Chewing the Hose: A Futuristic Musical Invention Born Out of Love (8 Photos + 2 Videos)

Useful inventions often come about by chance. But they are also the result of an attempt to help, to make life easier, to find a common language. This contraption combined all the reasons.





Talkbox (talkbox) is a block of effects, which allows musicians to change the sound of the instrument, giving it intonation of the human voice. Due to the unsightly appearance and way of use among the people he was given an apt nickname - "chewing hose".



talk box

The device is primitive - a nondescript box with a tube. The body is sealed. Inside is a dynamic head - source sound. A signal is sent to it from the power tool. A the mouth acts as a resonator for the sound output of the tube "operator"-performer. If desired, and growing from the right place hands you can easily assemble it yourself.





Modern talk box



The creator of the device can be called a jazz guitarist Alvino Ray, who in the 1930s made talk-boxing part of the spectacular show. On a mannequin stood on stage, and behind the scenes, Ray's wife sang into a throat microphone chord progression. And listeners observed the effect of "singing guitar".

At the same time, the Sonovox device appeared, which was invented by Gilbert Wright. The membrane system made it possible to change the human voice, making similar to the sound of musical instruments.



Bob Hale

The progenitor of the talk box in modern interpretation can be called sound engineer and radio engineer Bob Hale, who developed the device Heil Talk Box in 1973.



Pete Drake

A modernized Pete Drake - guitarist and producer. Which just tried to use distorted sound, as they say, in the name of love. From an interview with Drake:

I have six children and there was a couple who lived next door to us. deaf-mute who tried to talk to my children in the garden. I watched old film with Alvino Ray and thought that even if the guitar can make people talk, and even more so, so I began to create device to help them. I did my part, found a doctor who helped me, and we came up with something that gave people a voice. You put the pipe in your mouth and it gives you voice and then I tried it's on a guitar, and it worked.





Brian May

The beauty of the "hose" is that its use is limited only the artist's imagination. In the talk box, you can moo, purr, sniff, puff. Yes, even chirp and croak. Brian May in Dilailah, for example, lingeringly meowed - meeow-meeow-meeow.

Many have resorted to using talkbox and are resorting to it. performers. One of the pioneers is Matthias Jabs of Scorpions. A also Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Ritchie Sambora from Bon Jovi and beyond.



There are thematic sites and forums where people learn use the device, share secrets and complain about the liters of current saliva. Well, those are costs. But the "wow effect", as in the case of Bon Jovi, for whom the talk box effect has become the band's hallmark, secured.