Microtonal piano - UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2009/nov/22/fluid-piano-classical-music

Charles Lucy
lucy@...

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--- On Tue, 11/24/09, Charles Lucy <lucy@...> wrote:

> From: Charles Lucy <lucy@...>
> Subject: [tuning] Microtonal piano - UK
> To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 8:17 AM
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2009/nov/22/fluid-piano-classical-music

I'm going to be wanting one of these, not just for the obvious reason, but because I like that combination fortepiano-santur sound. You might have to amplify it in a full orchestral setting. (I also like the idea of sliding tuners for qanuns.)

Of course the design and sound needs work, and I'd really like to see a model with nineteen notes per octave, using split black keys and tiny black keys for B#/Cb and E#/Fb.

~D.

I am completely geeked out over this, and am willing to do terrible,
terrible things to get my hands on one of these.

-Mike

On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 9:17 AM, Charles Lucy <lucy@...> wrote:

>
>
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2009/nov/22/fluid-piano-classical-music
>
> Charles Lucy
> lucy@... <lucy%40lucytune.com>
>
> -- Promoting global harmony through LucyTuning --
>
> For more information on LucyTuning go to:
>
> http://www.lucytune.com
>
> LucyTuned Lullabies (from around the world) can found at:
>
> http://www.lullabies.co.uk
>
>
>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Danny Wier <dawiertx@...> wrote:

> Of course the design and sound needs work,

How do you mean? I suspect it sounds the way it does for
quite practical reasons. Or to put it another way, what
he's trying to do is very hard.

-Carl

--- On Tue, 11/24/09, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:

> From: Carl Lumma <carl@...>
> Subject: [tuning] Re: Microtonal piano - UK
> To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 7:43 PM
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com,
> Danny Wier <dawiertx@...> wrote:
>
> > Of course the design and sound needs work,
>
> How do you mean?  I suspect it sounds the way it does
> for
> quite practical reasons.  Or to put it another way,
> what
> he's trying to do is very hard.

Oh I didn't mean "needs work" as in "it sucks", and I know it's a prototype (I couldn't build anything like this myself); I just wonder if it could sound a little more piano-like. I've always liked the sound of the old fortepianos. It might be the brightness of the hammers or something though.

I still like the santur-like sound on its own merits though. ~D.

>
> > > Of course the design and sound needs work,
> >
> > How do you mean?  I suspect it sounds the way it does
> > for quite practical reasons.  Or to put it another way,
> > what he's trying to do is very hard.
>
> Oh I didn't mean "needs work" as in "it sucks", and I know
> it's a prototype (I couldn't build anything like this myself);
> I just wonder if it could sound a little more piano-like. I've
> always liked the sound of the old fortepianos. It might be the
> brightness of the hammers or something though.

The sound is a combination of: low string tension, hammer
material, and the lack of tripled unisons. Regarding the
first point -- what I was trying to say -- I strongly suspect
his tuning bender could not function at piano tension.

-Carl

> The sound is a combination of: low string tension, hammer
> material, and the lack of tripled unisons. Regarding the
> first point -- what I was trying to say -- I strongly suspect
> his tuning bender could not function at piano tension.
>
> -Carl

Not to mention that doing this with tripled unisons would likely turn
an already complicated piece of engineering into a complete nightmare.

What would be awesome, however, is if an electroacoustic version were
made. I would buy one of those in a heartbeat, no joke.

-Mike

--- On Wed, 11/25/09, Mike Battaglia <battaglia01@...> wrote:

> From: Mike Battaglia <battaglia01@...>

> > The sound is a combination of:
> low string tension, hammer
> > material, and the lack of tripled unisons. Regarding
> the
> > first point -- what I was trying to say -- I strongly
> suspect
> > his tuning bender could not function at piano
> tension.

My issue might just be with the hammer material or something simple like that. I just really like the low harpsichord-like buzz of bass strings on a Classical-era fortepiano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMUb9nqnk8o (Mozart's Phantasy in C minor)

But since string tension, while much less than that of a modern piano, still has to be greater than in a harpsichord, the tuning sliders might have to apply the level principle... tuning machines of some sort, for instance. That would require more time and effort to retune a string, among other inconveniences. Obviously, you'd have to compromise.

> Not to mention that doing this with tripled unisons would
> likely turn
> an already complicated piece of engineering into a complete
> nightmare.
>
> What would be awesome, however, is if an electroacoustic
> version were
> made. I would buy one of those in a heartbeat, no joke.

I'm with you there--two strings a note is enough.

An electric tunable piano might be something like the old electric grands and uprights: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Grand_Piano . They never sounded anything like a concert grand, of course, but they did have a fortepiano-like sound, so having pickups under strings would work well for this instrument, I'd imagine.

And I hope there are eventual plans for an upright version of this thing. I'd like one with the middle pedal lowering a felt shield for a muffled sound, like the Yamaha uprights have had...

~D.