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11-23-2009, 04:11 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | | Fluid Piano developed in England!
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So I was reading in the paper this morning about the invention of a new acoustic piano that allows you to change the tuning of any notes easily - to play different scales with micro-tonal intervals etc. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009...no-geoff-smith
It was particularly interesting to me as the inventor, Geoff Smith lives in my home town! 
The article was more generally interesting, as it talks about how this allows other cultures to use the piano for their own music which is based on different scales to normal "Western" harmony and could see a new direction for music...?
What do you think?
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11-23-2009, 05:05 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Here's a pic : 
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11-23-2009, 08:26 AM
| | | Hmmmm....a "fretless" piano. 
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11-27-2009, 09:18 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | | Yes I thought there might be more interest...?
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
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11-27-2009, 09:23 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Norway | | wow, thats neat 
When I first saw the thread i as like "fluid piano? gotta be some kind of water-based thingy" hehe, cool find tho :-D
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11-27-2009, 09:27 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: San Diego, California | | | That has to be one of the coolest things I've seen all day. Thanks for the share! I hope we start to see more and more of it in mainstream music. |
11-27-2009, 09:50 AM
|  | Analyzer Records
Endorsing Artist: Mesa/Boogie - Shop Manager/Tech, SF Guitarworks | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA | | | DO WANT!
I modify guitars for non-western scales, but that is still limiting to the degree that if I want another scale I have to build a new guitar. I've never wanted a piano for much of the same reason - they're big, bulky, and in my mind, limited. But this one... me want! |
11-27-2009, 10:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brookfield, CT | | | Neat. I like the concept, but the prototype in the video doesn't sound like a piano. More like a Harpsichord.
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11-27-2009, 10:09 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dallas, TX | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange DO WANT!
I modify guitars for non-western scales, but that is still limiting to the degree that if I want another scale I have to build a new guitar. I've never wanted a piano for much of the same reason - they're big, bulky, and in my mind, limited. But this one... me want! | can you briefly explain why a guitar needs to be modified for different scales? i've never heard of this. i would think that you could just tune differently at the most. also, in what ways is a piano limited? i've always though a piano was the most unlimited instrument in terms of note availability. thanks.
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11-27-2009, 10:12 AM
|  | (No Longer) Tradin' My Hours for a Handfulla Dimes | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Boston | | | I wonder what Thelonious Monk would have thought of this? (Bet he would've owned a "first five" serial number!)
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lowendfriend
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11-27-2009, 12:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Austin, TX | | Quote:
Originally Posted by brekfustuvluzer can you briefly explain why a guitar needs to be modified for different scales? i've never heard of this. i would think that you could just tune differently at the most. also, in what ways is a piano limited? i've always though a piano was the most unlimited instrument in terms of note availability. thanks. | What he's talking about is different scales in that there are a different (than 12) number of steps from, say, A440 to A880. A guitar would have to have the frets moved farther apart or closer together, for a piano... well, you get the picture. |
11-27-2009, 12:15 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dallas, TX | | | ah, that must be what he meant by piano being limited, because on a stringed instrument, you can bend pitches.
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11-27-2009, 12:27 PM
| | Analyzer Records
Endorsing Artist: Mesa/Boogie - Shop Manager/Tech, SF Guitarworks | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by brekfustuvluzer can you briefly explain why a guitar needs to be modified for different scales? i've never heard of this. i would think that you could just tune differently at the most. also, in what ways is a piano limited? i've always though a piano was the most unlimited instrument in terms of note availability. thanks. | Like this: 
This particular microtonal guitar is fretted for quarter-tones in the lower octave, fretless in the upper octave. I've also got a guitar with all the frets equally spaced, and various other scales. Fun stuff. |
11-27-2009, 01:15 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Austin, TX | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange Like this:
This particular microtonal guitar is fretted for quarter-tones in the lower octave, fretless in the upper octave. I've also got a guitar with all the frets equally spaced, and various other scales. Fun stuff. | I'm guessing that you don't do much blues jamming with those guitars...  |
11-27-2009, 02:28 PM
| | (No Longer) Tradin' My Hours for a Handfulla Dimes | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Boston | | It's kind of the antithesis of "Black Cat bone"
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lowendfriend
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11-27-2009, 04:14 PM
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Independent Recording Artist | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chantilly, VA | | | That's excellent. I'm glad more people are embracing microtonality.
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