Country Always

Caring for Country

A Corner of the Empire

The Garden Palace

The Holding Pen

The Agricultural Hall

Regional Networks

Across New South Wales

A Museum of Doing

Technological Museum

Expanding Stories

Evolution of the Castle Hill site from botanical research station to Museum Discovery Centre

Transforming the Tramsheds

Powerhouse Stage 1 and the Harwood Building

A Symbol in Time

Sydney Observatory

Ongoing Transformations

Powerhouse Ultimo

Applied Arts and Sciences

Defining the terms in the 21st century

Electric Keys Late Recordings

Sounding The Collection

Powerhouse Renewal

A transformative renewal program across four sites

We Rise

Blak Powerhouse

Powerhouse-1 Mission Launch to the ISS

An initiative of the Powerhouse: Future Space program

2024

Exoskeleton

Powerhouse Parramatta

Powerhouse Parramatta Topping Out

Major construction milestone achieved for the new museum

2023

Stories

Electric Keys Late Recordings

Sounding The Collection

Performances by Lachy Doley, JOY, and Rainbow Chan and Corin

The keyboard has evolved over the past 600 years. Instrument designers and makers have explored ways to improve the tone, and manufacture higher quality, more reliable and accessible instruments. Over the past 70 years the humble piano and organ have been complemented by instruments using new materials and technologies, generating sounds that reflect the music of our times.

Man playing a Hammond electric organ on a white stage.

A close up of wooden foot pedals, part of the Hammond organ.

A wooden electric organ with matching stool. It has two keyboards and a range of foot pedals. — Object No. 2021/70/1 Hammond B3 electric organ
Object No. 2021/70/1

With its considerable sound, the Hammond organ was able to displace small ensemble bands. The distinct sound of the B3 can be recognised in recordings across decades and musical genres, such as gospel, jazz, blues, soul, funk and progressive rock.

A cropped photo of the front of a black and silver keyboard. The front panel reads ‘Wurlitzer electric piano’. It has two dials and a metal music stand fixed on top. — Object No. 2021/70/2 Wurlitzer model 200A electric piano.
Object No. 2021/70/2

The versatile Wurlitzer keyboard can accompany a soulful ballad or a rock number, its ability to switch from go-to backing rhythm instrument to melody driver belying its technological simplicity. Using metal reeds instead of steel strings to produce an electric sound, the Wurlitzer replaced the mechanical piano in many studios and bars.

Black and white image of the Wurlitzer keyboard taken from above.

Performer sits at a keyboard singing into a microphone wearing a large hat that covers the eyes.

A black and white aerial shot of performer sitting at a keyboard with a microphone.

Detail of the end of a timber keyboard showing a white dial and a series of white buttons with black text reading ‘brilliant’, ‘treble’, ‘medium’, ‘soft’, ‘c, d’, ‘a, b’. — Object No. 2021/70/8 Hohner Clavinet D6 keyboard
Object No. 2021/70/8

The clavinet has a biting plucked string sound much like an electric guitar. Some players, such as Stevie Wonder, employ the instrument to create a striking rhythm. The action is damped meaning there is no sustain (the level of the sound’s duration until the key is released), making the style of playing the clavinet quite percussive.