Rhodes Piano

Robert L's Analog Synths

Rhodes Piano
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Robert L's Analog Synths

Mark I ver. Mark II Controversy &
Properly Adjusted Rhodes

Rhodes Stage Piano, Mark I, Seventy Three

Rhodes -- the synonym for electric piano. Rhodes Electric Piano is to the world of keyboards what electric guitar is to the world of plucked string instruments. Before the large introduction of synthesizers and digital keyboards into the pop music, Rhodes pianos were among the most distinguished instruments of the new musical era. Its sound became a trade-mark of R&B, funk, jazz, soul and all intermediary music genres.
Like all great instruments, the Rhodes piano was something special from the very moment it was introduced to the world by its inventor and constructor Harold Rhodes. The main reason for that was that the Rhodes really was a piano -- with hammers striking against the tines, while the other portable and affordable keyboards of that time were mostly electric organs or some kind of electronic instruments of very limited dynamics. And in the same time it was so different from classic pianos and anything heard before. Its sound was somewhat in between a vibraphone in the high end, and a kind of "warm" piano in the mid and lower end. Still, being far from just a mixture of anything, it had its own genuine character in both, the way of playing and the sound produced. It was an inspiring instrument, calling for a new kind of music.
So it didn't take long before the Rhodes hit the music scene real big. The leading artists and bends promoted its unique timbre early after its introduction to the broad market by the Fender company. And although there were some other electric pianos, some of them quite remarkable like its biggest competitor Wurlitzer, the name "electric piano" was and still is most often connected to Rhodes.

Unique and dynamic sound. Unlike organs, Rhodes is fully dynamic, and capable of, not only changing their loudness, but also of dramatically altering its timbre. From soft and smooth, to harsh and funky. This enables extreme expression rarely found on keyboards. Even now, or especially now, when we relay too much on digital copies of everything, laying hands on a real Rhodes is an incomparable experience
However, a good thing to say is that Rhodes should not be taken as a substitute for anything. You can't play classic music or rag-time pieces on that piano. You won't drag it around in a hard rock band, either, because it hardly fits those types of music. But you can lay rich, sustained chords, to produce smooth ground for soul ballads, or make funky rhythms by dynamic rhythmic playing. Or you can drop bell-like notes in higher octaves for that special touch in your arrangements. Wan to play solo in rock-jazz, or jazz fusion? Chick Corea showed us how to do that long time ago. Rhodes can be used in all kind of instrumental music either as a lead or backing instrument. Or, as the legendary Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek did, you can use the warm sounding lower end to play the bass lines!
Although the newcomers may miss the richness of the classic piano, the attributes of its sound are far from just being "hollow". To be true, many Rhodes pianos that we find does sound hollow, but this is only because they are not properly adjusted. If it is brought to its best Rhodes becomes a miracle instrument. It is "mellow" and "warm", with a nice, long sustain, making the complex harmonies sound fantastic. And when stroke harder, the timbre changes drastically, adding nice overtones and fine distortion, bringing funkiness and drama to the sound.

The Rhodes Sound Basics. The Rhodes huge dynamics comes from the fact that this is basically a true acoustic instrument equipped with transducers. The sound is produced in a mechanical way, by striking specially designed steel tines. They pass their oscillating energy to the larger iron resonating parts which present the second prone of a sound fork. Tiny pick-ups are placed in front of the tines. The ferromagnetic tines vibrate in front of the magnet, disturb the magnetic field and induce the electric current -- the same transducing principle as on electric guitars. You take the electric signal to your favorite full range amplifier, and that's it!
   The reason for the total acoustic uniqueness of Rhodes is that its sound oscillators are quite different from those on classic piano. The classic piano has strings fastened on both ends and tightened to the exact pitch. Here the mechanical oscillators are fastened on only one end. The tine pitch is achieved by its proper length (and fine tuned by moving a small coil on it). The resonators for the higher notes are in the form of metal plates (similar to those on vibraphone) , and have special design for the lower notes. All these together make the Rhodes' unique and patented "sound fork of uneven ends".
   The first and the most prominent harmonic, the first "aliquot" -- one octave above the fundamental tone -- is not existing, as well as the consequential subset of higher harmonics. Basically, the harmonic series thus obtained corresponds to the square, hollow sounding, wave, That is why the basic sound is lacking richness comparing to the classic piano. However, this can be highly altered by adjusting the position of the tine against the center of the pickup magnet (see also the proper adjustment procedure).
   But of course, the wave shape is just one the two most important aspects of sound. The envelope is the other, adding the dynamic character and drama to the sound. When hit by the hammers with the rubber tips, tines produce softer transients than when hit by a felt-covered wooden hammer. The rest of the tone is a smooth and long sustain of higher level than on classic piano. The sound is a bit more compressed than on other wire instruments, which adds to the list of Rhodes peculiarities.
   Also, the free end of the tine can oscillate with high amplitudes, especially in the lower and mid keyboard range. Thus the Rhodes tines easily enter the nonlinear mode, Just hit the keys a little bit harder and the overtones get highly emphasized. With even harder playing, a soft and pleasing distortion is produced. This is the origin of the famous Rhodes harshness, also referred to as the "funky sound".

20 years after. Rhodes pianos reached the top of their popularity during the seventies. They entered many music genres, from soul to R&B and funky, from pop to jazz. Then in early eighties Yamaha DX pianos proved to be able of cloning this wonderful part-vibe-part-piano sound, and even further emphasize the metallic transients in them. Keyboardsists turned to the sleek new synths weighing only 13kg. Almost everybody was selling their loving but clumsy black cases because, they very so heavy to carry around (four or five times more than the electronic keyboard), or just because they were not so popular any more. So in the early 80s the production of Rhodes pianos stopped and was never resumed ever since. Harald Rhodes, the Rhodes inventor, eventually died, and for now the future of this wonderful instrument relies only on the secondhand sources
   And I bet, that many of those who were selling the Rhodes pianos back than twenty years ago, are now doing exactly the opposite. Myself included. Except that, I am not even thinking of selling my DX synths!
   What started sporadically by a few enthusiastic fans collecting the legendary electric piano in the late 90s, turned into a big craze in 2000s. Rhodes pianos, and we mean the "true Rhodes", not some digital replica of it, went back in fashion through the big door.
   Remember that smash hit "Need Somebody" from Sholla Ama? Not only that the song and the Rhodes riffs sounded

amazing, but the look of a beautiful lady singer sitting by the equally fantastic instrument make the smash hit of the both: the song and the video. It was so refreshing turnaround in the music world full of anemic, dull-sounding, and plain looking digital keyboards. And this was just a beginning. Now Rhodes is a standard keyboard again. Its sound is constantly heard on albums of serious artists, and its distinguished look is seen on stage around the world. It appeared on 2002 Grammy award winning show, it appears in TV music spots, it is played by the new pop stars and the old keyboard veterans.
   There are numerous Web sites and pages dedicated to this wonderful instrument. So we leave the many details out of this article. To read about the variety of models, the constant changes during the production period and pros and cons about them, the refurbishment and modification advises, and so on,   please turn to other Web sites. For the selected Rhodes links we suggest the SynthZone. And of course, don't miss the Rhodes Supersite.
   We are just proud to announce that Rhodes pianos are available from Robert L's Analog Synths, and happy to share our article on Mark I ver. Mark II Contraversy and the Properly Adjusted Rhodes.
   And if you still expect more, read on. There are few more important things to say.

The Analog Original and the Digital Copies. So here we are, in the new millennium, living in the time of super processors and "perfect digital keyboard instruments". Sophisticated samplers are now residing on your desktop and laptop computers, and the DSPs (digital sound processors) are allegedly catching every nuance of the original acoustic and electric sources.
But how come that we still more like to bang on the metal tines than to enjoy the "luxury" of the digital clones, even if confronted with the constant maintenance and mechanical problems?
Once you become a true Rhodes fan, you won't even complain for lifting the piano lid every now and then, to fine-tune the timbre, to wake up nonresonating high tones, or to tackle the tedious tine-replacement

Close up of the Rhodes Piano instrument out,
with bass and volume controls.

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procedure. Because the true Rhodes fan hears and feels that something's really missing in those, allegedly, "hot" digital samples, called something like "Super Rhodie", "Bright Dyno Rhodsey", and don't know what. We feel that the "Virtual Rhodes" is, as its name says --- just virtual! Good at first hearing, but boring soon after. Good to play a song, but never really inspiring you to play another. Good because it's handy, but never really making you loose yourself in good, warm sound of electric piano.
But isn't this Rhodes mania just nostalgia of the old fellows for the times when they were young? Just a yearn for things that they had back than, or perhaps didn't, because they couldn't afford two keyboards in the same time? Could be, but it's definitely not the main reason. It has to do with the fact that, when you play the real Rhodes, it does make you play like you are younger! Even better -- your music feels younger! The inspirational feedback coming from this wonderful instrument is just amazing, and it will make your musical ideas better. No wonder they call it the composer's dream keyboard. And there's no MIDI to interface between you and the music, no processor controls written in a form of some spaghetti software to make your samples respond more natural to your touch. Just you, the wooden keys, the hammers striking tines, and the sound. The true electro-acoustic Rhodes sound, with all its wonders!
So it's not hard to guess that what we are really missing is just -- the Rhodes itself. The legendary electric piano that stays as a permanent legacy of modern music (send your email). (The pictures are gratefully taken from Rhodes Supersite.)
P.S. A note for those of you who keep a screwdriver placed on the far right "cheek" of the keyboard, and constantly tweak the screws on the tuning fork, not really knowing which one to handle first and what you really have to do: the Rhodes adjustment can be done properly -- but you didn't learn how to do it. Check the Rhodes Supersite for the Service Manaul, or contact us for the online instructing.