Rhodes piano
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The Rhodes piano is an early electromechanical piano invented by Harold Rhodes which saw a lot of use in 1970s jazz, soul, and rock music. Like a conventional piano, keys are pressed which moves a hammer, however, unlike a piano with strings, the hammer strikes a thin metal tines which are amplified via an electromagnetic pickup plugged into an external keyboard amplifier and speaker. This gives the instrument a very unique sound that also is slightly different for each instrument due to different levels of maintenance.
The piano was developed by Harold Rhodes who based it on a small teaching piano he built in 1946. In 1959, Rhodes entered a joint-venture with Fender and built a 32-key "Piano Bass." In 1965, the company was sold to CBS, and they released the full-sized 73-key Mark I model. In 1970, a stage model was made, and in 1972 an 88-key model was made. Then, in 1979, the Mark II was released. The Rhodes fell out of favor in the 1980s as synthesizers became more popular (the Yamaha DX7 even had a patch that simulated the Rhodes), and the last model to be made under CBS was the Mark V in 1984. In 1985, the company was closed down and later sold to Roland in 1987 who released the MK 80 which Harold Rhodes did not contribute to or approve of. Harold Rhodes bought the rights from Roland in 1997, but, due to poor health was unable to release a new model and died in 2002. The Mark 7 was released in 2007.
Although I grew up in a family where music was frequently played and heard plenty of songs which used the Rhodes piano, nobody was trained in instrumentation, so I never knew much about the technical details of music or how to identify the sound. I remember seeing the term "Rhodes" on synthesizers, but I didn't know what that meant. As an adult, I noticed that really enjoyed the sound of electric pianos, and, after seeing the term Rhodes again, I decided to research it to get a better ear for the keyboard's timbre.
Songs
Songs in this table feature the Rhodes piano. Songs almost never credit the specific model of Rhodes, and frequently use the term "electric piano," which makes it difficult to distinguish the Rhodes from other electronic keyboards like the Wurlitzer.
| Title | Artist | Player | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angela (Theme From Taxi) | Bob James | Bob James | 1978-07-20 |
| Babe | Styx | Dennis DeYoung | 1979-09-?? |
| Dreams | Fleetwood Mac | Christine McVie | 1977-03-24 |
| Everything In Its Right Place (synthesized?) | Radiohead | Jonny Greenwood or Philip Selway | 2000-10-02 |
| Get Back | The Beatles | Billy Preston | 1969-04-11 |
| Just the Way You Are (synthesized?) | Billy Joel | Billy Joel | 1977-09-29 |
| Killing Me Softly With His Song | Roberta Flack | Roberta Flack | 1973-08-01 |
| My Slumbering Heart | Rilo Kiley | Jenny Lewis | 2002-10-01 |
| Riders On the Storm | The Doors | Ray Manzarek | 1971-04-?? |
| Shake a Tail Feather (The Blues Brothers soundtrack) | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | 1980-06-20 |
Media
The "stage" model of the Mark I with 73 keys, produced in 1970.
The "stage" model of the Mark I with 88 keys, produced in 1972.
A Rhodes recreation with a clear top to expose the hammers and metal tines.
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Links
