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Thaddeus Cahill invents the Telharmonium
In 1897, Thaddeus Cahill patented the Telharmonium, which went on to become the precursor of the modern synthesizer. -
The Mighty Wurlitzer is introduced
In 1910, the Mighty Wurlitzer was introduced. The Mighty Wurlitzer was an electronic organ, and replaced the Telharmonium. -
The Theremin is invented by Leon Theremin
In 1920, Leon Theremin invented a revolutionary electronic instrument, which is played without physically touching it. -
Maurice Martenot invents the Ondes Martenot
The Ondes Martenot was invented by Maurice Martenot, and is similar to the Theremin in terms of technology used. The Ondes Martenot is an electronic organ. -
Laurens Hammond introduces the Hammond organ
The Hammond Organ uses technology similar to the Telharmonium. It is an elecronic organ. -
The Trautonium is invented
Friedrich Trautwein invented the Trautonium in 1929. It is an electronic keyboard that uses a wire over a metal plate to produce noise, rather than traditional keyboard keys. -
Les Paul has his own guitar by Gibson patented
In 1941, the Les Paul guitar was invented, becoming one of the best selling guitars of all time. -
Pierre Schaffer and Pierre Henry record first "musique concrete" song
In 1948, "Étude aux chemins de fer" was recorded from the sounds of a train by Pierre Schaffer and Pierre Henry. This was the very first "Musique concrete" song. -
First song entirely composed by a computer
'Illiac Suite for String Quartet' was the first song ever composed entirely by a computer, and was the result of random generations of various musical elements. -
The RCA Mark II is invented
Herbert Belar and Harry Olson created the RCA Mark II, which was the first programmable electronic music synthesizer. It weighed 3 tons. -
The very popular Moog Synthesizer is invented
Robert Moog's synthesizer, The Moog, became the first commercially available synthesizer in 1958. This was used by many popular bands, including The Beatles. -
The Buchla Music Box is invented
The Buchla Music Box, invented by Don Buchla, allowed musicians to "bend and manipulate" music all at once. Pitch, timbre, and amplitude could be changed with this synthesizer. -
The Beach Boys popularize multitracking
Multitracking was heavily used in the Beach Boys' hit "I Get Around". This brought attention to the use of multitracking as a way to create thicker textures in music. -
DJ Kool Herc invents and popularizes his "break" technique.
In 1972, DJ Kool Herc began using the break technique that he invented in various ways. This became popular after the development of the "Merry-go-round" technique in DJ-ing. -
MIDI Invented
The MIDI was invented in 1983 after being proposed years earlier. This allowed instruments of different brands to communicate with each other.
