Grand Piano Research Articles

The Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer's Guide to Techniques and Resources by Alan Shockley

Reviewed by: The Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer's Guide to Techniques and Resources by Alan Shockley Carol Lubkowski The Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer's Guide to Techniques and Resources. By Alan Shockley. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018. [xviii, 249 p. ISBN 9781442281875 (hardcover), $135; ISBN 9781442281899 (paperback), $60; ISBN 9781442281882 (e-book), $57.] Bibliography, indexes. Alan Shockley's The Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer's Guide to Techniques and Resources gives descriptions and instructions for the complete range of modern extended techniques for the piano. His clear, practical presentation of the material is useful for both performers and composers. To provide background and context, there are two chapters on the basics of the piano and the history of its development. Shockley then divides techniques into categories, devoting a chapter to each: using the keys and pedals, playing inside the piano, muting the strings, harmonics, percussive and noise-making techniques, bowing, and prepared piano. Each chapter contains ample black-and-white photographs and music examples to illustrate the techniques described. The book concludes with a chapter on the toy piano. There are also appendices on repertoire, materials for preparing a piano, and the interior configurations of common grand pianos. [End Page 603] Shockley's two introductory chapters briefly cover the fundamentals of the piano and its history in order to set the stage for the extended techniques discussed. The chapter on piano basics is short and aimed more at the nonpianist composer, as the instrument's range, pedals, notation, and articulation should be familiar to pianists. Shockley's discussion of the history and development of the piano's mechanism is not intended to be comprehensive but does illuminate some interesting aspects of this history. His discussions of innovations that did not catch on or later disappeared are fascinating and a good stimulus for the imaginations of composers and performers alike as they explore ways to extend the instrument. His examinations of innovations in stringing and electronic enhancements are especially interesting and useful in the context of current extended techniques and preparations. In each chapter, Shockley gives background and general information on the techniques covered then discusses the different methods and materials used and the ways the technique is deployed in the repertoire. He also gives examples of notation as needed. His instructions for execution and descriptions of the effect achieved are clear and practical and usually include photos. This approach allows performers to learn these techniques and composers to incorporate them into their works in a workable and effective manner. The chapter on preparations offers a substantial update and a few improvements to Richard Bunger's 1973 treatise The Well-Prepared Piano (Colorado Springs: Colorado College Music Press, 1973). Shockley includes a larger amount and wider range of piano preparations than Bunger, reflecting developments in contemporary music over the last forty years. He covers all of the current standard string preparations as well as a wide selection of the possible preparations to the piano keys, hammers, and pedals. Newer techniques include additional surface preparations, such as bowls, chains, and ping-pong balls; a wider range of objects for string preparation, including poster putty; preparations of the damper pedal; key preparations; and Shockley's own hammer-wrapping technique. While Bunger organizes his book primarily by preparation material, Shockley divides his chapter by type of preparation (surface, string, etc.) and then by the material used (bowls, screws, etc.). He is more explicit than Bunger about avoiding damage to the piano. Shockley does include some potentially damaging preparations, but he is always clear about the risks associated with any material or technique. He discusses the hardness and other properties of objects in relation to the string composition, indicating what types of materials are appropriate for which ranges of strings. This is especially important when using metal objects like screws and bolts. Shockley also points out the delicacy of the dampers and offers strong warnings on the dangers of hammer preparations. Bunger, on the other hand, provides only a general disclaimer that "preparing a piano, just as tuning, regulating or moving it, will not ruin the instrument when done properly" (Bunger, p. 1). Both Bunger and Shockley give clear, easy...

Octave stretching phenomenon with complex tones of orchestral instruments.

For decades, the phenomenon of subjectively enlarged octaves has been investigated using sinusoidal and synthesized complex tones. The present study elaborates the topic with samples of real orchestra instruments in successive tone listening experiments. Compared to previous research, this study also included a substantially larger number of subjects (N = 36). Examined instrument tones were categorized into five groups based on their acoustic principles. In addition, each group was assessed at three dynamic levels (pp-mf-ff). Collected data were analyzed with tuning stretch curves by applying generalized additive models in the manner of the Railsback curve used to characterize piano tuning. Although the tuning curve modeled for the orchestra instruments was observed to differ slightly from the Railsback curve and typical Steinway D grand piano tuning (Steinway, New York), the stretching trends were qualitatively similar. Deviation from a mathematical equal-tempered scale was prominent. According to statistical analyses, dynamics or musical background of the participant did not affect results significantly, but some instrument groups exhibited differences in the curve extremities. In conclusion, the stretched scale is natural for a human listener and should be used as a reference scale in tuning machines instead of the mathematical equal-tempered scale.

Effect of hammershank material properties on piano struck string sound

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the hammershank material properties of a piano action assembly on the sound produced by the struck string. Using a standard birch hammershank as a baseline, a CAD drawing was developed from which several test hammershanks were fabricated. Alternate woods such as poplar and red oak, as well as several different 3-D printed filament materials were used. Vibrational frequency response data from 0 to 1600 Hz was collected from each of the hammershanks using a vibration exciter and accelerometers. Decay measurements of the first ten harmonics of the struck string were taken from note C40 (f1 = 262 Hz) on a typical working grand piano outfitted with the baseline and the test samples. Audio recordings of the string decay produced by each sample were also taken for audible comparison. Results will be discussed.

Musical iconography of Annunciation: personal experience

Musical iconography of Annunciation: personal experience

Face-making: task-specific facial tensions and grimacing in musicians

> I have been told that my facial expressions while playing are quite pronounced, and numerous audience members have asked me what in the world I am saying to myself...

Influence of Piano Key Vibration Level on Players’ Perception and Performance in Piano Playing

In this study, the influence of piano key vibration levels on players’ personal judgment of the instrument quality and on the dynamics and timing of the players’ performance of a music piece excerpt is examined. In an experiment four vibration levels were presented to eleven pianists playing on a digital grand piano with grand piano-like key action. By evaluating the players’ judgment of the instrument quality, strong integration effects of auditory and tactile information were observed. Differences in the sound of the instrument were perceived by the players, when the vibration level in the keys was changed and the results indicate a sound-dependent optimum of the vibration levels. By analyzing the influence of the vibration levels on the timing and dynamics accuracy of the pianists’ musical performances, we could not observe systematic differences that depend on the vibration level.

МЕМОРІАЛЬНИЙ РОЯЛЬ ПАВЛА ТИЧИНИ: ДО ПИТАННЯ ПОБУТУВАННЯ

The Memorial Grand Piano of Pavlo Tychyna was the object of the study. Thanks to the analysis of written sources and external characteristics of the musical instrument, were filled significant gaps in its history. There was found its approximate age, was tracked movement from the moment of purchase, determined the number of restorations and their features. The data obtained during the research allows us to assert that the piano has a great historical and cultural value. It also confirms that this instrument occupies a prominent place in the exposition of the literary-memorial museum-apartment P.G. Tychyna in the city of Kiev.

Model-Based Digital Pianos: From Physics to Sound Synthesis

As a result of their complexity and versatility, pianos are arguably one of the most important instruments in Western music. The size, weight, and price of grand pianos as well as their relatively simple control surface (i.e., the keyboard), have led to the development of digital counterparts that mimic the sound of acoustic pianos as closely as possible. While most commercial digital pianos are based on sample playback, it is also possible to reproduce a piano's sound by modeling the physics of the instrument. The process of physical modeling starts with first understanding the physical principles, followed by creating accurate numerical models, and finally, finding numerically optimized signal processing models that allow sound synthesis in real time by excluding inaudible phenomena and adding some perceptually important features by using signal processing tricks. Accurate numerical models can be used by physicists and engineers to understand how the instrument functions or to help piano makers with instrument development. On the other hand, efficient real-time models are geared toward composers and musicians who perform at home or onstage. This article provides an overview of a physics-based piano synthesis beginning with computationally heavy, physically accurate approach followed by a discussion of the approaches that are designed to produce the best possible sound quality for real-time synthesis.

Dynamic characterization of grand and upright piano action

A dynamic characterization was performed on a grand piano and an upright (vertical) piano action assembly. The action assembly consists of a key and a system of levers that transfers a force from the key to the hammer. Measurements of the hammer acceleration profile for a given key force were compared to dynamic simulation results from a computer model constructed in SolidWorks. Single-key action assemblies typically used by piano technicians were used for the dynamic measurements and as a guide for the physical dimensions of the computer model. Measurements of hammer velocity were made using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer, which was differentiated to determine the hammer acceleration. The purpose of the study was to establish a relationship between key force and hammer acceleration for the action assemblies and to construct a computer model whose dynamic behavior closely matches the measured profile. Preliminary results between the measured hammer acceleration and the simulated acceleration will be discussed. [Work supported by a University of Hartford CETA Student Engagement Grant.]

Creating with timbre

Unfolding processes of timbre and memory in improvisational piano performance This exposition is an introduction to my research and practice as a pianist, in which I unfold processes of timbre and memory in improvised music from a performer’s perspective. Timbre is often understood as a purely sonic perceptual phenomenon. However, this is not in accordance with a site-specific improvisational practice with changing spatial circumstances impacting the listening experience, nor does it take into account the agency of the instrument and objects used or the performer’s movements and gestures. In my practice, I have found a concept as part of the creating process in improvised music which has compelling potential: Timbre orchestration. My research takes the many and complex aspects of a performance environment into account and offers an extended understanding of timbre, which embraces spatial, material and bodily aspects of sound in improvised music performance. The investigative projects described in this exposition offer a methodology to explore timbral improvisational processes integrated into my practice, which is further extended through collaborations with sound engineers, an instrument builder and a choreographer: -experiments in amplification and recording, resulting in Memory piece, a series of works for amplified piano and multichannel playback - Piano mapping, a performance approach, with a custom-built device for live spatialization as means to expand and deepen spatio-timbral relationships; - Accretion, a project with choreographer Toby Kassell for three grand pianos and a pianist, where gestural approaches are used to activate and compose timbre in space. Together, the projects explore memory as a structural, reflective and performative tool and the creation of performing and listening modes as integrated parts of timbre orchestration. Orchestration and choreography of timbre turn into an open and hybrid compositional approach, which can be applied to various contexts, engaging with dynamic relationships and re-configuring them.

Objective evaluation of upright and grand pianos by measuring play-bench

Objective evaluation of upright and grand pianos by measuring play-bench

Operational transfer path analysis of a piano

The piano sound is made audible by the vibration of its soundboard. A pianist pushes the key to release a hammer that strikes the strings, which transfer the energy to the soundboard, set it into vibration and the piano sound is heard due to the compression of air surrounding the soundboard. However, as piano is being played, other components such as the rims, cast-iron frame and the lid are also vibrating. This raises a question of how much of their vibrations are contributing to the sound as compared to the soundboard. To answer this question, operational transfer path analysis, a noise source identification technique used widely in automotive acoustics, is carried out on a Bösendorfer 280VC-9 grand piano. The “noise” in a piano system would be the piano sound while the “sources” are soundboard and the aforementioned components. For this particular piano, it is found out that the soundboard is the dominant contributor. However, at high frequencies, the lid contributes the most to the piano sound.

Impact of internal damping on forced vibrations of piano soundboards

A Finite-Difference Model of a grand piano soundboard including internal damping is used to estimate the influence of the damping on the vibration of the soundboard. Theoretically, the increase of damping reduces eigenmodes and leads to forced oscillation patterns. Those patterns show considerable dependency of their vibrational shapes upon the driving point. In the extreme case of a heavy damping, the wave starting at the driving point does not reach the boundaries of the soundboard with much strength and is therefore not reflected. Then no eigenmodes exist anymore and the plate behaves like an infinite plate. In the other extreme of a soundboard not damped at all the eigenmodes of the soundboard clearly appear. The measured patterned of a soundboard are compared to the modeled ones and conclusions are derived in terms of the amount of damping in a real soundboard.

Формирование периодических колебаний несинусоидальной формы с ангармонизмом обертонов

Damped bending vibrations of a high-Q string with fixed ends are analyzed. The model of a thin elastic homogeneous string with an electromagnetic pickup placed near the string is used to construct a second-order wave equation in partial time and coordinate derivatives that takes into account the elastic properties of string material, its length, tension and damping, the excitation intensity and location, and the pickup position with respect to the string. The solution as a function of time has the form of a series of higher harmonics (overtones) of fundamental-frequency vibration. It is shown that free oscillations have a nonsinusoidal shape slowly changing during the transient. To obtain a correct solution, several dozens of overtones having commensurable amplitudes should be taken into account. It is found that the oscillations are characterized by inharmonicity of overtones, which manifests itself in a progressive increase in the overtone eigenfrequency with the growth of its number in comparison with a value that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency. A nondamped process is accompanied by a periodically varying waveform of the carrier oscillation, and as the vibration decays, its initial nonsinusoidal shape approaches a harmonic waveform. To measure the process quantitative parameters, calibrated arrays of sound records of about 100 strings of a professional grand piano were used in the range of the fundamental tone frequencies exceeding five octaves. It is found that the equivalent Q factor of such oscillating systems varies from a few hundred to several thousand. To determine the inharmonicity parameter value, a modified cepstral transformation method is used. The basic idea of the modified method lies in finding a calibrated pre-distortion of the frequency axis after the first spectral transformation of the process time history samples at which the cepstral response is best located in the region of repiods. Measurements of the inharmonicity parameter for the above-mentioned array of records showed that its values are from a few hundredths to several percent, depending on the combination of the vibrating system parameters. It is shown that the presence of tens of higher inharmonic overtones propagating along the vibration system with different velocities leads to noticeable periodic variations in the process shape and magnitude, also in the case of undamped oscillation. The obtained results can be used for improving the quality of electronic synthesizers of quasi-periodic signals through bringing the musical synthesizer vibration structure and sound closer to those obtained in expensive natural instruments. A training laboratory work has been developed and introduced into the education course, in which the above-mentioned quasi periodic oscillation of a distributed high-Q vibration system with inharmonicity of overtones is synthesized, and a cepstral analysis of the obtained signals is carried out.

Twórczość wokalna Jerzego Gablenza (1888-1937). Próba systematyzacji

The presented article is the first attempt of presentation of the vocal works of a little-known Polish composer Jerzy Gablenz (1888-1937). He composed 86 songs, written in the period from 1907 to 1928. To this day the majority of these songs have not been published. Only the single songs were published in collections, which are to be found in the National Library. The collection also includes the songs handwritten by the composer’s himself. In total, it is a little over 30% of Jerzy Gablenz’s vocal lyric poetry. The majority of his songs, rewritten by hand by the son Tomasz, are to be found in the records of individuals such as Jan Jarnicki, the director of Acte Prealable phonographic company, who does his best to record these still undiscovered works of Gablenz on CDs. The following article may become an inspiration for the musicologists and music theoreticians to conduct extensive studies upon the works of Jerzy Gablenz, who is a composer of not only songs, but also of symphonies, symphonic poems, a piano concerto or a sonata for cello and grand piano.

Implementation of lean manufacturing to reduce waste in production line with value stream mapping approach and Kaizen in division sanding upright piano, case study in: PT. X

PT. XY produces musical instruments such as Upright Pianos and Grand Pianos. Due to a competitive competition, a good quality product is highly required as well as increasing the production scale. To achieve these objectives, company needs to reduce wastes occurred in its production lines, particularly in the division of sanding panel upright piano (UP) which produces type of PE B1 pianos. High cycle time and lead-time are caused by wastes in UP panel sanding division. Therefore, it is needed improvements to be applied here so that the production lines will be run more effectively and efficiently. This study aims to identify wastes using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) as a tool of lean manufacturing and to implement the improvements using Kaizen. It is found that the wastes are motion and waiting. Furthermore, the improvements (kaizen) are focused on reducing motion and waiting wastes. It is shown that cycle time decreased from 51.16 minutes to 41.90 minutes, work in process or inventory can be reduced to 24 pcs over 32 pcs, and the lead-time is 0.167 days of 0.222 days.

Workload analysis for Sanding Small Grand Piano Department in Manufacturing company

The production process is one of the main activities of manufacturing companies that need their continuous improvement and continuously. There are several factors that affect productivity, such as job stress and workload. The workload is shared with uneven to make the work environment uncomfortable. The production data in April 2017 explaining that the sanding small grand piano average produces for 20 units piano/day, with a production target of 21 units piano/day production target has not been achieved. The lack of achievement of these targets due to the difference between the expected level of ability with the capacity level. In this study focused to determine the operator workload on sanding small grand piano is included in the painting section. The workload is calculated using the method of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). The results showed that the operators have overloaded with FTE scores of both 1.33, 1.35 and 1.34 While the operators have an underload workload with a value of FTE 0.94. 0.64, 0.72. Therefore, Kaizen activity such as balancing jobdesk and modification stopper were applied to reduce the waste. Workload after kaizen plan has decreased each 0.02 FTE with change of work element, each operator has a uniform workload with an average FTE value of 1.13 (underload).

Evaluation of Piano Key Vibrations Among Different Acoustic Pianos and Relevance to Vibration Sensation.

Recent studies suggest that vibration of piano keys affect the perceived quality of the instrument, as well as the dynamic control and timing in piano playing. However, the time signals of piano key vibrations and its physical properties have not been analyzed and compared to the threshold of vibration sensation in a real-life playing situation yet. This study investigates piano key vibrations and explores the diversity of vibrations among different pianos with a laser Doppler vibrometer. A pianist was performing single keystrokes, note sequences, and a music piece excerpt on four concert grand pianos, five grand pianos, and two upright pianos. The measurements showed peak displacement levels up to 80m and the frequency spectrum of the vibrations is dominated by frequencies lower than 500Hz. Finally, a frequency weighting filter is introduced to show that vibration displacement time signals exceed the threshold of human vibration sensation for all evaluated instruments, when a note sequence is played in the bass to mid range with a single hand at forte level. The conducted experiments demonstrate that the vibration characteristics vary distinctively among the investigated pianos.

Development process of the grand piano duplex scale

Acoustical investigations of the earliest examples of implemented duplex schematics allow to shed light on the question of how much of the piano development in the late 19th century was still a trial and error approach or already a methodical process based on empirical findings. Further, it is investigated if the intended effect was instantly perceivable, or if it was first a theoretical concept, which was later refined to enhance a certain tonal character. For a modern grand piano, the influence of the duplex schematic on the vibroacoustic behavior and the aural impression is extensively covered by Öberg and Askenfelt. By performing measurements on several pianos from the late eighteen hundreds, most prominently the so-called Helmholtz piano, a Steinway grand presented as a gift to von Helmholtz in appreciation of the impact of his work on the company’s piano development, it is possible to retrace development procedures in the workshop in that specific time period. Design parameters from the respective pianos are obtained, e.g., string length ratios, angles from main string to front duplex, boundary conditions, and string diameters. Acoustical measurements, as proposed by Öberg and Askenfelt, are performed to examine if these constructive changes have any significant effect on the generated sound and to allow a comparative analysis of both historical and contemporary instruments.

TOY PIANOS, POOR TOOLS: VIRTUOSITY AND IMAGINATION IN A LIMITED CONTEXT

AbstractThe toy piano is fast becoming a concert instrument in its own right, with its own (growing) body of repertoire that has moved well beyond John Cage's 1948 classic Suite for Toy Piano. There are dedicated musicians specialising in toy piano performance all over the world, and numerous composers producing new works written specifically for the toy piano. This unusual miniature instrument provides a respite from the traditional implications of the grand piano, breaks the ice with audiences and allows pianists to perform in locations that would otherwise be inaccessible. In this article the author introduces the history and mechanism of the instrument, performance considerations, extended techniques and approaches to working with electronics, recent repertoire and suggestions for performers and composers. Discussion is supplemented with musical examples.