| Additional Information |
“Follow the Piper Generation” was a tagline used to advertise the Hammond Piper Autochord in the early 1970s. A brand new Hammond Piper Autochord in 1971 cost $899 which, if you calculate for inflation, would be $7,285.99 in 2025. The Piper Autochord had a cassette player/recorder attached underneath the keys, and there were sounds controls which made the Autochord sound like a piano, harpsichord, sitar, guitar, marimba, banjo, trombone, accordion, flute, violin, or trumpet. There were seven different rhythm options, namely latin, western, parade, rock, ballad, waltz, and jazz. The Autochord was advertised as an instrument for a beginner organist which would still sound great after you learned the basics. The instrument came with its own special type of color-coded music scores. Many organ enthusiasts, however, complained about the fact that the switches to turn on the different sound options worked the opposite of most switches: when pushed up, the switches were off. The instrument did not have foot pedals like most organs; instead, the Piper played an automatic bass part. Duke Ellington promoted the Piper Autochord in 1973. Posters with his review of the Autochord feature a picture of him sitting on top of the instrument. One of the effects available on the Autochord is called dynamute, which Ellington describes as “the wa-waa sound a trumpet makes.” |