The Electric Piano — Soul, Jazz, and FM Synthesis
The electric piano family includes the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer EP-200, Hohner Clavinet, and Yamaha CP-70 — all electromechanical instruments producing sound via strings, reeds, or tines vibrating above magnetic pickups, principles shared with the electric guitar. The resulting amplified tone blends sustained resonance with a bell-like attack, characteristic of countless classic jazz, soul, funk, and pop recordings.
Our FM Synthesis Approach
Real Rhodes electric pianos produce a fundamental + subtle 14th harmonic 'bell' from the tine pickup. FM synthesis captures this naturally using a carrier sine + modulator sine at a 2:1 ratio, with the modulator amplitude scaled by carrier frequency — exactly as used in the Yamaha DX7 for the iconic "E.PIANO 1" patch popularized by Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea in the 1980s.
Classic Songs Featuring Electric Piano
The Rhodes electric piano stars in Steely Dan's "Peg", Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" and "Cantaloupe Island", Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are", Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", and countless soul hits by Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin. Practice these classics on our virtual electric piano to master the bell-like sustained lines central to the genre.