Talk:Electric instrument

I started this page because I have always felt this is how we need to understand music in the age of electronics.

Careful, there. Wikipedia is not a soapbox. --Rob Kennedy 22:51, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Suggesting a new definition

The main discrimination factor in the current definition of electrical instruments is loudspeaker. Though this is an interesting view for separating electric (or electronic) instruments from acoustic ones, I think it is not comprehensive enough. I would suggest this one: An electric/electronic instrument is an instrument which uses an electric/electronic equimpment as part of its tone generation, alteration or amplification process. Waiting for your feedback. --Neshatian 09:35, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

Are there any reliable sources that we could cite to explain what an electric instrument really is? --Rob Kennedy 22:51, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

The loudspeaker seems no longer to be mentioned in the definition (which is a good thing I think because that would apply to any electrically amplified sound producing system). The present definition is "An electric musical instrument is one in which the use of electric devices determines or affects the sound produced by an instrument." which does not seem at all satisfactory to me, even though it seems to come from the "The Oxford Dictionary of Music". I looked this up online and found this [1] "Instrs in which the use of elec devices such as valves and photocells determines or affects the actual sound of the note prod." (with those abbreviations!). It seems very vague and dated to me. I would classify this way:

• acoustic musical instruments: sound produced physical non-electric or electrical means,
• amplified musical instruments: acoustic sound picked up by a microphone(s) (including contact microphones) and then increased in level electrically/electronically,
• electrical musical instruments: sound originated in physical vibration but picked up by something like a guitar pickup, see Electric lamellophone and Electric guitar,
• electronic musical instruments: sound originating in electrical circuits in an analogue or digital fashion.

So I disagree with the present article including "amplified musical instrument" as being a type of, or another name for, "electric instrument"; except that it seems to be meaning the use of an "instrument amplifier", and the article for that mentions that that type of amplifier is not simply something that increases the level of the signal, but is intended to modify it as well. Maybe the electric instrument article could be clarified in this respect.

I do not have any references for my classification (as yet). FrankSier (talk) 01:23, 25 February 2019 (UTC)

Counterexample

An electric reed organ (no article yet) is certainly electric, yet it contains no loudspeaker: Its electric motor-driven fan moves air; tones are generated by free reeds. Also, this article really should be Electric musical instrument, since there are plenty of electric instruments (look in an airplane cockpit or hospital operating room for examples) that are not musical.--Theodore Kloba 18:54, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I think so to - "Electric instrument" should redirect to "Electric musical instrument" and not the other way around like it's now - is there anybody who dares to change that? --SwA (talk) 12:57, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

[Electrostatic reed organs (1934–1964)] now seems to exist as a section. FrankSier (talk) 01:31, 25 February 2019 (UTC)

Tonewheel organs

"utilization of an electronic instrument amplifier to project the intended sound as determined by electronic signals from the mechanical instrument".

All tonewheel organs (representativtly the hammond organ) should be classified as an electric instrument because they utilise the tonewheel to produce the sound (and later amplifies the signal). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.95.11.164 (talk) 03:45, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Electric brass instruments

Trumpets and trombones with a mute that contains a pick-up coil that converts the sound into an electrical signal should be classified as an "electric" trumpet/trombone.

(ex: YAMAHA Silent Brass)

Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDebqbqhBkI

Naming of article(s)

I agree with an earlier writer that this article should be called Electric musical instrument. I think that this technically called a move rather than a rename. I think that "Electric instrument" should go to a disambiguation page. (I have started a new section so as not to discuss too many suggestions in a single section.) FrankSier (talk) 00:45, 25 February 2019 (UTC)