MVSep Clavinet

The Clavinet is an electromechanical keyboard instrument developed and manufactured by the German company Hohner from 1964 to 1982. Originally designed for home use and classical music performance (as a modern electric replacement for the traditional clavichord), its unique sound made it an iconic instrument in the funk, disco, soul, and rock genres.

How It Works

In terms of sound production, the Clavinet most closely resembles an electric guitar with its mechanisms hidden inside a keyboard casing:

• Beneath each key is a metal lever with a small rubber tip (a tangent). When a key is pressed, this tip forcefully strikes a real metal string and holds it down, causing it to vibrate.

• The string vibrations are captured by electromagnetic pickups (a system similar to that of an electric guitar). They convert the acoustic vibrations into an electrical signal, which is then routed to an external amplifier.

• A standard Clavinet features 60 keys (a 5-octave range).

Sound Character

The Clavinet's sound is highly recognizable. It is bright, sharp, very percussive, and snappy (staccato). Because of this dynamic response, the instrument is perfectly suited for playing fast, rhythmic, and syncopated parts.

Musicians frequently run the Clavinet's signal through guitar effects pedals. The use of a wah-wah pedal, auto-wah, or overdrive/fuzz has become a classic signature of funk music.

Famous example: The most famous Clavinet riff in music history can be heard in the intro to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" (1972).

Main Models

Over its production run, Hohner released several modifications of the instrument: