Electric Piano - Playing Technique and Styles

Playing Technique and Styles

As with electric vs. acoustic guitars, the sound of most electric pianos differs considerably from that of an acoustic instrument, and the electric piano has thus acquired a musical identity of its own, far beyond that of simply being a portable, amplified piano. In particular, the Rhodes piano lends itself to long, sustained "floating" chords in a way which would be impossible on an acoustic instrument, while the Hohner Clavinet has an instantly recognizable vocabulary of percussive riffs and figures which owe less to conventional keyboard styles than to funk rhythm guitar and slap bass. Early Wurlitzer models had vacuum tube amplifiers, which could be over-driven to create a distinctive distortion. Later transistorized models, while sharing a similar mechanical approach to sound generation, didn't replicate the "fat" sound of the tube-based models, but instead sported a soulful and useful tremolo.

  • Examples:
    • Rhodes piano
    • Hohner Cembalet, Clavinet, Pianet, Electra Piano
    • Wurlitzer EP-200A
    • Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano
  • Popular pieces with electric pianos:
    • Fender Rhodes:
      • The Beatles: "Get Back", both on record and on the famous roof concert, "Don't Let Me Down", "One After 909" (played by Billy Preston)
      • The Doors: "L.A. Woman"
      • Chick Corea: "Spain", "La Fiesta"
      • Herbie Hancock: "Chameleon"
      • Billy Joel: "Just the Way You Are"
      • Stevie Wonder: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "Isn't She Lovely", "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)"
      • Pink Floyd: "Dogs (Pink Floyd song)", "Hey You"; "Sheep"
      • Elton John: "Daniel"; "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"; "Little Jeannie"
      • Phil Collins: "In the Air Tonight"; "If Leaving Me Is Easy"
      • Peter Frampton: "Baby, I Love Your Way"
      • One Day as a Lion: "Wild International"
    • Hohner Cembalet:
      • Manfred Mann: "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
      • Elvis Costello: "Veronica"
      • The Stranglers: "No More Heroes"
    • Hohner Clavinet:
      • The Band: "Up On Cripple Creek"
      • Stevie Wonder: "Superstition"
      • Led Zeppelin: "Custard Pie", "Trampled Underfoot"
      • Steely Dan: "Kid Charlemagne"
      • Pink Floyd: "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)"
      • Gentle Giant: "Cogs in Cogs", "Experience", "So Sincere"
      • Van der Graaf Generator: "The Undercover Man", "Scorched Earth", "Arrow"
    • Hohner Electra-Piano:
      • Led Zeppelin: "Stairway To Heaven", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter", "Down By The Seaside" (studio recordings only, when played live these songs were played on a Fender Rhodes)
    • Hohner Pianet:
      • The Association: "Never My Love"
      • The Beatles: "The Night Before", "I Am the Walrus", "Tell Me What You See", "You Like Me Too Much"
      • The Guess Who: "These Eyes"
      • The Zombies: "She's Not There"
      • The Kingsmen: "Louie Louie"
      • The Lovin' Spoonful: "Summer In The City"
      • Soft Machine: "Slightly All The Time", "Out-Bloody-Rageous"
      • Van Der Graaf Generator: "Plague of lighthouse"
      • Genesis: Supper's Ready, The Musical Box, The Cinema Show (the pianet was usually also used to replace acoustic piano parts during live performances, as the band did not transport a grand piano while on tour)
    • Wurlitzer Electric Piano:
      • Ray Charles: "What'd I Say"
      • Cannonball Adderley Quintet: "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" Only first studio recording, all subsequent live verisions are Fender-Rhodes.
      • The Buckinghams: "Hey, Baby (They're Playing Our Song)"
      • Steely Dan: "Do It Again"
      • Pink Floyd: "Time", "Money", "Have A Cigar", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)"
      • Queen: "You're My Best Friend"
      • King Harvest: "Dancing in the Moonlight"
      • Supertramp: "Dreamer", "Lady (Supertramp song)", "Bloody Well Right", "The Logical Song"; "Goodbye Stranger"
    • Baldwin Combo Harpsichord:
      • The Association: "Along Comes Mary"
      • The Beatles: "Because"
    • Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano:
      • Genesis: "Duchess"
      • Genesis: "That's All"
      • Peter Gabriel: "Red Rain"
      • Peter Gabriel: "In Your Eyes"
      • Phil Collins: "A Groovy Kind of Love"

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