3 Ways Herbie Hancock Changed Music With Electronic Keyboards in the 1970s

He made the Fender Rhodes electric piano a lead instrument Hancock used the Rhodes as a central voice on albums like Head Hunters, giving jazz-funk a warm, percussive sound that was new to the genre.

He brought synthesizers into mainstream jazz By playing the ARP Odyssey synthesizer on tracks like “Chameleon,” Hancock showed that electronic textures could drive rhythm and melody, not just add effects.

He proved electronic keyboards could sell Albums like Head Hunters and Thrust became commercial hits, demonstrating that synthesizers and electric pianos could reach a wide audience without losing artistic credibility.