Piano: Difference between revisions

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The '''piano''' can be used to play microtonal music in a variety of ways.

The '''piano''' is a percussive [[keyboard]] instrument, in which an action of felt-covered hammers strike strings stretched on a metal frame attached to a resonant soundboard.

The history of the piano is closely intertwined with the standardization of [[12edo]] in the West. The development of steel frames with precision machining gave them the necessary capacity to hold the high level of tension (180–300 kN) to remain in tune reliably over time.

The piano can be used to play microtonal music in a variety of ways. A single piano's strings can be retuned. Like other keyboard instruments, the strong advantage that this provides for microtonal music is that due to pitch exactness and precision machining, an acoustic piano can also be constructed or rebuilt for essentially arbitrary pitches and tuning systems, satisfying any exact pitch placement that desired.

However, large departures from intended tuning, for example, from 12edo ― require changes to string length, gauge, tension, scaling, or even the frame and soundboard, rather than simply retuning the existing strings. A typical piano will only handle about a semitone of retuning before breaking strings becomes an issue. Additionally, excessive string stretching produces a timbre that sounds increasingly inharmonic and more bell-like.

As such, purpose-built microtonal pianos are required to accommodate tunings that would be impractical or unsafe to realize by retuning a conventional piano. Likewise, multiple pianos can be used: a solo player can play two keyboards detuned by a specific amount, or many players can play many pianos.

Electronic plugins like {{W|Pianoteq}} can be used to retune a modeled piano to arbitrary pitches with high precision, without the mechanical limitations that are found in the process of building a physical instrument.

== Retuned standard piano ==

[[Ben Johnston]] used pianos ~~with~~ just ~~tunings~~ for his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ugV5e1n4Q Sonata for Microtonal Piano] (1964)

[[Ben Johnston]] used pianos tuned in 12-tone just intonation scales for his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ugV5e1n4Q Sonata for Microtonal Piano] (1964)

and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx27dfey6iM Suite for Microtonal Piano] (1978).

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|}

[[Kyle Gann]]'s [https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hyperchromatica Hyperchromatica] (2018) ~~uses~~ three pianos with the just tunings shown in the table below.<ref name="gann-hyperchromatica"/>

[[Kyle Gann]]'s [https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hyperchromatica Hyperchromatica] (2018) was written for three Disklavier pianos with the just tunings shown in the table below.<ref name="gann-hyperchromatica"/>

{| class="wikitable"

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| 15/8 || 1088 || 225/128 || 977 || 117/64 || 1044

|}

[[Arnold Dreyblatt]] employed a 40-key miniature pianoforte in his [https://www.dreyblatt.net/musical-instruments Orchestra of Excited Strings], tuned to the 11-limit [[Dreyblatt tuning system]].

== Two standard pianos a quarter-tone apart ==

Two standard pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart can be used to play music in [[24edo]]. Examples include [[Charles Ives]]' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJPnUZhETg&list=PLB6BCC23A3D7CA817&index=1 Three Quarter-Tone Pieces] (1924), [[Ivan Wyschnegradsky]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS6U0I43OF4 24 Préludes] (1934), and John Eaton's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhCyVFRBbj4 Microtonal Fantasy] (1965).

== Retuning two pianos ==

In 1992, [[Georg Hajdu]] published a report of the "17 Tones" project<ref>[https://www.georghajdu.de/gh/fileadmin/material/articles/17_tones.ICMC.pdf Georg Hajdu's 1992 ICMC paper on the 17-tone piano project]</ref>, in which five composers wrote music featuring two player pianos tuned to [[17edo]].

In 2006-2008, [[Jacob Barton]] had two surplus grand pianos tuned to 17edo and produced the [[SeventeenTonePianoProject|Seventeen Tone Piano Project]], a series of four calls for works and concerts at Rice University.

In 2008, [[Aaron Krister Johnson]] produced an event featuring two upright pianos tuned to [[19edo]] as part of Midwest MicroFest (now [[UnTwelve]]).

Philip Golub's [https://phillipgolub.bandcamp.com/album/loop-7 Loop 7] (2025) uses two pianos retuned to play in [[22edo]].

== ~~Two standard~~ pianos ~~a quarter-tone apart~~ ==

== Microtonal music with more than two pianos ==

~~Two standard pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart can be used to play music in [[24edo]]. Examples include [[Charles Ives]]'~~ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~EXJPnUZhETg&list=PLB6BCC23A3D7CA817&index=1 Three Quarter-Tone Pieces]~~ (~~1924~~) and [[~~Ivan Wyschnegradsky~~]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~eS6U0I43OF4 24 Préludes]~~ (~~1934~~).

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L2vLH2KgSU Georg Friedrich Haas: ''Limited Approximations'' (2010)] for orchestra and 6 pianos tuned to 1/12th tones ([[72edo]]

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpHSC8eWWL8 Taylor Brook: ''Virtutes Occultae'' (2017)] for "six physically modeled virtual pianos, each with a unique tuning in an extended 11-limit just intonation

== Custom-built pianos ==

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There are some videos of Steve Cohn playing a Förster three-manual quarter-tone piano [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7AqXnHjxd0 available] on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdP4epQIUrU YouTube].

[[Julián Carrillo]] had pianos constructed in a range of tunings from 1/3-tones to 1/16-tones.<ref name="grove-microtonal"/> These used conventional piano keyboards, so the range decreases as the divisions of the tuning get smaller.<ref name="huygens-carrillo"/>

[[Julián Carrillo]] had pianos constructed in a range of tunings from 1/3-tones to 1/16-tones.<ref name="grove-microtonal"/> These ''pianos metamorfoseadores'', also known as Carrillo pianos, used conventional piano keyboards, so the range decreases as the divisions of the tuning get smaller.<ref name="huygens-carrillo"/>

[[Michael Harrison]]'s harmonic piano plays a 24-note just scale and can be heard on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG69xptl1Bc From Ancient Worlds] (1992).

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Owen H. Jorgensen's ''Tuning'' discusses historical temperaments used on the piano.<ref name="jorgensen1991tuning"/>

[[Ivor Darreg]]'s 1967 essay [http://www.tonalsoft.com/sonic-arts/darreg/piano.htm Shall We Improve The Piano?] addresses head-on a number of issues faced by music-makers wanting to use acoustic pianos.

== References ==

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</ref>

Kyle Gann, [https://www.kylegann.com/Hyperchromatica.html Hyperchromatica]

Kyle Gann, [https://www.kylegann.com/Hyperchromatica.html Hyperchromatica] Note: this recording is an electronic realization, and the piece remains unperformed on acoustic pianos.

</ref>

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</ref>

Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/461/ Microtonal instruments]. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014, p.461.

Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/461/ Microtonal instruments]. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014. Volume Three, page 461.

</ref>

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== See also ==

* [[Keyboard]]

* [[Fluid piano]]

[[Category:Instruments]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The '''piano''' can be used to play microtonal music in a variety of ways.
+The '''piano''' is a percussive [[keyboard]] instrument, in which an action of felt-covered hammers strike strings stretched on a metal frame attached to a resonant soundboard.
+The history of the piano is closely intertwined with the standardization of [[12edo]] in the West. The development of steel frames with precision machining gave them the necessary capacity to hold the high level of tension (180–300 kN) to remain in tune reliably over time.
+The piano can be used to play microtonal music in a variety of ways. A single piano's strings can be retuned. Like other keyboard instruments, the strong advantage that this provides for microtonal music is that due to pitch exactness and precision machining, an acoustic piano can also be constructed or rebuilt for essentially arbitrary pitches and tuning systems, satisfying any exact pitch placement that desired.
+However, large departures from intended tuning, for example, from 12edo ― require changes to string length, gauge, tension, scaling, or even the frame and soundboard, rather than simply retuning the existing strings. A typical piano will only handle about a semitone of retuning before breaking strings becomes an issue. Additionally, excessive string stretching produces a timbre that sounds increasingly inharmonic and  more bell-like.
+As such, purpose-built microtonal pianos are required to accommodate tunings that would be impractical or unsafe to realize by retuning a conventional piano. Likewise, multiple pianos can be used: a solo player can play two keyboards detuned by a specific amount, or many players can play many pianos.
+Electronic plugins like {{W|Pianoteq}} can be used to retune a modeled piano to arbitrary pitches with high precision, without the mechanical limitations that are found in the process of building a physical instrument.
 == Retuned standard piano ==
-[[Ben Johnston]] used pianos with just tunings for his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ugV5e1n4Q Sonata for Microtonal Piano] (1964)
+[[Ben Johnston]] used pianos tuned in 12-tone just intonation scales for his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ugV5e1n4Q Sonata for Microtonal Piano] (1964)
 and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx27dfey6iM Suite for Microtonal Piano] (1978).
@@ Line 43: / Line 53: @@
 |}
-[[Kyle Gann]]'s [https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hyperchromatica Hyperchromatica] (2018) uses three pianos with the just tunings shown in the table below.<ref name="gann-hyperchromatica"/>
+[[Kyle Gann]]'s [https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hyperchromatica Hyperchromatica] (2018) was written for three Disklavier pianos with the just tunings shown in the table below.<ref name="gann-hyperchromatica"/>
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 77: / Line 87: @@
 | 15/8 || 1088 || 225/128 || 977 || 117/64 || 1044
 |}
+[[Arnold Dreyblatt]] employed a 40-key miniature pianoforte in his [https://www.dreyblatt.net/musical-instruments Orchestra of Excited Strings], tuned to the 11-limit [[Dreyblatt tuning system]].
+== Two standard pianos a quarter-tone apart ==
+Two standard pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart can be used to play music in [[24edo]]. Examples include [[Charles Ives]]' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJPnUZhETg&list=PLB6BCC23A3D7CA817&index=1 Three Quarter-Tone Pieces] (1924), [[Ivan Wyschnegradsky]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS6U0I43OF4 24 Préludes] (1934), and John Eaton's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhCyVFRBbj4 Microtonal Fantasy] (1965).
+== Retuning two pianos ==
+In 1992, [[Georg Hajdu]] published a report of the "17 Tones" project<ref>[https://www.georghajdu.de/gh/fileadmin/material/articles/17_tones.ICMC.pdf Georg Hajdu's 1992 ICMC paper on the 17-tone piano project]</ref>, in which five composers wrote music featuring two player pianos tuned to [[17edo]].
+In 2006-2008, [[Jacob Barton]] had two surplus grand pianos tuned to 17edo and produced the [[SeventeenTonePianoProject|Seventeen Tone Piano Project]], a series of four calls for works and concerts at Rice University.
+In 2008, [[Aaron Krister Johnson]] produced an event featuring two upright pianos tuned to [[19edo]] as part of Midwest MicroFest (now [[UnTwelve]]).
 Philip Golub's [https://phillipgolub.bandcamp.com/album/loop-7 Loop 7] (2025) uses two pianos retuned to play in [[22edo]].
-== Two standard pianos a quarter-tone apart ==
+== Microtonal music with more than two pianos ==
-Two standard pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart can be used to play music in [[24edo]]. Examples include [[Charles Ives]]' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJPnUZhETg&list=PLB6BCC23A3D7CA817&index=1 Three Quarter-Tone Pieces] (1924) and [[Ivan Wyschnegradsky]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS6U0I43OF4 24 Préludes] (1934).
+* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L2vLH2KgSU Georg Friedrich Haas: ''Limited Approximations'' (2010)] for orchestra and 6 pianos tuned to 1/12th tones ([[72edo]]
+* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpHSC8eWWL8 Taylor Brook: ''Virtutes Occultae'' (2017)] for "six physically modeled virtual pianos, each with a unique tuning in an extended 11-limit just intonation
 == Custom-built pianos ==
@@ Line 110: / Line 133: @@
 There are some videos of Steve Cohn playing a Förster three-manual quarter-tone piano [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7AqXnHjxd0 available] on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdP4epQIUrU YouTube].
-[[Julián Carrillo]] had pianos constructed in a range of tunings from 1/3-tones to 1/16-tones.<ref name="grove-microtonal"/> These used conventional piano keyboards, so the range decreases as the divisions of the tuning get smaller.<ref name="huygens-carrillo"/>
+[[Julián Carrillo]] had pianos constructed in a range of tunings from 1/3-tones to 1/16-tones.<ref name="grove-microtonal"/> These ''pianos metamorfoseadores'', also known as Carrillo pianos, used conventional piano keyboards, so the range decreases as the divisions of the tuning get smaller.<ref name="huygens-carrillo"/>
 [[Michael Harrison]]'s harmonic piano plays a 24-note just scale and can be heard on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG69xptl1Bc From Ancient Worlds] (1992).
@@ Line 121: / Line 144: @@
 Owen H. Jorgensen's ''Tuning'' discusses historical temperaments used on the piano.<ref name="jorgensen1991tuning"/>
+[[Ivor Darreg]]'s 1967 essay [http://www.tonalsoft.com/sonic-arts/darreg/piano.htm Shall We Improve The Piano?] addresses head-on a number of issues faced by music-makers wanting to use acoustic pianos.
 == References ==
@@ Line 134: / Line 159: @@
 </ref>
 <ref name="gann-hyperchromatica">
-Kyle Gann, [https://www.kylegann.com/Hyperchromatica.html Hyperchromatica]
+Kyle Gann, [https://www.kylegann.com/Hyperchromatica.html Hyperchromatica] Note: this recording is an electronic realization, and the piece remains unperformed on acoustic pianos.
 </ref>
 <ref name="jarvi-performing">
@@ Line 140: / Line 165: @@
 </ref>
 <ref name="grove-microtonal">
-Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/461/ Microtonal instruments]. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014, p.461.
+Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/461/ Microtonal instruments]. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014. Volume Three, page 461.
 </ref>
 <ref name="huygens-carrillo">
@@ Line 154: / Line 179: @@
 == See also ==
-* [[Keyboard]]
 * [[Fluid piano]]
 [[Category:Instruments]]