The talk box sound will always be associated with ’80s over-the-topness: the lazer funk of Zapp & Roger,the gaudy riffery of Peter Frampton. Even more recent retro-futurists that use the box (or similar, vocoder-y sounds) — Chromeo, Dâm Funk, Daft Punk — stick firmly to the ’80s m.o. of near-goofy neon squelch.
Recently, though, I was hipped to Pete Drake, a ’50s and ’60s pedal steel session guitarist who was one of the earliest (if not the earliest) proponent of what he called “the talking guitar.” I was blown away when I saw the video above; it’s a truly unique and magical use of the box — like a bizarro version of Santo & Johnny’s dreamy “Sleepwalking.” Ultimately, it may be the context (”Forever”’s lilting doo-wop amble) that gives the TB effect its “wow” factor more than than proficiency or particular inventiveness, but that doesn’t dull the sheen of hearing the song unfold.
Pete Drake's "talking steel guitar" effect was created when he sang through the pickup on his pedal steel, making a robotic sound that anticipated "Freak-A-Zoid" and vocoders by decades. On Forever, Drake uses the effect most extensively on "I'm Just a Guitar (Everybody Picks on Me)," but otherwise delivers more predictable fare on the order of an instrumental rendition of Bill Anderson's "Still," an entrancing steel guitar arrangement of Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk," and an occasional original. A vocal chorus chimes in wordlessly or, as on "Sleep Walk," by dreamily intoning the song title. Drake was a virtuoso and a sought-after sideman who deserved to step forward as a soloist. Forever is a treat for enthusiasts of the steel guitar and Drake's ability, but only ones who also have a liking or tolerance for easy listening -- the country music content on Forever is very low.
A talk box is an effects device that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of their mouth. The effect can be used to shape the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto a musical instrument, typically a guitar (its non-guitar use is often confused with the vocoder) and keyboards.
Overview
Using a talk boxA talk box is usually an effects pedal that sits on the floor and contains a speaker attached with an airtight connection to a plastic tube; however, it can come in other forms, such as the ‘Ghetto Talkbox’ (a homemade version which is usually crude) or higher quality custom-made versions. The speaker is generally in the form of a compression driver, the sound-generating part of a horn loudspeaker with the horn replaced by the tube connection. The box has connectors for the connection to the speaker output of an instrument amplifier and a connection to a normal instrument speaker. A foot-operated switch on the box directs the sound either to the talkbox speaker or to the normal speaker. The switch is usually a push-on/push-off type. The other end of the tube is taped to the side of a microphone, extending enough to direct the reproduced sound in or near the performer’s mouth. When activated, the sound from the amplifier is reproduced by the speaker in the talkbox and directed through the tube into the performer’s mouth. The shape of the mouth filters the sound, with the modified sound being picked up by the microphone. The shape of the mouth changes the harmonic content of the sound in the same way it affects the harmonic content generated by the vocal folds when speaking. The performer can vary the shape of the mouth and position of the tongue, changing the sound of the instrument being reproduced by the talkbox speaker. The performer can mouth words, with the resulting effect sounding as though the instrument is speaking. This “shaped” sound exits the performer’s mouth, and when it enters a microphone, an instrument/voice hybrid is heard. The sound can be that of any musical instrument, but the effect is most commonly associated with the guitar. The rich harmonics of an electric guitar are shaped by the mouth producing a sound very similar to voice, effectively allowing the guitar to appear to “speak”.
History
Singing guitar
In 1939, Alvino Rey used a carbon throat microphone wired in such a way as to modulate his electric steel guitar sound. The mic, originally developed for military pilot communications, was placed on the throat of Rey’s wife Luise King (one of The King Sisters), who stood behind a curtain and mouthed the words, along with the guitar lines. The novel-sounding combination was called “Singing Guitar”, but was not developed further. Rey also created a somewhat similar “talking” effect, by manipulating the tone controls of his Fender electric guitar, but the vocal effect was less pronounced.[1]
Sonovox
Another early voice effect using the same principle of the throat as a filter was the Sonovox. Instead of a throat microphone modulating a guitar signal, it used small loudspeakers attached to the performer’s throat.[2] It was used in films such as A Letter to Three Wives (1949), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), the voice of Casey Junior the train in Dumbo (1941) and The Reluctant DragonRusty in Orchestraville, the piano in Sparky’s Magic Piano, and the airplane in Whizzer The Talking Airplane (1947). The Sonovox was also used in many radio station IDs produced by PAMS of Dallas and JAM Creative Productions. Lucille Ball made one of her earliest film appearances during the 1930s in a Pathé Newsreel demonstrating the Sonovox. (1941), the instruments in The Sonovox makes an even earlier appearance in the 1940 film “You’ll Find Out” starring Kay Kyser and his orchestra, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Peter Lorre. Lugosi uses the Sonovox to imitate the voice of a dead person during a seance.
Talking steel guitar
Pete Drake, a Nashville mainstay on the pedal steel guitar, used talk box on his 1964 album Forever, in what came to be called his “talking steel guitar.” The following year Gallant released three albums with the box, Pete Drake & His Talking Guitar, Talking Steel and Singing Strings, and Talking Steel Guitar.[3] Drake’s device consisted of an 8-inch paper cone speaker driver attached to a funnel from which a clear tube brought the sound to the performer’s mouth. It was only loud enough to be useful in the recording studio.[4]
Talk box controversy
There is controversy over who invented the talk box. Bob Heil has claimed he invented the talk box[5] but there is clearly prior art in the form of the Kustom Electronics device, “The Bag”,[6] which is the same concept housed in a decorative bag slung over the shoulder like a wine bottle and sold in 1969, two years before Heil’s Talk Box. The Bag is claimed to have been designed by Doug Forbes,[7][8] who states that the exact same concept (horn driver attached to a plastic tube and inserted into the mouth) had previously been patented as an artificial larynx.[9] The band Iron Butterfly used a talkbox in 1970 on the song “Butterfly Bleu”. In 1973, Heil gave his talk box to Peter Frampton as a Christmas present. Frampton first heard the talk box when Stevie Wonder was using it for his upcoming album Music of My Mind. Then when he was playing guitar on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, he saw Pete Drake using it with a pedal steel guitar. Frampton used it on his album Frampton Comes Alive! Due to the success of the album, and particularly the hit singles “Do You Feel Like We Do” and “Show Me the Way”, Frampton has become somewhat synonymous with the talk box.[10][11][12] In an interview with Nuno Bettencourt, Brian May was questioned about whether the song “Delilah” was recorded using a talk box on Queen’s “Innuendo” record. May answered: “Yes, I finally succumbed and used one … I suppose there’s no other way to make the meow sounds, meouw, meouw, meouw”. In 1988, Heil sold the manufacturing rights to Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. who currently builds the Heil Talk Box to the exact standards that Bob Heil designed in 1973. Peter Frampton also now sells his own line of custom designed “Framptone” products, including a talk box.[13]
3 Televiper on Oct 30th, 2009 said: His backup band is fantastic. I could listen to stuff like that all day. I do have to say my favourite talk box songs are “Kick Start My Heart” and “Man in the Box.” Maybe more for the subtlety of “wo wowow” over actually trying to make the guitar talk.
4 Gordon on Oct 31st, 2009 said: That must have been absolutely startling in it’s day! Can you imagine?
5 shempboogie on Nov 3rd, 2009 said: seems so out of context . i love it.
6Lad Litter on Nov 22nd, 2009 said: Thanks for that. He’s great – and on a pedal steel! BTW, Joe Walsh’s 1972 Rocky Mountain Way was the first talk box I ever heard.
Image by whatgetsmehot via Flickr
the gaudy riffery of Peter Frampton. Even more recent retro-futurists that use the box (or similar, vocoder-y sounds) — Chromeo, Dâm Funk, Daft Punk — stick firmly to the ’80s m.o. of near-goofy neon squelch.
Recently, though, I was hipped to Pete Drake, a ’50s and ’60s pedal steel session guitarist who was one of the earliest (if not the earliest) proponent of what he called “the talking guitar.” I was blown away when I saw the video above; it’s a truly unique and magical use of the box — like a bizarro version of Santo & Johnny’s dreamy “Sleepwalking.” Ultimately, it may be the context (”Forever”’s lilting doo-wop amble) that gives the TB effect its “wow” factor more than than proficiency or particular inventiveness, but that doesn’t dull the sheen of hearing the song unfold.
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I do have to say my favourite talk box songs are “Kick Start My Heart” and “Man in the Box.” Maybe more for the subtlety of “wo wowow” over actually trying to make the guitar talk.