Stevie Wonder, Superstition - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2024
- #steviewonder #virginrock
Not only does this take a critical view of the superstitious mindset, but it also does a great job of evoking the feeling of what it’s like to live with such a mind!
Here’s the link to the original song by Stevie Wonder:
• Stevie Wonder Supersti...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Stevie Wonder
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One of my favorite songs of all time. Every time it comes on the radio, I just have to turn up the volume and enjoy it.
In 1976 Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album of the Year and at the end of his speech he said "and most of all I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn't make an album this year." because Stevie had won album of the year the previous two years. Stevie then won it again the next year for his 18th album Songs In The Key of Life. He was 26 at the time. 18 albums by 26 is insane. Having 3 albums in a row win album of the year is just nuts.
He was the Taylor Swift of his time, just more talented and deep. Can't think of many if any of his songs that dwelled on the self, romantic rejection and vindictive anger. His music is more of the universal and positive kind that surpasses adolescent emotion and interpersonal angst.
Wow! Thanks for sharing!
Ah you beat me to it! I remember that too.
And the four albums before Songs in the Key were just as good. Really amazing spree of music. Total genius.
@@kovie9162don't disrespect Stevie by comparing him to her
In the 70s, Stevie dropped 5 classic albums in a row. Undoubtedly, one of the all time greats.
in my opinion he is above prince and michael jackson...
@@seelenwinter6662 Oh yes. Way above.
One of the best album runs in history, right up there with the Beatles' run.
@@KingOfNebbishes i'd say u2 as well, from war to zooropa, or Boy to Joshua tree, but thats my bias
Incredible albums, and he wrote them over 4 years. Absurd.
Yes, Stevie plays nearly all the instruments here himself, except for the brass 😀
That "guitar" is actually a keyboard (a Hohner 'Clavinet', recorded on multiple tracks), and he's playing the bass lines on a Moog synthesizer; I'd always believed it was an actual bass _guitar_ - until Rick Beato soloed the individual tracks in a 'What Makes This Song Great?' episode about this song 😀 (Which is in the key of Eb, by the way)
Pretty advanced stuff for 1972, too! I didn't know 'Superstition' was _that_ old! 🤯
What I was gonna say, more succinctly. Good insight.
My favorite part of this song is when the horns are "rolling the valves."
@@chriswoolcock8907 - Thank you, Chris! 😀👍 It blew my mind when I found out he plays most instruments himself 😊
@@michaelmoore7975 - Yes, that's when the song really comes to life
😀👍
@@mightyV444 I dare anyone to sit completely still while this song plays.
Old doo-wop you snap your fingers.
Rockabilly you tap your feet.
Rock-n-roll your head moves up and down.
Blues your head moves from side-to-side.
But *_funk_* .......your _whole body_ gets in on it.
If you want to break the fourth wall and listen to music in dialogue about music, respond to Stevie's "Sir Duke".
I really hope she chooses to listen to all of "Songs in the Key of Life".... I have subscribed because I love a musician's fresh approach to songs I've loved for... well decades.
Superstition is a great tune, but I would like to see her react to some of Stevie's more harmonically complex stuff.
I’m a listen to it right now.😊
I Wish is peak Stevie…
Love “Sir Duke”…absolutely brilliant! ❤️
Jeff Beck came up with the drum beat by accident and Stevie Wonder heard the drums and wrote the song for him, but then Wonder ended up releasing it himself. The riff is keyboard as well.
Clavinet sounding for sure!
Definitely a clavinet. I love that sound. It's in a lot of great rock songs.
It's at least three different clavinet tracks on top of each other. There is no guitar on this version. The bass is a keyboard as well. Everything but the horns was played by Stevie.
Yes. I thought it was odd that Amy thought it was a guitar coming in at the beginning, but I guess the keyboard kind of replicates a guitar there.
@@earnestbass4092 You be right! Who else layered multiple clavinets without guitar in 1972? OR EVER!!!
This is funk which evolved from soul ,R& B and gospel.
Can't believe this song is 50+ years old and still sounds fresh. It's almost inconceivable that you have never heard this song. It's very endearing :-)
I believe she grew up in some kind of Amish cult where popular music was the devil's tool...
Yeah, she’s never been in a mall, or store , or gas station, or watched tv etc 🙄.
...while myself, I have actually been feeling stalked by that song over the past 6 years or so! It's been popping up in sooo many different places and many, many times! I would not be able to get away from it, I don't think 😅
I notice whenever I hear this song that it hasn't aged ten minutes in all these decades.
That’s not a guitar. It’s multiple clavinet parts. And that’s not a bass. It’s a moog. Stevie played all the instruments except the horns. INCREDIBLE
Thank you. I think I gave you a thumbs down It was accidental.
And yet, to be fair, the Moog is definitely playing a bass part (in a bass register). And the clavinet is a keyboard instrument which creates its sound in a very similar fashion to a guitar. It was played on a keyboard, but it might as well be a guitar riff. I dare you to play that part on a guitar and then tell me it wasn't written by someone who knows how a guitarist writes a funk riff!
I'm not disagreeing with you - but her description was correct in one sense (despite being technically wrong), and also informative. Win-win!
I'm not an outwardly emotional person, and i know it's inevitable, but I will probably have one hell of a day when Stevie passes.
He's a natural gem and a gift to us all.
Stevie Ray Vaughn does an amazing cover of this song.
Stevie played this song on Sesame Street and blew 5 yr old me away.. been a fan since.
Songs in the Key of Life - a masterpiece. Innervision. Others.
Que j'ai acheté aux magasins de l'US army à Berlin quand j'étais militaire là-bas... grand souvenir !
Singer, songwriter, pianist, bassest, drummer and all around musical legend, Stevie Wonder.
I'm a Gen-Xer, and he was all of that before I was born.
I don’t think he actually plays bass, does he? My understanding was that the bass-lines that he plays himself (such as on this song) are all played on keyboard.
Also, you forgot the instrument on which he is the most indisputably a virtuoso - harmonica.
@@fromchomleystreet I knew about the harmonica, but I could have sworn he played the bass too.
@@nicholashylton6857 Stevie plays the bass lines with a synthesizer.
@@mghJD That explaines it. Thanks!
I am captivated by your reviews. So musically articulate, and perceptive, and PASSIONATE as well. Thanks for doing these. You are a pleasure to watch and listen to.
"Recurring sequence" is sometimes called the groove
Oooh, I wasn't expecting you to cover Stevie! Stevie is an amazing jazz player as well as rock/funk/soul. There are stories of him showing up to jam sessions and just destroying everyone. Also, apparently he's not AS blind as he's thought to be. He supposedly likes to mess with people by doing things he shouldn't be able to do. That opening "guitar" sound is actually a Hohner clavinet, which is basically an electric harpsichord. There is no guitar in this song. Even the bass is a keyboard.
An electric clavichord actually
Stevie Wonder has a reputation for being a super nice person.
The GOAT! Stevie is pure talent. I don't think a comparison with Mozart is too outrageous.
One of the greatest musicians who's ever lived. Played just about any instrument, and it's mostly him on the legendary double album, songs in the key of life.
Plus, in case you didn't know, Jeff Beck composed the drum part for this. He was noodling around in the studio, started playing the opening beat, and Stevie improvised the key bass part over top of it.
I was absolutely thrilled to see Stevie play this song live in 2010. A shame I had to listen to I Just Called To Say I love You at the same concert, but you win some, you loose some.
Stevie is the king of pop/funk/soul and rhythm and blues. He's a master keyboard player and singer. His voice has a wide range and few artists try to cover some of his songs, because of the difficulties. He's one of the great popular music artists of the 20th century. Just like Paul McCartney.
With whom he recorded a Number 1 hit which coincidently and amazingly was the longest charting hit for either of these A+++-List musicians.
All of this is true, i'm a big fan too!
But Stevie borrowed a lot of his style from Donny Hathaway.
@@mojochip695 Incredible but I didn't know Donny. I've done some research and some hearing. You're absolutely right. Their styles are similar and Donny is a great singer, composer, and keyboard player. He has made some very beautiful songs.
Stevie is playing drums on this track. He is a multi-instrumentalist of the first order. He originally wrote this song for Jeff Beck who had played on some of Stevie's earlier tracks. Stevie Ray Vaughn loved covering this song..
You could do a Stevie Wonder 50 series. It'll be so worth it
I grew up in Detroit watching "Little Stevie" on local variety shows. A more mature Stevie would go on to have a huge impact on our world: not just in music, but in the business of music and the civil rights movement. "Golden Lady" is my favorite song of all time.
This track is so funky you can cut it with a knife. Amy always has great insights and sensibility for the music. I should point out that what she called a guitar is actually a Clavinet, a sort of electric clavichord. I love how the brass section plays with rising and falling pitch and dynamics in the outro. Maybe the next Stevie Wonder song could be "Sir Duke"? :)
Amy should do Golden Lady, which to me is nothing short of cosmic in its brilliance. The chord changes are practically orgasmic.
Oh my goodness! ....a harpist reviewing Stevie Wonder...what strange and absolutely beautiful times we live in. This is a collision of worlds that I absolutely adore.
For some reason, I think she's going to be fascinated going down the rabbit hole that is funk.
Stevie Wonder ❤ I cannot imagine music history without him 🤩
It's a Groove.That's the word you're looking for.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore made a ... great ... analysis of the groove. Worth seeking out on CZcams.
1976 - Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" was named Best Pop Vocal Performance and Album Of The Year at the 18th annual Grammy Awards. In his acceptance speech, Simon told the audience "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year."
In the intro that's not a guitar that plays the first line - it's a Hohner Clavinet. It's an electro-mechanical intrument that makes sound by a plectrum plucking a string, like a harpsichord, but there's an electronic pickup on each string. Remember, Stevie was first and foremost a keyboard player. There's no guitar in the whole song. Even the bass is a Moog synth. Also, maybe retroactively, we would generally classify this as Funk not R&B, though there are elements of blues, soul, and rock to it. One of the characteristics of Funk is that strong accent on the 1 beat. Listen how at the start of each measure the clavinet returns to a strong beat on a low note, then starts getting busy again after he holds that for a full beat to accent it more than just through dynamics. Thanks for listening and sharing!
Peace from SF
For something completely different "All is Fair in Love".
When I was 3 this was my favorite song and a way to connect with my daddy. It's amazing and never gets old.
FYI, the introductory notes are Stevie on a keyboard (Clavinet) , not a guitar. He also played the drums.
Very good analys Amy, yes its a Hohner Clavinet ( keyboard ) ore rather 2 of them i guess. I had one as a teenager. And the voice and the horn sektion, wow.
@@mrake1000 its a mini moog synth actually
@@martingiguere559 No i dont think so they are monophonic.
Definitely Clavinet.
Eric Clapton once said that Stevie Wonder was the best drummer he ever heard.
I'd go back a little ways and do "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" next. There you can get a sense of his Motown roots. Then you can progress through his 1970s albums where he essentially became the greatest all-in-one pop/R&B/funk/jazz artist in a great musical decade.
Stevie wonders influence on contemporary music of every genre cannot be overstated.
You should do a deep dive because there’s so much brilliance.
Songs in the key of life is a great listen
Personal favorite
“living for the city”
Stevie Wonder albums are mandatory for any music lover.
Oh, this was a surprise. You should check more of Stevie. He is an amazing musician. Especially live.
And btw, he is my husband's all time favorite solo musician. 🥰
Wow Jovana. Great to see you. I didn't expect to see you on a Stevie Wonder song. I agree, he is an amazing musician. One of the greats. It has been a while since I have seen you, but maybe I just didn't notice your new profile image. Really good to see how much you appreciate Stevie's music, perhaps through your husband's influence, or maybe you were an admirer before.
@@LeeKennison Hey, dear Lee. Yes, I've been absent from CZcams for a long time and still I am not fully back. I have one of my phases, but I hope it will pass. However I don't expect it to pass soon because now with each day my excitement rises because of R+ concert and I struggle to concentrate to literally anything. And after the concert I think that I will be depressed for some time. 😂 I'm an idiot, I know...
Anyway... I started really noticing Stevie when I met my husband, even though I knew few of his songs before because even my mom loves him, but I didn't really pay attention then.
He is amazing. I love how humble and warmhearted he seems. And definitely I love to hear him singing live. He never misses a note and it is fascinating.
@@jovana_r It occurred to me right after I posted my message that it must be getting close to your Rammstein concert time. I am sorry to hear you haven't been doing well lately. I really hope you are feeling good on concert day. I suspect you will, just the excitement of it should help a lot. I'm also still not posting much in general either, only here in Amy's comments.
@@LeeKennison Well, you know I have my phases. Actually, lately I have had few good days, but overall it is the same as always. Phases come and go. And this time I really think it is because of Rammstein. I have been trying not to think about the concert and to wait in peace but I guess I haven't been peacefull as I wished. 😂 And now it's a little more than two weeks left, so... I cannot be controlled anymore. 😂
Yep, that day I will be able to do anything because of the adrenalin, but we'll see how I'll handle it afterwards.
Anyway, I really hope I'll be able to get more active on Amy's channel soon. I miss it all.
Btw, how are you?
@@jovana_r Doing fine thanks, or at least about the same as last time we chatted. I still haven't been very motivated to do some things I normally really enjoy and need to spend more time on, such as playing my bass guitar or other instruments. Like you I go through phases.
The song As is truly beautiful both lyrically and musically .. definitely worth a listen (and he wrote it at 19) so many singers would cite him as one of the all time technical greats. Love him ❤
Stevie played everything but the horns on this track. He played the drums, the clavinet, as well as keyboard bass.
Was it Tower of Power?
Loving the classical musician discovering the Wonder Child!
Thank you Amy, I am thrilled you tackled this. You have started an amazing Journey with Stevie Wonder, he has incredible range as a player and singer.
There's no guitar on this, it's just layers of Clavients, and synth bass. He's an incredible keyboardist.
Originally he wrote it for guitarist Jeff Beck, which recorded it, but Stevie's recording was released as a single, much to Beck's dismay!
Yes! Her reaction to the Clavinet was so interesting, I wonder if Stevie was thinking of Jeff Beck when he wrote it, created it in his head...😊
@@TischTosh The original purpose of he clavinet was to replace the guitar
Can we call this funk? It certainly is funky, with funk elements.
OF COURSE!!!!!!!!
Almost anything with a Clavinet is funky. Pretty common on later "Funk" songs...
According to Bootsy, Stevie was definitely funky: "you can't cut that with a knife!..." czcams.com/video/wuaSzFf7yq0/video.htmlsi=ZMxaHsZMnUBWXeav&t=132
Deep, deep funk!
Funky indeed. That's what I feel when listening to it. Funky.
And now everyone needs to go watch Stevie play this on Sesame Street. One of the best things ever!
About everything on the double album “songs in the key of life” is brilliant, and worth exploring. And relevant to this day!
You should play this song at a casual gathering with your classical friends and suggest that everyone dance! 😊
Please do more Stevie Wonder. I would also like some Earth wind & Fire if possible.
As a young teenager, "Innervisions" knocked me out. Incredible. Thx VR.
Stevie’s a national treasure. He played drums, Moog bass and Hovner clavinet and of course provided all vocals. Tenor sax and trumpet played by others. So glad you mentioned his musical layering. His rhythm track created this great syncopated pocket on which he could add vocals, brass and variation. His 1968 release “For Once in my Life” is an early song showing incredible layering and one of the best harmonica recordings ever.
To me Stevie, along with a few others, advanced the rhythmic sound of future popular music that shaped funk, hip hop, R & B and rock.
Probably the best ever at condensing the sonic richness of Big Band, and improvisational genius of jazz into a 3-4 minute hit song! A master class musician!
Thank you for this interpretation of a song I remember from my childhood.. I'm so lucky to have been immersed in music like this from an early age. One thing about the end.. I never heard it end this abruptly. I've always heard it fade out.. it seems like it was meant for this.
Whenever I see you come out with a video of a song I love, I watch it. I really enjoy and respect your perspective!
Since you come from a classical background, I would love to hear your analysis of more harmonically complex songs of his. Summer Soft, Overjoyed, Too High, Visions... His modulations and inventive voice leading with surprising, sometimes jolting but beautiful chords are really one of a kind
Yes, it is a clavinet that Stevie is playing. And I love it. Please try Sir Duke, and Please Dont Hurt My baby, by Stevie.
Stevie's at his absolutely best!!!!
It would be great to hear your reaction to 11-12 year old Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips”, where he extemporises on harmonica. There is a live recording that used to be on a “Greatest Hits” album that was issued in the 1970s or early 80s.
Please please please listen to "Songs in the Key of Life" (time well spent for ANY musician). I almost envy you, your first listening as an adult accomplished musician. I really hope you'll enjoy it!!! Many genres not just R&B---lots of feels on that very long album. "Sir Duke" which has been suggested by another poster, is from that album. One song "If it's Magic" is simply pedal Harp (concert Harp) and his voice. Very haunting.
Yeah, definitely gotta give it up for the BRASS!! 🤙😎
The world is a better place with Stevie so glad he’s been with us over the years. Thank you for your wonderful interpretation and listen so good
I've always loved that drum intro
Oh girl, you're gonna to get your soul all funked up!
That guitar tone is the keyboard...
Ok, that instrument that sounds like a guitar is actually a keyboard called the clavinet. The ending was cut early here because, on the album, it transitions to another song there. Lastly, you haven’t really heard Stevie until you’ve listened to his ballads. He writes, plays and sings some of the most beautiful ballads in all of pop music imo.
This song always takes me back to the summer of 1973, visiting my city's main amusement park as a teenager, eating cotton candy and buying tickets for thrilling midway rides. There was one particular ride where you sat in some sort of flying saucer and the thing would start racing around on an oblong track at about 100 miles an hour, all the while BLASTING Superstition on the awesome, clean but LOUD, sound system. So exciting!!! BEST RIDE EVER!
Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot" is an homage to this song...
Ooooo, I didn't know THAT. now I'll need to go back and listen to that!
always on the run lenny kravitz.. staying alive bee gees
He has a crazy number of hits.
There are so many other Wonder songs to recommend, but if I had to pick just one it would have to be "As". It's not just a wonderful, uplifting, joyous piece of musical art, but it has a certain very personal meaning to me that brings back such wonderful memories whenever I hear it. Yeah, I actually said, it wonder-ful. 😉
He is Truly a national treasure. He embodies everything I value.
As a teenager in the early 70s, if asked to define Funk I would play this tune 😊
Everyone loves Stevie
One of the only times I've seen Amy unconsciously moving to the music.
She lit up when the keyboard started, didn't she?
High !! He playing clavinet (electronic harpsichord), which is fabulous and gorgeous !!!! ❤ Lots of love !!!!
The main instrument is a Clavinet.
For another great example of some funky, rockin' Clavinet, check out Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Under Foot". 🤙😎
The Clavinet part is Zep's homage to Stevie.
He wrote this song as a homage to British guitar player Jeff Beck. Btw, I loved your "Star Wars Princess Lea" look, Carrie Fisher ❤
Actually, there was a blind guitarist, named Jeff Healey. His style of playing the guitar as a blind person was mindblowing.
There were many blind blues guitarists.
@@johnsilva9139 For sure 🙂, I only know about Jeff Healey.
There are undoubtedly more, but in my own blues collection there's:
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Blake
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie Johnson
Blind Willie McTell
Sonny Terry
And of course, the legendary Ray Charles.
They're all worth a listen if you like the blues.
@@thepawsofdeception6564 Blind guitarists? Don't forget two of the greatest. Jose Feliciano and Doc Watson.
Did a really nice version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Wonder ... Wonderful. Perhaps not as well known of all America's musical artists, but certainly most respected, inspiring and loved by his fellow musicians and all walks of life. From 1972 and his fifteen album, the second album from an epoch of creativity and genius that few artist have achieved. You will come back, be drawn back to that feeling and amazement that is Wonder ... Stevie Wonder. :)
Not well known only to those who don't know good music.
Yes, it sounds like a guitar but it's a clavanet. Easy mistake to make as it was designed to sound like an electric guitar. You should see him play it! There's such a bounceyness to it. It's hypnotic to watch. Thank you for your videos. I've been watching for quite a long time and I appreciate the work you put into these.
Along with The Beatles, Steve Wonder is one of the rare modern songwriters to have produced works that are accepted as “standards” in the tradition of Cole Porter and Richard Rogers. You Are The Sunshine of My Life and Isn’t She Lovely are but two examples. He can be quite bluesy, but is also capable of deeply sophisticated jazz harmonies.
Loved your description of the vocals running over lush grass ! Stevie’s songs were written in the key of life ( nature)
Thank you Amy for your great job at this big classic of Stevie.
Greatest high hat player of all time? Stevie.
Great to see you introduced to Stevie Wonder. One of the greats. In addition to R&B, this song gives you a good intro to Funk. I love the R&B, Soul, Funk, and Motown genres (particularly the 60s and 70s). I grew up on this stuff in the same way I grew up with rock. My two older sisters (by 10 years) were very much into this type of music, so I was exposed to a lot of it through them. Whereas their boyfriends and future husbands very much influenced my rock roots. Back in these days we freely crossed genres and so a lot of us were listening to both. As I got older rock started to dominate my listening more, but I still always loved this stuff. And now I love it even more as a bass player, with so many great basslines in these genres.
Best use of a clavinet ever!
This man is nothing but genius. God given talent!!!!
It's impossible to keep still. Love it where you have to force yourself to stop the track to talk about what's going on. The drive is just so dynamic! -- The track ends suddenly like that as it jumps into the next track with no break, in the same key. It's an excellent segue. I hope you take a minute to check that out too.
I'll echo the folks suggesting you would enjoy seeing a performance of this or any other song of his.
R&B is like any other style of music, there is a spectrum, crap to mesmerizing. The good stuff happens to be pretty great as I reckon it. If you chase this dragon you will certainly be rewarded. I was lucky enough to attend Stevie opening our stadium in Baltimore, it was magical. They brought a kid, maybe 14 on stage to play the trumpet with the Master, and the kid straight up murdered that horn, it was surreal. The more you hear of these classic R&B tracks you realize the quality of artists Stevie, The Temptations, Miss Aretha...all had absurd bands. So much tighter and more professional while still being full of soul, meaning, funk than seems to be evident in any of the new music I hear.
I would highly recommend a Stevie Wonder series. A very interesting, capable and remarkable artist.
I'd describe this music as pure Funk.
I love the imagery you add ❤
Please do more videos of Stevie Wonder! His music varies a lot in terms of genres and themes (lyrically). It's amazing.
I love Stevie Ray Vaughns cover of this song
"Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder.... it's a must.
It’s always a joy to see you experiencing an artist who is new to you. It’s especially pleasing when it’s a song that you are clearly enjoying. It was pretty clear you were enjoying this one a lot. Somebody else in the comments suggested “Sir Duke”; I agree with them. It’s a great tune I think you’d really appreciate.
One music genius saluting another music genius, gotta love it.
1: About this recording.
2: About the main instrument
1) This is one the most outstanding numbers from the early 70'ies. Weather you were into Stevie Wonder
or not, when people first heard that funky riff, they immediately felt like dancing. And the riff is so
distinctive that you remember it for ever even when forgetting the song itself.
Yes, he usually played most instruments himself, but for brass he used session musicians, here a
saxophonist and a trumpeter. He also usually worked with a good contemporary guitarist:
Around '72 it was Jeff Beck, and Superstition was in fact written for Beck so he could record
a catchy song with his new band! However, Stevies own recording made it first to the shops,
hence overshadowing Becks version. Beck doesn't play on Stevies version, but Beck made
the drum-intro!
czcams.com/video/U0VgdShuHbc/video.html
2) Since the number was written for a guitarist, the driving riff is guitar-styled.
However, it is NOT a guitar, but a keyboard instrument: Hohner CLAVINET, a modern version
of the baroque CLAVICHORD. Unlike the clavichord the clavinet has a steelframe like a piano,
and it doesn't lift the strings but hammer them against the frame keeping the pitch in tune.
The clavinet also doesn't have a soundbody like the clavichord, and the strings are thinner and
much shorter. This means it's almost below hearing threshold. The vibrations from the strings
are transduced via magnetic pick-ups similar to the dual pick-ups on a electric guitar. It is
still a very weak signal, so the clavinet also has a built-in preamp with a 9V battery.
This gives it a slightly guitar-like sound. But if you pay attention to the low notes, it sounds
more like a soft harpsichord and of course a real clavichord (if anybody have heard such
thing the last 250 years).
Though the CLAVINET had been used sporadic since since 1964, Superstition made it
and Hohner famous with the emerging funk, because of it's super-fast action: The keys are
light and the sound stops when the pressure is released (before the keys are released),
so super-staccato riffs can be played - appealing FUNKY. It has five octaves F to F.
Me, I have a rare Hohner E7 Duo - the funkiest (and fastest) instrument ever built!
AMY! If you ever pass a piano-shop that actually has a clavinet, you should try it for
some early J.S.Bach pieces, as some of them (especially fast ones) were actually
composed specific for clavichord. The piano wasn't invented at that time and the
harpsichord was a luxury instrument. Bach had many clavichords himself.
Thank you Amy, interesting and enjoying. Great.
For sheer musicianship, I can't recommend Stevie's song, "Sir Duke," highly enough. There are some great brass moments and it's just plain fun!
It’s all about the black keys. Great song and reaction. Thanks Virgin Rick.
It starts on simply a 3 and 4 beat on the snare, but it is indeed charismatic. I have no idea how one can do that by hitting something twice with a stick, but Stevie did.
A tiny nit-pic. To be fair, Jeff Beck was credited with originally creating the drum part while Stevie was out of the room, then Stevie re-entered, and improvised on keyboards. However, I agree it is an instantly funky, almost magnetic drum beat, pulling my ear along.
Best Wishes. ☮
Stevie is a musical genius. I will enjoy her discovering it.
It could be argued that Stevie Wonder is the Father of Funk.
Except that James Brown existed.
Both qualify