
Una Corda, a piano with one string per note - camtarn
https://www.klavins-pianos.com/products/una-corda/
======
Sharlin
At first I was confused and wondered whether my understanding of how pianos
work is totally inadequate and whether normal pianos have _fewer_ than one
string per note (perhaps with some sort of a fret system to allow adjacent
keys to share strings). Turns out they have _more_ than one on average;
typically two in the tenor range and three in treble, so as not to be
overpowered by the massive bass strings.

~~~
GuB-42
Clavichords, which are small keyboard instruments predating the piano, can be
fretted. As a result, they can have fewer than one string per note.

To my knowledge, harpsichords and pianos are never fretted and need at least
one string per note.

~~~
baldfat
Pianos typically have two strings per note. It makes the piano louder and
helps the tone of the note to sound fuller. This happened when they started
making a piano super strong frames.

~~~
Nition
That's incorrect. A typical piano has one string on the bass notes, then two
strings per note as you get higher up the keyboard, then three per note higher
up again. The exact point where the switch is made varies a little.

If you meant "typically" as in the majority, the majority of the keys have
three strings.

------
weinzierl
Pianos used to have a pedal that causes the hammer strike only one string. The
pedal is still there and still called _Una Corda_ but usually doesn't do real
single string activation anymore. This is also not the same as a _Una Corda_
piano that has only one string per note because in a regular piano sympathetic
string resonance is a significant contributor to the sound.

~~~
matt-attack
Yep, my piano does just that. The entire keyboard (and hammer assembly) slides
over slightly when the press the pedal.

~~~
saghm
From playing around with pianos, I've seen that there's a pedal that moves the
keys over, and I never knew what it was for. Thanks for explaining!

------
_red
Check out the Native Instruments implementation which includes sound demos:

[https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys...](https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys/una-corda/)

~~~
trishume
Oh man I actually really enjoy these audio demos as music. Anyone have good
suggestions on more music like them? Piano music but in non-classical style
with a touch of electronic editing thrown in.

~~~
sdcooke
Ólafur Arnalds is another one to check out!

~~~
baldfat
He is my favorite New Classical artist. His actually hired a programmer to
control two pianos and has a custom made randomizer. As a Hacker Olafur is the
most interesting artist right now.

Interesting Read: [https://grapevine.is/culture/music/iceland-
airwaves/airwaves...](https://grapevine.is/culture/music/iceland-
airwaves/airwaves-2018/2018/08/09/total-transcendance-olafur-arnalds-talks-
programming-pianos-subverting-genres-and-his-new-album/)

~~~
pimlottc
+1 for Olafur

Another artist who has used a specially-crafted MIDI-controlled piano is Dan
Deacon. His stuff is not exactly New Classical, though, it's a bit more
frenetic and goofy, but quite good.

He talks about it quite in a bit in a Pitchfork TV video that documented him
working on one of his albums, Bromst:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPg4Vcr56F0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPg4Vcr56F0)

------
yongjik
Fun fact: Beethoven once owned a piano that had _four_ strings per key on the
higher range[1].

I'm not sure if he used that piano to compose his sonata Op 110, but it has a
section[2] that starts with _una corda_ , with a very serene melody, and as it
gradually picks up its energy Beethoven instructs the player to use more and
more strings... an effect that's not quite possible with modern pianos as
modern _una corda_ is not actually one but two strings per key (in the middle-
to-high region), and that's the only distinction we have.

[1]
[https://books.google.com/books?id=q6oZkreoZtQC&pg=PA57&dq=be...](https://books.google.com/books?id=q6oZkreoZtQC&pg=PA57&dq=beethoven%27s+pianos+four+strings&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKr-
TR6obgAhWHxFQKHaK8D94Q6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=beethoven's%20pianos%20four%20strings&f=false)

[2] See, for example,
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI1viKPG3TI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI1viKPG3TI)
starting ~18:32 until the end.

~~~
carlob
I remember seeing a piano from the early XX century that had a fourth string,
however it was sympathetic (never struck) and there was no fine control of how
many strings were being struck.

EDIT: found it! [https://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/bluthner-and-
the...](https://www.pianostreet.com/blog/piano-news/bluthner-and-the-aliquot-
fourth-string-system-4711/)

------
poof_he_is_gone
I have a 64 note piano and love it. It is has one or two strings per note
instead of the standard 3. I bought mine at a garage sale for $240 bucks about
20 years ago, and it is my favorite instrument. I love the idea of this but
not at that price point.

~~~
timc3
What make is it?

------
jdietrich
A sample library of the Una Corda is available from Native Instruments. It's a
very useful instrument, providing a lighter and more ethereal alternative to a
conventional piano. It has a surprisingly complex timbre, evoking hints of a
harp, steel pan or kalimba in the upper register.

[https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys...](https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys/una-corda/)

~~~
notacoward
Some of the tracks sound a lot like a picked guitar, which I guess isn't that
surprising. How much that comes through probably depends on exactly which
sound banks, strings, etc. are used.

Unfortunately, most of the samples are of obscure compositions. I think some
tracks of traditional piano standards, especially side by side with a regular
piano, would really show off the sound more.

------
TomWhitwell
This vertical grand piano - you have to go up a short flight of steps to get
to the keyboard - from the same company, is ACE [https://www.klavins-
pianos.com/products/model-450i/](https://www.klavins-
pianos.com/products/model-450i/)

~~~
knodi123
but.... why not just design it so the keyboard is on ground level, and the
strings go up instead of down? is this just a design flex?

~~~
TheRealPomax
You don't want to sit in front of strings that loud and sympathetic (meaning
one string makes many other strings vibrate along both due to harmonics as
well as plain physical vibration travelling into them).

It would be super uncomfortaable and players would damage their hearing _so
fast_. You want to be out of the path of the sound, not just for the
"listener"s benefit, but absolutely also your own. It's why grand pianos
reflect sound "to the side". If you used the upright approach of sending it
over the pianist, you'd end up with a lot of damaged ears and broken players.

------
TheRealPomax
For those unfamiliar with the Michelberger Hotel: if you have the opportunity
to stay there, do so. It's like nowhere you've been before, and the fact that
this piano was shown off there first is a surprise to no one who ever had the
pleasure of spending one or more nights in their hotel, especially if you're
multiple people and explore each others' rooms. And I do mean explore.

~~~
brett40324
Do you have a link / reference about this you can post?

~~~
TheRealPomax
[https://michelbergerhotel.com/en/](https://michelbergerhotel.com/en/)

------
xchaotic
I am all in favour of equality, but the inequality we have now and the one
we've had in the past produces these great and bizzare artifacts that people
still value after centuries if not wins. We still go to see the sphinx in
Egypt - a true homage to slavery and I suspect archeologist in the future
would prefer to uncover such a piano as opposed to 1000 more old cars or TVs

~~~
lqet
Slightly related quote:

"You know what the fella said – in Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they
had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly
love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that
produce? The cuckoo clock."

------
auiya
Here's a video of the real deal (not NI plugin) -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgtD5mZP8AU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgtD5mZP8AU)

~~~
publicfig
This is still a typically stringed piano, just with felt added to dampen the
other strings, I believe. The webpage describes an Una Corda piano built with
only one string

~~~
misthop
One string per note (as opposed to the usual 1/2/3 depending on where in on
the keyboard you are talking about), not only one string.

The video the parent linked to is the Una Corda - played by the
designer/builder

------
dharma1
Nice. It's hard to invent new meaningful, playable acoustic instruments.
Respect to anyone who does.

Another one I really like is the Array Mbira, up to 7 octave chromatic Mbiras
with stereo pickups.

[https://www.arraymbira.com/](https://www.arraymbira.com/)

~~~
52-6F-62
That thing probably belongs in the hands of Johnny Greenwood, if anyone.

------
ngcc_hk
Beethoven stage piano is still experimental and in fact you may note the
moonlight do not go higher note. But more importantly the sound meadower.
Chopin also have a weaker source Piano.

Not all are concert pianist. Should have an option

------
WhompingWindows
Pricing 64-key Una Corda® Piano……………………………………………………..€ 15,900 net* Including
big wheels, tone modulator, and music stand

88-key Una Corda® Piano……………………………………………………..€ 21,900 net* Including big
wheels, tone modulator, and music stand

Why would any serious musician spend 22k Euros on this piano when they could
get an actual grand piano from a reputable maker? If you're super wealthy and
you like fun toys, sure, but this is going to be an inferior instrument in
volume, tone, tone control, sustain, and pretty much all the features a
serious pianist is adept at manipulating.

~~~
RandallBrown
They wouldn't.

This is a piece of functional art like a Rolex.

~~~
busterarm
I don't think that's necessarily fair or accurate.

Most gear above a certain pricepoint isn't even really marketed directly to
musicians anymore. It's recording studios, live music production companies and
backline rental companies who are going to be buying these things and they're
totally going to sell.

------
gus_massa
Why is this better than a traditional piano (that has ¿3? strings per note)?

~~~
camtarn
It's not better, necessarily, but it's a very different sound.

For higher notes you need thinner and shorter strings, which are quieter.
Traditional pianos have different numbers of strings per note (one for bass
notes, two for the mid-range, and three for treble notes) so that the notes
sound roughly the same volume across the keyboard. This also gives a very rich
tone, as the strings are very very slightly different in frequency.

The Una Corda only has one string per note. It's probably a lot quieter in the
high octaves, but it has a thin and very pure tone which doesn't sound a lot
like a traditional piano, which is very appealing to people who are looking
for new and interesting sounds. And the quietness doesn't matter so much with
modern amplification technology.

~~~
saalweachter
So basically if you want something similar on the cheap, take an old piano,
remove the extra strings, open up the cabinet?

~~~
holri
No just press the left pedal of a grand piano, called the una corda pedal. It
shifts the keyboard so that the hammers hit only one or two strings instead of
2 or 3. And open the lid.

~~~
iainmerrick
That’s not quite the same because the extra strings still resonate. But yeah,
it has the same name for a reason.

~~~
ivanb
The extra strings are dampened IIRC.

~~~
holri
Unless you also press the right pedal

------
patrickbolle
I love the sound of this. When I was all into Ableton this was the only piano
library that I used, ever. It sounds wonderful.

------
sansnomme
Can this be tuned precisely? Since each note maps to one string, will there
still be the irrational tuning problem?

[https://metro.co.uk/2015/09/18/its-impossible-to-tune-a-
pian...](https://metro.co.uk/2015/09/18/its-impossible-to-tune-a-
piano-5398180/)

------
mortdeus
there is a technical reason why pianos have more than one string... equal
temperament tuning does not sound right on a piano and the other strings allow
somebody to change the notes soft/hard dynamics without changing the notes
pitch. this is important when trying to get some chords in equal temperament
to harmonize.

------
QuercusMax
I love that the piano maker's name is Klavins. I know it means Maple Tree or
something like that in Latvian(?), but it's also very close to "klavier",
which means piano in various languages.

------
pao73
If you wonder una corda means one string in Italian

------
anjc
It sounds like a more refined version of a poorly maintained upright that
needs restringing and new hammers

------
xaduha
For a moment I thought that Native Instruments actually built it and got into
that business.

~~~
romwell
Wouldn't be unprecedented after Arturia.

------
hansjorg
I guess Nils has a new piano :)

------
ladelfa
Some thoughts on this, from an enthusiast, collector, and amateur player of
odd and arcane keyboard instruments.

On the subject of one string per hammer: while this is novel for a modern
acoustic piano, it is not especially so for other members of the family.
Smaller harpsichords, for instance, are always strung like this, and even in
larger ones having multiple "choirs" of strings, the number of strings being
plucked simultaneously by a single key can always be configured, typically
through levers or pedals.

In the 1970s Yamaha brought out line of single-strung stage pianos (CP-70,
CP-80, etc.) that were popular with rock players because they were relatively
portable and significantly faster to tune. (Kawai also had an upright of
similar design.) These were not loud enough to be played acoustically, but
instead were fitted with electric-guitar-style pickups under each string much
like the Una Corda has, producing a similar sound. In fact, as I listened to
the soundtrack on the video, I was struck by the resemblance of the sound not
only to the Yamaha CP-70, but to the Rhodes electric piano, which has rigid
steel tines instead of strings, but also one to a key.

I like the ability to swap in various felts to modify the timbre; many modern
harpsichords have this facility also, with something called a "buff stop."
Player pianos in the first half of the 20th century frequently featured a
lever that would lower a comb of felt with little metal rivets between the
hammers and strings, producing a "honky tonk" or "tack piano" sound;
presumably one could fashion something similar for the Una Corda.

The open, vertical design reminds me of the beautiful Clavicytheriums produced
by the American harpsichord builder Steven Sørli
([http://www.lautenwerk.com](http://www.lautenwerk.com)). Here's a video of
one:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89758D803857A19B](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89758D803857A19B)

Yes, these are quiet instruments, but the late-Renaissance and Baroque music
one would typically perform on them is much better served by this sparse
clarity than can be produced on the modern grand piano. I suspect that the Una
Corda would be similarly friendly to this repertoire.

Another benefit of the single-stringing is that, presumably, a capable player
might reasonably expect to tune the instrument themselves, permitting the
setting of very specific configurations other than twelve exactly equal
divisions of the octave tuned to A=440. For acoustic and historical reasons, a
lot of pieces really bloom in a certain way when you can do this, but on the
modern grand piano it's a time-consuming task usually best left to a
professional tuner/technician. (Because of the relatively unstable nature of
their instruments, harpsichord players, like harpists and guitarists, have to
learn to do this themselves early on in their studies, and thereby gain
exposure to various temperaments and reference pitches, e.g. Werckmeister III
at A=415.)

On the matter of price, 22,000 Euro (~$25K) is about the going rate for a new
custom-built harpsichord, so that's not totally unreasonable. Other classical
and orchestral instruments of professional quality frequently command similar
sums, and new grand pianos easily get up into the six-figure range.

I would love to see one of these in person. Anyone spotted one in the US yet?

