Re:Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards
by wyre on Saturday November 21, 2020 @11:32PM
(#25174944)
I don’t think it’s realistic. It would be very hard to design without changing the responsiveness and tone of the keys. And even if possible “purists” won’t accept it for those reasons and also because it isn’t a traditional piano.
Re:Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards
by Ma8ee on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:46AM
(#25175232)
I’d say it’s not possible. The action of the keys and exactly how the hammers hit and are released from the strings are integral to the sound.
Re:Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards
by freeone3000 on Saturday November 21, 2020 @11:42PM
(#25174990)
No, it can't be mechanical. The interconnection between the key hammers and the strings is THE defining sound of the piano. It is a direct mechanical linkage. If you change this, it is a different instrument, and cannot sound the same.
If it's digital, well, why bother with the soundbox at all, and simply have an electronic keyboard entirely?
Re:Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards
by mrob on Sunday November 22, 2020 @03:20AM
(#25175892)
There is no direct mechanical linkage between the keys and the strings. The piano action sets the hammer moving, and then it flies through the air uncontrolled until it bounces off the string. The only control the player has is how fast they start it moving, and there's no reason you couldn't do this with a solenoid (although it would have to be a fast one to match the latency of the mechanical action).
That is, when you encounter a "Steinway Model X", you should be able to swap out only the keyboard, while retaining the acoustic qualities of the piano itself.
Some standard keyboard/piano interface is needed for this. It could be digital or mechanical.
Such a thing is perfectly possible to build, and should be acceptable even for "purists" who won't touch electronic pianos. The bigger problem would probably be to get piano manufacturers to agree to building these things.