

The Klavins-Piano Model 370 - gus_massa
http://klavins-piano-manufaktur.com/e/model370_en.htm

======
cnvogel
Nils Frahm has just released an album recorded on this instrument. It's
downloadable at [http://www.pianoday.org/](http://www.pianoday.org/) for free,
but donations are said to go into a fund to build the even bigger successor.

------
Munksgaard
This is sort of related to Nils Frahms recent release –solo–, which was
recorded on the M370, and of which all proceeds are donated to the
construction of the Klavins M450 piano[0].

[http://www.pianoday.org/](http://www.pianoday.org/)

~~~
owenfi
This is nice so far, but I wish they had found a way to record with less
white-static and it would've been _really_ impressive.

~~~
yoctonaut
Are you referring to the hammer mechanism clicks? (They're rhythmic, along
with the notes, as opposed to random noise.) I think the exposed mechanism
makes that sound more present in the recording. The outer body of a
conventional piano serves to muffle that.

------
paul_milovanov
I wonder whether there is a limit to the size of the soundboard at which the
extra amplified overtones start to muddle the cords even played in the middle
register and above. Big grand pianos are not particularly transportable and
organs have been designed for specific buildings; why is it that larger pianos
like this don't exist as a class?

Lower fundamental tones generate more audible overtones; this is why the same
cord played in the lower register sounds much more muddy than in the middle.
Of course it could be that even with amplified higher harmonics for mid-
register.

At any rate, it's disappointing that the performers chosen for their
audio/video demo recordings and their recording setup are so crappy. It'd be
not unreasonable to suspect the level of the piano designer's expertise is
comparable.

And, of course, size of the soundboard alone does not a good piano make.

------
Sanddancer
I'm curious as to why they went for putting the keyboard on top, instead of
having the soundboard emerge from the base. With the current arrangement, and
the overall design, it makes it look more like the front of a massive earth
mover than a musical instrument.

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
That's probably to do with where the hammers need to hit the strings.

Different positions = different harmonic mix = different sound.

Of course you could move the hammers with long levers. But a simpler/smaller
system is always easier to build and more reliable than a complicated big
system.

(And it picks up less dust too.)

~~~
Sanddancer
yeah, I know that part, I was thinking more essentially flipping it upside
down. The hammers would hit in the same spot as on the current piano, it's
just that the sound board would be above the player instead of below.
Essentially, like a grand piano that's had its sound board flipped upward
instead of downward like this model.

------
coldcode
As a keyboard player I'd love to try it out, it's hard to know the difference
from just a recording without feeling the vibrations.

