A Tribute to Harold Rhodes

Harold Rhodes was a piano teacher who had just developed a new and enjoyable way to learn to play the piano, when the Second World War grabbed him. While enrolled in the Army Air Corps, he kept training his buddies on the piano, during his spare time. When a hospital surgeon on the base got wind of his talent, Rhodes was asked to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers through music and learning the piano.

Unable to find a piano small enough to sit on someone's lap while in bed, Rhodes came up with his own piano, sized like a briefcase. The —Army Air Corps piano— had two and a half octaves of regular-sized piano keys, and used small aluminum plates instead of strings. These resonating plates were cut from spare hydraulic pipes used in the wings of B-17 bombers.

The rehabilitation program proved to be a huge success, and soon was instituted at all the Air Force hospitals. Thousands of these pianos were made, and a quarter of a million GIs went through this therapy. After the war, Rhodes received the Commemoration of Exceptional Civilian Service for his achievement. He kept building electric pianos and refining their sound. The Rhodes piano is still in existence, a reference among musicians.

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