Mellotronists

On Monday, March 22, 2004, at 02:02 PM, Ignacio Nieto Carvajal wrote:

> Hello everybody:
>
> I was wondering if any of you would have some sheet music or even 
> plain text notes of the mellotron parts from old songs. Im interested 
> mainly in old moodies, genesis and king crimson. It would be very nice 
> to know how to play "epitaph" or the (in?)famous intro of "watcher of 
> the skies".
>
> Thanks.
>
> Nacho

Nacho,

Attached to this e-mail is the transcription of "Watcher of the Skies" 
that I did up for the people who attended the Tronto MkII workshop in 
2001. If you want to be authentic to Tony Banks playing live, then you 
should start out playing the bass clef part with your right hand on a 
Hammond organ (bass pedals, too, if you have them!), and your left hand 
playing the treble clef part on the mellotron. At the Moderato section, 
use both hands on the mellotron.

I watched Messr. Banks play it a few times live and this is the way he 
did it. If you want to do a studio version, then go totally nuts with 
overdubs and added octaves. Somebody on the list has said that Banks 
used a mellotron bass accordian sound in the studio version but I don't 
recommend doing that because of the tendency for it to cause the piece 
to break out into a polka -- which would be a very shocking thing 
indeed!

Have fun!

Anybody have "Epitaph" for our Spanish friend?

Rick