9. History: The story behind the Electro 2 instruments
NORD ELECTRO 2 V2.0x
Page 54
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The first electromechanical piano we took a close look at for sampling for the Nord Electro 2 was the
Rhodes. Since the first Rhodes piano saw the light of day during World War II, numerous different mod-
els have been launched, most of them with basically the same characteristic sound but with improved me-
chanical design. But -- and this is important -- a Rhodes electric piano can be adjusted to create different
timbres. In acknowledgment of that fact, we simply had to choose several typical Rhodes sounds to be
sampled for the Nord Electro 2.
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The designer of the Rhodes Electric piano was Harold Rhodes. Harold had a background as piano teacher
during the 1930s, when he ran a successful piano school. He also was an architectural engineering student
and earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture. Harold
planned on minoring in music at USC, but he was drafted for the War and joined the Army Air Corps.
He had enrolled in a flight instructors' course, but the Army
closed the school one day before he was to begin his training.
Harold started teaching his Army friends piano lessons and
was spotted by a surgeon who enjoyed his talent for piano in-
structions. The doctor asked Harold to help rehabilitate
wounded soldiers with a piano method he had developed (see
note). As no pianos were available that were small and light
enough to fit on the lap of someone in the bed, he designed
and built instruments out of recycled aeroplane parts and self-
made keyboards. His therapeutic project was a success and the
War department started to manufacture the piano, which was
called the "Xylette."
Note: The basic idea with Harold Rhodes Piano school was to
learn to build your own piano, understand the principles and
then learn to play it. In later days he went back into teaching and
led a teaching program for inner-city kids in LA. He was later
honoured with a special commendation by the Los Angeles county
for his works.
After the war, Harold started his own business and pursued his idea of making a compact, lightweight
piano. In 1946 he released the Pre-Piano, an inexpensive three-octave instrument with a tone somewhat
like a toy piano. It was primarily aimed for home and educational market, but it failed in the marketplace
because of poor manufacturing. Shortly thereafter, Harold invented the "tine," or asymmetric tuning
fork, which he later used to make a 72-key instrument built inside a cabinet that looked like a baby grand
piano.
Harold Rhodes’ patent from 1949 for the
small acoustic piano called the “Xylette”.
