Improving the upright piano
Martin Keane · 2006
This paper will present a (mostly) non-technical overview of the research undertaken for my thesis. The work was a study of piano vibrations, to find whether improvements may be achieved by altering the piano case materials. Modal analysis and sound level measurements showed that because of the manner in which sound is radiated by the piano, the tone does not change significantly when typical materials are used in the case. A new method was developed for analysing recorded notes; it showed differences in vibrations between upright and grand pianos. A finite element model of a piano suggested that changing one component (the keybed) of the upright would reduce the key vibration level, and make the upright feel more like a grand. These changes were made to one of a pair of pianos, which were subjectively compared by a group of pianists; the results showed that the upright piano had been improved.