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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).