Piano, Electric
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An Electric Piano produces a sound similar to an acoustic piano by amplifying mechanical vibrations. The most famous electric piano is this Fender Rhodes, which was the first truly portable alternative to the piano. The Rhodes produces an almost bell-like tone which has become a "classic sound" in jazz, pop, and rock.
| Family |
| Keyboards |
| Pitch range |
| About seven octaves. |
| Material |
| Wooden case, with metal frame and rods. |
| Size |
| Up to 3 ft 3 in (1 m) long. |
| Origins |
| The first electric pianos were developed on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1930s. |
| Classification |
| Electrophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the oscillation of an electric current, and can only be heard through a loudspeaker. |
| And also... |
| Harold Rhodes, who developed the electric piano in the 1950s, spent World War II teaching the piano to injured servicemen with the aid of his Air Corps Piano, made from airplane scraps. |
