Computers have been influential in the teaching of musical skills, in the performance of music, and, with the advent of the Internet, in the accessibility to music.

Computer technology had its genesis in music before the Twentieth century, when the first electronic synthesizer, the over 200-ton Telharmonium, was invented by Taddeus Cahill. In the first three decades of the Twentieth century, the Hammond organ was invented. Computers began to be used to generate sounds and music in the 1940's through the 1970's. Improved technology reduced the size of components, facilitating the development of more portable computerized electronic instruments. An well-known example is the Moog synthesizer, invented by Robert Moog, which was a featured instrument of a number of prominent musical groups in the 1970s, including Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Yes.

A synthesizer is able to electronically alter musical tones because of its ability...