Chord organ

Hammond S-6 Chord Organ (c.1950)

Wurlitzer Model 4100 BP (1959–1963)

Magnus Chord Organ Model 890 (after 1960s)

The chord organ is a kind of home organ that typically has a single short keyboard and a set of chord buttons, enabling the musician to play a melody or lead with one hand and accompanying chords with the other, like the accordion. Tone-wise, a chord organ is almost identical to an harmonium, accordion, or similar. It was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1950^[1] (model S-6) as an electronic home organ based on vacuum-tube circuits, similar to his earlier Novachord and Solovox models. In addition to Hammond, also Wurlitzer,^[2] Farfisa^[3] and Estey Organ^[4] made electronic chord organs.

In 1958, Magnus Organ Corporation introduced its electric chord organs, similar to electrically blown small home reed organs.^[5] Since then, chord organs were generally designed as instruments for beginners, and separated from the mainstream of home electronic organs. In addition to Magnus, also Emenee,^[6] Bontempi and Belcanto made electric chord organs.

Chord organ musicians

• Daniel Johnston
• The Microphones/Mount Eerie
• Modest Mouse (on the album Sad Sappy Sucker)
• The Music Tapes
• Elliott Smith
• Paul Tesluk (of Johnny and the Hurricanes rock group)
• Cortney Tidwell

Chord organs have seen a recent revival amongst minimalist and ambient musicians.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chord organs.

• "The Hammond Chord Organ". Cook County Forest Preserve District. 2003. Archived from the original on 2013-07-11. 
• "Disassembly Photographs of a Small Electric Chord Organ". Take It Apart dot net. 28 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. 

Electronic organs
Chord organ Clonewheel organ Korg CX-3 Roland VK-7 Combo organ Doric Organ Farfisa Fender Contempo Organ Gibson G-101 Vox Continental Vox Jaguar Eminent 310 Unique Guitorgan Hammond organ List Organ trio Kienle Resonator System Lowrey organ Organ makers Philicorda Riha Adagio Telharmonium Tonewheel