Andrew Sahlstrom

This Project is a MIDI player piano. It is an old upright piano which has been disassembled and reconfigured to be driven by solenoids which provide the hammer action and can be played through the output of any MIDI controller.

http://www.abstract-assembly.com/?p=425

Description

I believe that everybody should have the chance to see a piano playing music just as much as they hear a piano playing music. For this project I chose to remove the keyboard and other obstructions which inhibit the visual experience of seeing the mechanisms which make the music. This project is based in a fairly simple idea.

When I was a child I took piano lessons for three years. The only joy I received from playing it was by the sound it produced and how it affected me and other listeners. I had no idea what was under the hood of this piano. I didn’t realize the beautiful design and arrangement of the hammer mechanisms, nor the motion they made when they struck the strings. This project changes that.

This project rids of everything which visually obstructs the hammer action. The keys, keyboard, whippets, the hammer rests, the spring board, and the hammer mount have all been removed. The hammer action provided by the pressing of the keys has since been replaced with solenoid’s and connected via MIDI controller. The hammers have been reconfigured in their design which staggers the keys(every other key is mounted upside down). This opens space for the viewer to see even more of what’s going on. The viewer is encouraged to get close, and and inspect how the piano makes music.

Classes

Basic Analog Circuits, Circuit Design and Prototyping (4 points), Mechanisms: If It Moves It Breaks, Piecing it Together, Project Development Studio