Page "Hammond organ" Paragraph 5

About 30 years later American engineer and inventor Laurens Hammond filed U. S. Patent 1, 956, 350 for a new type of " electrical musical instrument " that could recreate a pipe organ-type sound.

He got the idea for the tonewheel or " phonic wheel " by listening to the moving gears of his electric clocks and the tones produced by them.

He understood the fact that every instrument sounds the way it does because of its many harmonic overtones and their varied intensities.

The invention was unveiled to the public in April 1935 and the first model, the Model A, was made available in June of that year.

The organ was first used for popular music by Milt Herth, who played it live on WIND ( AM ) soon after it was invented.

Radio shows of the 1930s and 1940s used the Hammond for not only mood music but more significantly, for sound effects.

For example, if you wanted a clock chime, you would set the drawbars at 010010603.

The Hammond organ was widely used in United States military chapels and post theaters during the Second World War, and returning soldiers ' familiarity with the instrument may have helped contribute to its popularity in the post-war period.