Rhodes in ET

[Brian Trout]

Hi Pat,

I think they're referring to a Fender Rhodes electric piano.

I've only tuned one, and it's been many  years ago.  But the basic idea is
that a hammer type device hits a piece of what looks like heavy wire, fixed
on one end, with an adjustable nut on the end that will make the tone go
sharp when moved toward the fixed end and flat when moved farther out on the
wire.  There's also an electric pickup somewhere in the mix, kind of like
you might expect to find on an electric guitar.

I'm not sure what the terminology is like on one of these things, so I don't
know what to call stuff.  The "wire" isn't like piano wire.  It's more like
a small diameter rod.  It varies in length the longest being in the bass and
the shortest in the treble.  It's quite rigid, but not so rigid that it
doesn't vibrate nicely when struck, giving off that classic bell tone that
most all of us have heard.

It was kind of fun messing around with it.  I didn't try to tune it by ear.
I had a synthesizer handy (it was for a band) and had the whole thing done
in short order.  Sounded good.  Played well for a long time.

Now that I've sufficiently butchered the Fender Rhodes English, I'll crawl
back under my rock now.  :-)

See ya,

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net



From: "Patricia Neely" <pneely@thegrid.net>
Subject: Re: Rhodes in ET


> Hi my curiousity has gotten the best of me what is a Rhodes?  Thanks from
a curious mind. Patricia Neely :~)