25 Jun
2016
25 Jun
'16
6:08 p.m.
On Sat, 25 Jun 2016 12:58:24 +0100
Will Godfrey <willgodfrey(a)musically.me.uk> wrote:
As a matter of interest, when I was a wee lad, we had
an old
wood-framed piano at home. This couldn't be tuned to 'modern' concert
pitch and hanging on a hook inside was a tuning fork marked 'C' 256
c/s (cycles per second). The keys were genuine ivory, quite yellowed
with age, and well worn too, with finger shaped groves in the front
lip of the most played ones.
Makes me think about Pianoteq that I got yesterday (Stephen has such
nice descriptions ...), the basic Stage version. I chose the electric
pianos. For every electric piano there is a default setting of 'new'.
This setting can be moved all the way to 'well used' (or torn apart or
somesuch) in which case the user interface gets yellowed and filled with
cracks. The sound itself becomes out of tune. This would be easy to
do with any software but in this case it is a bit eerie as when notes
are played they give the impression of years and years and years of
use, complete with the cracking sound of the articulations. It is
simply not a straightforward detune.
The description of the piano you make relates to every other instrument
as they gather with time the playing and the use and reflect this when
being played. Like fine tea that is aged, or wine.
But then again, past this really fine time there is straightforward
decay.