Toronto is home to many talented individuals who have brought fame to our city and country. Today, we explore the story of one such innovator, the groundbreaking guitarist and inventor Michael Brook. He is the creator of a unique instrument, the Infinite Guitar, an electric guitar with continuous sustain that has become his signature sound, featured extensively in his recordings and performances. Learn more about Brook’s success story on toronto-future.com.
Childhood and Education
The future guitarist and inventor was born in Toronto in 1952. Interestingly, as a child, Michael was first drawn to photography.
After finishing school, the Toronto native played guitar in several bands. However, he quickly felt he had hit a creative wall and decided to deepen his musical knowledge. Brook enrolled at York University, where he studied electronic music, the psychology of art, and electronics.
While at university, he connected with instructors in the Eastern music department. Notably, these mentors included renowned musicians and composers like Jon Hassell, La Monte Young, and Pandit Pran Nath. This environment profoundly influenced Michael’s artistic development. His involvement in recordings and concerts during his youth marked the beginning of a successful career.
Musical Career Development
At a fairly young age, Brook realized that music was his life’s calling. He has collaborated with a host of celebrated musicians across various genres, including The Edge of U2, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, David Sylvian, and Djivan Gasparyan, among others. His innovative approach to guitar playing and sound engineering has made Brook one of the most influential musicians in the world.
In 1993, a pivotal moment in Brook’s life occurred when his music was featured in an Oscar-nominated documentary. This success served as the catalyst for his move to Los Angeles, where he opened his own studio, La Lavanderia. He also continued to tour, performing with legends like David Sylvian and Robert Fripp.
The Story Behind the Invention
Beyond his musical compositions, Brook is known for inventing a famous instrument: the Infinite Guitar. The idea emerged while he was recording his debut album, Hybrid, where he aimed to merge elements of Arabic and Indian music with modern technology. Dissatisfied with the available equipment for increasing sustain, he began a series of technical experiments that ultimately led to the creation of an instrument with a seemingly limitless sound.
A key feature of the Infinite Guitar is that it bypasses the traditional rock music setup of a tube amplifier, loudspeaker, and microphone. The design is much simpler: the guitar is plugged directly into a mixer through a preamp. This allows for a pure, clean instrument sound without the additional colouration of an amplifier. This became Brook’s signature sound, used widely in his recordings and live shows.
Thanks to this technology, Michael Brook was able to expand the musical possibilities of the guitar, creating rich, atmospheric, ambient, and ethnic soundscapes.
Michael Brook is not only a talented musician but also an inventor whose experiments produced the Infinite Guitar. His invention has influenced the evolution of music and has been especially central to his own distinguished career.
And that is the story behind the creation of a truly unique musical instrument—a fascinating look into one of Toronto’s most notable figures.