About The Prepared Rhodes and mechanical musical automatons

[zvon]

I would like to share with you some information about the Prepared Rhodes. Some (or many) of you are familiar with a prepared piano.

The Prepared Rhodes is a real 73 Rhodes MK I that is prepared as John Cage and others prepared a acoustic piano, that means you insert springs, plastic tubes, pins,etc., all kinds of objects inside the piano. These objects when touching the strings or the tines change the sound of each key played. All the notes can be radically different from each other and often you don't even recognize the original sound. You get an instrument that is much more percussive in nature. This has been done quite often with acoustic piano but rarely with a Fender Rhodes.

Click HERE
and HERE
to see color photographs of it.


The sounds range from clean percussive to edgy tones, there are some African and Oriental like tones. The set covers a lot of musical and sonic ground, it may be useful in various styles of music.

Every note was prepared by Maxime de La Rochefoucauld who is also internationally known as a composer and a builder of mechanical musical automatons, these automatons have to be seen to be believed. They are made from little electric motors and various acoustic instruments.

Check them out HERE

[envoy]

Hey Zvon!

You must have caught me on a good night! I saw this posting of yours, and remembered I had downloaded the demo SF of the Rhodes. So then I took a look at Maxime's site, and was totally blown away!!

So my enthusiasm got the best of me, and I just ordered the full Rhodes set - your instincts paid off, both in inspiring me musically and making a sale. Now all I want you to do is come up with a companion soundset of sounds from Maxime's automata! I'm going to try to figure out how to order his 2 CDs right now...

Cheers,
envoy

[zvon]

There are plans to make sample sets of Maxime's automatons but don't know when it will be realized yet.

If you can't find the info to order his CDs on his website, try emailing him.

[envoy]

There are plans to make sample sets of Maxime's automatons but don't know when it will be realized yet.

If you can't find the info to order his CDs on his website, try emailing him.

Excellent - I'll look forward to this. I've emailed the US distributor, and if that doesn't work I'll email Maxime.

BTW, I just saw a note about the downloads - man, that was FAST!

Cheers,
envoy

[zvon]

Thanks and I'm sure Maxime will appreciate to hear from you.

[zvon]

Here are 2 sites of Eric Glick Rieman who uses a Prepared Rhodes. He played with Fred Frith and Cecil Taylor among others. Too bad the audio clips are Real Audio only and I won't install it on my computer.


http://www.accretions.com/artists/eric.asp
http://www.newmusiccoop.org/past/hc_Eri ... Rieman.php

[envoy]

Here are 2 sites of Eric Glick Rieman who uses a Prepared Rhodes. He played with Fred Frith and Cecil Taylor among others.

Now it is getting really bizarre - I live in the hometown of Accretions and know some of the people on Rieman's disc(s).

Too bad the audio clips are Real Audio only and I won't install it on my computer.

What about using Real Alternative? I've heard that it works just fine...

Cheers,
envoy

[zvon]

Thanks, I will try it.

[zvon]

That Real Alternative works and I listened to Eric Glick Rieman piece where he only plays his own prepared Rhodes. It's "whimbral on white linen / long wails" on his "ten to the googolplex" CD.

Here's the description of his in his own words: "I modified a Rhodes electric piano by installing two extended sound boards which house vertical tuned zinc rods. These can be played by bowing or striking. I also prepare the inside of the Rhodes, which is left exposed so I can play the tines and resonaters. I play the insides with my hands, with files, with mallets, with rocks and chains, and occasionally with the keyboard."

The end result is very different from Maxime's prepared Rhodes. Rieman's PR tone has more unity and is less a "percussion ensemble".

[zvon]

Hey, I found another band using a Prepared Rhodes, this one seems to be more similar to Maxime's one, though they don't give much details.

Their music is not for the faint of heart. They're called "8-Bit Porno".
Check them out HERE

[mayan]

I just gotta say that I just installed the zvon's Prepared Piano thing and it is friggin' amazing...there are some cool treasures awaiting those who check it out.

[zvon]

Found another artist who made his own Prepared Rhodes:
HERE

In the 3rd paragraph of the page, it says:
Dosh is also a man who makes more organized noise by himself – in real time – than would seem possible, a man whose “prepared Rhodes” produces some distinctly un-Rhodes sounds.

[zvon]

Based on the results of my research on Google for Prepared Rhodes, it seems to be that there are only 4 Prepared Rhodes in the world.

And only one is sampled, Maxime's by yours truly.

[ZioKiller]

Click HERE
and HERE
to see color photographs of it.

Can't believe you have a Real Rhodes and treat it that way! Argh! You heretic!

[zvon]

Can't believe you have a Real Rhodes and treat it that way! Argh! You heretic!

We're touched by your concern for the health of the Rhodes. I can assure you that it did not suffer, did not even have to be anesthesied. The operation took place 15 years ago and no part was rejected by the patient since. Also this operation is fully reversible, unlike others .

And you have to admit that the result is definitely worthwhile. It's like a punk Rhodes.