Mellotron

The Mellotron is a tape-replay keyboard instrument that plays pre-recorded sounds of orchestral instruments — strings, flutes, choirs — when keys are depressed, each note triggering its own strip of magnetic tape. The Beatles introduced it to pop on 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' its ethereal flute sounds opening one of psychedelia's defining recordings. Paul McCartney continued using the Mellotron in his solo work and Wings, appreciating its warm, slightly unstable character. The eight-second tape length per note gives the Mellotron a natural decay that synthesizers cannot replicate, creating a haunting imperfection.