In Memoriam - Harold Rhodes

[Thomas Sheehan]

Dear colleagues,

I heard on the radio today that Harold Rhodes died recently at the age of
90.

What a genius he was! His first pianos were built using (partly) scrap
aluminum from the airline industry. The tines that formed the tunable part
of the tuning fork with which each note was created were made by the
Torrington Bicycle Spoke Company in Connecticut. The early pianos had real
felt hammers that were attached to plastic shank/wippen assemblies. The
action was very similar to the old "Viennese" action (as I inadequately
understand it) in that the shank/wippen was pushed up by the rear of the
key. There is a small change in the s/w angle that provides an escapement
just before the hammer hits the tine. The damper is attached to a leaf
spring that is pulled away from the tine by a bridle strap that is glued to
the spring and the s/w.

The properly voiced and tuned Rhodes has a classically rich, vibraphonelike
sound that is quite enchanting - for example, Ray Charles, Bill Evans, Joe
Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and many, many others. The radio report
estimated that there might be as many as 70,000 Rhodes pianos still in
existence, if not in actual use. Schaff used to stock parts for the Rhodes;
I don't know if they still do.

I cut my tuning / piano technician teeth on the Rhodes in the piano labs at
Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1973. I will always revere the person
who invented the instrument, and the many techs among us who truly grokked
what it was all about!

Best regards,

Tom Sheehan