Electric guitars and keyboards have become very commonplace in today’s musical scene. These days, it is difficult to even find a singer who does not use electronic devices to enhance their voice. However, the history of electronic music is not long, having just been introduced in the 1960′s with the first electric keyboard.
Just as they were at the forefront of all music trends in their time, The Beatles were responsible for bringing the electric organ to popular music. The Mellotron was one of the first pieces of equipment of its kind and it was famously used in introduction to The Beatles’ song Strawberry Fields Forever. At this time, songs still included traditional guitars and drums, so the genre has come to be known as electro-acoustic.
The introduction of electronic instruments was a great development that opened up many more options for musicians. However, many fans did not see it this way and were shocked when their favorite artists began using amplified instruments. The most famous example of this is when Bob Dylan plugged in to play the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. His fans turned on him the instant he plugged the guitar in and he even received death threats because of that incident.
Throughout the end of the 1960′s and the 1970′s, there were several advancements in technology for electronic music. By the 1980′s, most popular music used electric instruments and even synthesizers to produce their sound. This genre of music has become commonly known as electronic, and it continues to find its way into popular music.
It is hard to imagine a time without synthesizers and electric guitars in music, but the history of electronic music does not go back very far. Electronic music has become so commonplace, in fact, that finding the acoustic version of a popular song is like stumbling upon a rare gem. Without pioneering artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, it is impossible to tell what pop music today would sound like.
