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Why do you play a rhodes?

Started by blavelle, March 01, 2009, 04:28:19 PM

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blavelle

there are a lot of keyboards out there for sure, so I want to know why you play a rhodes? What was the song you heard that you said "I gotta get me one of those."? audio clips appreciated to support your claim.

For me it was this clip of miles and chick jamming, start at 6:15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt46-YTX3zk

pianotuner steveo

Originally, it was Frampton Comes Alive that did it for me, when it was a new album.It took me years to acquire one, and now,I am without one (except for the P.Bass)

EDIT: Sheep By Pink Floyd was another,and Riders on The Storm too. but Frampton Comes Alive made me learn more about the instrument.
1960 Wurlitzer model 700 EP
1968 Gibson G101 Combo organ
1975 Rhodes Piano Bass
1979 Wurlitzer 206A EP
2009 73A Rhodes Mark 7
2009 Korg SV-1 73
2017 Yamaha P255
2020 Kawai CA99
....and a few guitars...

jeff da rhode

Queen  You're My Best Friend

suitcase'81

Herbie Hancock's album Headhunters did it for me.
"All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians."

sea_king

This is the song that pretty much did it for me.
Especially at 2:10. godddd i just love that sound!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXbxOHi4awk
1977 Mark 1 Stage 88

Clavier

Riders on the storm. Didn't know what it was until right around the time I got mine, but I was always mesmerized by the Rhodes in that song. I have stories like that for just about every instrument I own.
Keys: Rhodes Mk1 Suitcase, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Hammond RT-2

Amplification: Fender Twin Reverb, Leslie 45

coachdobbs

"Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel was one... "Minute By Minute" by The Doobie Brothers was another one. Those were the phased Rhodes ones I remember... I cant really remember for the dry Rhodes sounds. I just know that I found out what piano it was making those "sounds" I loved so much and so when I learned how to play piano and told myself that I was going to get one no matter what...
1978 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 (3978) 
Roland JC-120 
BBE Sonic Maximizer 
Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble/1982 Boss CE-2/1982 Ibanez CS-9
1978 EHX Small Stone/EHX Polyphase
MXR Analogman Dyna/Ross
1974 Thomas Organ Wah

andi85

Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay (esp. the bonus track on the CD release)
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters (of course...)
Donny Hathaway - "Valdez in the Country"
and Roberto DiGioia going wild on Zappelbude.

For the Wurly it was Donny Hathaway - Live I guess.

In both cases I just wanted THAT sound. Also, I like the feel of having something in there that actually produces sound - and I've become kind of addicted to old things anyway.
Tuning instruments makes the band sound thin!

geyster


pianotuner steveo

You're My Best Friend by Queen is played on a Wurlitzer,not a Rhodes.
1960 Wurlitzer model 700 EP
1968 Gibson G101 Combo organ
1975 Rhodes Piano Bass
1979 Wurlitzer 206A EP
2009 73A Rhodes Mark 7
2009 Korg SV-1 73
2017 Yamaha P255
2020 Kawai CA99
....and a few guitars...

geyster

Quote from: "Clavier"Riders on the storm.

Wasn't it a Wurlitzer on that one ?

rusto

Maynard Ferguson Country Roads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktEiZ9AlDRY
I learned the intro to this song in high school. Taught me the 3-7-#9 voicing.
Listened to it hundreds of times. Will listen to it hundreds of more times before I die.
64 Sparkletop Suitcase early model w/tube amp
Green 68 Student Model
Clavinet C + E7 + Cembalet + Pianet T
Wurli 200a
Nord Electro

Ben Bove

I was 14 in the highschool jazz band and we played Chick's La Fiesta, Tony Klatka's arrangement for Woody Herman (Giant Steps album from Woody Herman).  Director brought in his Rhodes suitcase for it.

After that I was sold!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3NMv1m_gR8
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MikeMalone

Light as a Feather album from Return to Forever. In my opinion, the best Rhodes album out there. EVERY track is a Rhodes workout! And I love the dirty yet glassy tone that Chick got on those early RTF albums. I'm still trying to duplicate it!
1976 Rhodes Suitcase 73
1966 Fender BandMaster Blackface
1955 Hammond M3
1966 Wurlitzer 140B
Yamaha Motif 6
Nord Lead 3
Casio CDP-100 (pretty good Rhodes sound!)

jus

Quote from: "MikeMalone"Light as a Feather album from Return to Forever. In my opinion, the best Rhodes album out there. EVERY track is a Rhodes workout! And I love the dirty yet glassy tone that Chick got on those early RTF albums. I'm still trying to duplicate it!

Chick, Herbie, and Stevie were all huge reasons for me, but if I had to pick a certain album it would be Light as a feather.
1976 73 Key Rhodes Suitcase
Chopped Hammond C2 with percussion
Leslie 147

pianotuner steveo

Riders on The Storm was a Suitcase Rhodes. Ray Manzarek only used a Wurlitzer on 2 songs,I believe. They were Queen of the Highway (? I think is the title) and Eye of the Storm (post Morrison)

I met Manzarek and verified all of this.I don't think the 2 instruments sound that much alike,although at times some Rhodes can be tweaked to sound a bit like a wurli.

The Hohner pianet sounds more like a Wurli than a Rhodes does in most cases.
1960 Wurlitzer model 700 EP
1968 Gibson G101 Combo organ
1975 Rhodes Piano Bass
1979 Wurlitzer 206A EP
2009 73A Rhodes Mark 7
2009 Korg SV-1 73
2017 Yamaha P255
2020 Kawai CA99
....and a few guitars...

keysandslots

Wow, I wish i could remember.  My mom wanted to buy me one of those home organs with the built-in drum machines but I convinced her to buy me a Rhodes when I decided to join a rock band.  At the time I was listening mostly to progressive rock and Rick Wakeman was a hero (still is), but I don't recall Rick ever playing a Rhodes.

Randy
Some of my stuff can be checked out at tune and tune and CD and even tune

Spookyman

"Oops, i dit it again" from Britney Spears.





Aaah, sorry. There is no Rhodes on this track.  :|

No...for me, it was clearly Incognito (mk1 suitecase sound) and the early Weather Report albums that gave me the kick in 1999 to play on my Rhodes Piano that i'm owning since 1991.
Fender Rhodes Stage 1971
Fender Rhodes Suitcase 1973

garagebandking41

The lower 2 octaves of an 88, and the upper octave of a 73. Things I do not have with my 54. Caught me the first time I realized what the heck that tone was coming from. Jobim and Steely Dan sealed the deal for my first purchase.
Noisy Wurltizer 200a
Buggy Moog LP Tribute
Heavy Rhodes Mark V

billulsund

Mahavishnu Orchestra, off of the album "Birds of FIre" the intro for song "Miles Beyond" played by Jan Hammer is the first song I can recall listening to that really made me fall in love with the Rhodes sound.
1974 Suitcase 73, 1975 Suitcase 88

modorange

Keith Jarrett on Miles Davis Cellar Door Sessions.
Chick Corea playing with Miles.
Jan Hammer..
Herbie
Rick Wright
Billy Preston (especially in the Beatles)


These people and many more played some cool music with the Rhodes but honestly the sound of the electric piano, the tonality of the tines amplified and the tremolo system enables anyone to make nice sounds. I like that I'm not a great keyboardist but I can still make nice sounds with it. So my ears are to thank for recognizing the instrument. And still it is nice that you can find them for very reasonable prices.

They're heavy as hell, which is a drag. If they weren't they'd probably be worth twice what they are now or more--think about it--if it was easy to transport them you'd be hearing them with much-greater frequency. But that drawback just adds to the magic and mystery of the bell-like tone. The tone blends well with other instruments, past and present.
Rhodes Mk 1 Suitcase 73, Mini D, Roland SH-1, Ibanez AD230, Ludwig drums, Zildjian cymbals, and various other musical toys

ahrho

Slightly round-about way for me - when i realised that first half of  Chick Corea's Children's Songs were actually written with Rhodes in mind, and wanted to hear how they would sound. So looked out Headhunters, and was hooked from then.. .

Although still haven't actually heard recording of Children's Songs on a Rhodes
1976 Mk1 73 Stage
Yamaha U3
Yamaha P90

Miguel Tuna

Fireball, try looking on the much-talked "Light as a Feather" album;)
'79 Mk1 Suitcase

Miguel Tuna

Portugal

geyster

Quote from: "Fireball"Chick Corea's Children's Songs

This is really fantastic work, somewhere between classical music and jazz, really beautiful,  !

martin

stevie, herbie, donny (wurly and rhodes), miles, minnie,
'77 stage rhodes mark 1>'60's selmer pa100sv>Nord Stage 2>Dexibell vivo s1>Roland RD800>auturia drum brute>moog minature>waldorf streichfett>1x12 fane twin cone speaker>smartlight pa>2xhz speakers>selmer pa100>Samson Auro D210 active pa cab>bose s1>stuff and things pa>

Fred

Funny, as I'm reading this post one of my many irritably inconsiderate neighbors is blasting that Don Henley/Stevie Nicks duet "Leather and Lace". :shock:

 After hearing Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are"  I would try endlessly to get my Ensoniq KS32 to get "that" sound. Never did though...
 
 Then I got my first Rhodes, a late '80 FiftyFour. I hit one note and fell in love with the fact that this thing wasn't trying to be anything else. I FINALLY got that beautiful tone and all I had to do was PLAY the damn thing!
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dnarkosis

I was visiting some people in some apartments in Atlanta on a hot, steamy, sultry summer evening once upon a time, and this tune started up on the stereo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_M9NvaNxoI&feature=related

The intro alone, of course, and the texture of Lonnie Liston Smith's Rhodes utterly captivated me; nor had I ever heard anything like his quirky soloing style -- here it starts at 2:00.

This album also has some pre-acid-jazz vibe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2euyJmDMI

The intro figure he plays here in the bass octaves could not really be played on a different keyboard and come off the same way; here and in general I think he really took advantage of the Rhodes texture. His quirky solo style can be heard starting at about 3:00 on this one.

I had to have a Rhodes after that evening.

I saw Lonnie Liston Smith in concert once during this phase of his career, in a fairly intimate setting; his multi-percussion player took up half the stage. Stunning performance, wonderful textures, really new stuff at the time. (His Solina was on top of his Rhodes; i.e., he did all the Rhodes and string-ensemble parts himself during performance.)
1979 Suitcase 73
1980 Stage 54

gunnar

James Brown, "Blind man can see it", off the Black Ceasar soundtrack album...and many others, but that is one I distinctly remember as a tune that made me want a Rhodes.
1977 Rhodes Mark 1 73 stage
MicroKorg

polyvoks

first time was billy preston with the beatles "get back" but at that time I did'nt know that was an electric piano , even can't imagine that electric pianos exist I was too young ,  then the French band : MAGMA , then Chick Corea , George Duke , Jan Hammer
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Swatkins

Quote from: "polyvoks"the French band : MAGMA

Wow, yeah!  MAGMA
Truly some epic rock fusion fantasy awesomeness.

I grew up around Rhodes, but the records that really cemented my love were

-Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind, check out the classic suitcase vibrato on "I Love Every Little Thing About You."

- Steely Dan's Aja.  

- Herbie Hancock's Thrust.

- A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders.

james

Herbie Hancock/Headhunters - Thrust
Chick Corea/Return To Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy

Actually it was bassist/Jaco disciple Marcus Goldberg on WRTI Jazz 90 FM in Philadelphia who introduced me to everything on his "Friday Night Fusion" show. These 2 albums are the first that I got on tape and listened to over and over and over and over....
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1977 Mark I Stage 73 + Vintage Vibe Stereo Vibe