Streetly Electronics Mellotron Tape Library


String Section

beast of sound is this one. A shattering combination of violins, viola and 'cello, this sounds like the original Mk II Strings have suddenly grown up and had its glands go on the rampage. It's apt to take over the sound of almost anything else playing (and therefore a great way of drowning out the singer who thinks he's going to get off with the girl in the front row) to the extent that it really must be played with restraint.

Holding down chords is still okay, but phrasing is all-important, as is knowing which inversions you can get away with and which are strictly verboten. The booming low-end of the 'cello, together with the dense tonal clusters of the upper end make this a perfect candidate for playing close upper-end triads with single note bass lines.

It has often been said that a Mellotron is one of the few instruments where you can get away with playing only one note and having it sound impressive. This is never more easily demonstrated than by the sound of the string section - as the entire career of a nameless German Electro-Ambient band playing hours of E-minor appears to show.

Click here to hear a sample of this sound