Stevie Wonder is especially associated with the clavinet on “Superstition.”
Released in 1972, “Superstition” opens with a sharply rhythmic keyboard riff played on a Hohner Clavinet. The instrument is an electro-mechanical keyboard whose bright, percussive sound became central to funk and later influenced rock, pop, and hip-hop production.
Wonder wrote, produced, sang, and played most of the instruments on the recording. The track’s groove is built from clavinet, drums, bass, and brass, creating one of the defining sounds of his classic period. It appeared on the album “Talking Book.”
A common mistake is to call the instrument an electric piano. Although both are amplified keyboard instruments, a clavinet produces its distinctive attack by plucking strings inside the instrument. The recording helped make that sound recognizable to a worldwide audience.