The Ultratonal Piano (tm)

Dear brother Yahya,

When I said unit grams, you should not take it too literally! I am not yet sure as to how precise this machine will work, but compared to alternatives where electrical currents eventually cause metal fatigue (http://www.qrsmusic.com/Press/pr02032501.htm), the Ultratonal Piano (tm) should operate safely with a precision of PLUS 200.000 equal steps per octave on any upright or console piano contained in room temperature with a non-fluctuating pressure.

The calculations for the operable limit will most likely be lenghty, but I feel that each tone can be optimally re-tuned up and down half an octave.

This means, an A4 string tuned to 440Hz with a force equal to about 1000 Newtons can be tightened by as much as half this force more, or vice versa. I'm not sure if the strings will hold, but friction will be reduced to near-zero at the bridges with special machine oil and tiny rail-wheels around which the strings wound.

Of course, compensation and regulation of all other tones are required when the metal cast frame is subjected to enormous forces each time the tension is changed.

Magnetic coils can be utilized to measure the frequency of metallic vibrations with exactitude as described in the link above. I don't know of any other feasible method of ascertaining the change in frequency.

Now that I think of it, the harmonics of each tone should also be made available to the tuning-philes. Thus, the control-console should have an LCD touch-screen for graphical displays.

I believe any scale out of the entire SCALA archive can be mapped with the touch of a button to your ordinary house piano keyboard. In fact, you will be able to, with the swoop of your thumbs or forearms, manually `de-tune` your piano practically any way you want.

It is only a matter of building the computer that controls the forces in play. Obviously, this computer must have MIDI integration with other tuning programs.

Since the control interface will be electronic (I decided that mechanical just won't cut it), Adaptive JI algorithms can be implemented later on. This requires a dynamic system obviously, where real-time auto-tuning will kick in depending on the keys pressed and modulation. Later versions of this machine must include such options.

Just to be on the safe side, I will put your suggestion on our agenda, so that an electronic sensor system may be installed beneath the keys as an option.

Thanks very much for your contribution!

Cordially,
Ozan

----- Original Message -----
From: Yahya Abdal-Aziz
To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 16 Mayıs 2005 Pazartesi 7:57
Subject: [tuning] RE: Calculating the tension of a string

Oops! :-)

But 396 000 is still twice the 200 000 divisions of the octave
that you indicated.

Imagine the fun that such an instrument may bring us! I do hope
that it will make it easy to achieve any desired (fixed) tuning,
simply and quickly. Does it have presets? Where can I find out
more about the Ultratonal Piano?

It occurred to me while writing the above that a piano capable of
Adaptive JI would be great ...

Regards,
Yahya