The Grand (Multi) Piano

Hello,

Has anyone used more than one piano (ala Charles Ives Quarter Tone pieces...) for doing extended octave divisions? This would mean that if using a scale that has 19 tones to an octave, you would need to have two pianos (of course, only 10 keys on one, and 9 on the other would be used), or for a 31 tone scale, you will need 3 pianos.

The next question is "has anyone done this sort of thing with MIDI-controlled Acoustic Pianos" with a Generalized controller feeding the MIDI data to the instruments? It sounds like this could be set up with the "Uath-108", as it says that each key can have its own programmed MIDI message. I am assuming that means it can be programed to send a group of MIDI commands (ie pitch bend, channel, pitch) as a single set of commands.

If this is true, then each piano could be set up to respond on their own channels, and then you will need to "tune" the pianos to their own sub-sets of pitches. I'm sure you get the point.

Mike

Hi again Michael,

>Has anyone used more than one piano (ala Charles Ives Quarter Tone
>pieces...) for doing extended octave divisions?

Yes, this is the most common way. Joel Mandelbaum performed his
19-tone pieces like that, there are recordings of Wyschnegradsky's
24-tone piece on two grand pianos, etc.

>The next question is "has anyone done this sort of thing with
>MIDI-controlled Acoustic Pianos"

Yes, see the Groven Piano Project; it uses three midi grand pianos.

Manuel

Re: query by Michael J McGonagle about multiple pianos, I believe
there was a post on this list less than a year ago about a concert
in Michigan - The University of Michigan, I believe, at which
a set of four complementarily tuned pianos was used, to very
pleasing effect, I believe. I believe Ed Foote at A440a@aol.com has
more information about this.

Good luck with this!

Dave Hill Borrego Springs, CA

--- In tuning@y..., manuel.op.de.coul@e... wrote:
> Hi again Michael,
>
> >Has anyone used more than one piano (ala Charles Ives Quarter Tone
> >pieces...) for doing extended octave divisions?
>
> Yes, this is the most common way. Joel Mandelbaum performed his
> 19-tone pieces like that,

i believe scores, at least for some of them, are in his dissertation.

> there are recordings of Wyschnegradsky's
> 24-tone piece on two grand pianos,

also morris moshe cotel used two pianos to implement 22-equal.

> >The next question is "has anyone done this sort of thing with
> >MIDI-controlled Acoustic Pianos"
>
> Yes, see the Groven Piano Project; it uses three midi grand pianos.

that might be considered a different sort of thing because this
considers the entire system as falling into 12 pitch classes, with
adaptive "fine-tuning" -- rather than an explicitly microtonal system.

i strongly suspect ed foote's multi-piano extravaganza was even more
12-centric (as opposed to 19, 24, or any other number).