must carry some weight. I actually wrote a song one time called “Sound on Sound” and it was a play on overdubbing.

  Actually, I have nothing against synthesizers. I see a synthesizer as one instrument that imitates many others — and often quite well. But I like synthesizers along with other instruments. And overdubbing is, I agree, a requirement in solo or small-group recording.

  Speaking of which, I hope you are writing and recording these days.