Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner piano sound is the result of more than just the hammer speed

It looks like they're talking about purely mechanical and key-strike noises. Which are inaudible to the audience unless they are sitting very close to the piano, but of course, noticeable to the pianist (and microphones, in closely miked recordings - fingernail clicks etc. Not to mention sharp intakes of breath, humming, 'singing'........).

Could that account for why some pianists think they're playing very expressively, and feeling the music within themselves, yet the audience cannot hear the expression in their playing?

The article in the link starts off by asking listeners if they can tell the difference between the two posted piano tones. I had no trouble telling the difference. But the research described in the article claims that the difference we hear is independent of hammer velocity. I simply cannot buy that claim. One of the tones is clearly louder than the other... and loudness is directly controlled by hammer velocity. This is easily seen in this visualization of the two recorded tones using Audacity:
So we could simply ask people to look at the two plots and determine which of the two tones is louder. Their answer would also tell us which tone involved the key pressed with enough force to hit the keybed and which tone was the result of a higher hammer velocity. I don't think the researchers properly controlled for hammer velocity in their experiments.

Or sitting underneath and behind the piano, which I recommend against if you're going to a concert (based on personal experience).

From the article:

So they're listening to the finger noise, not the tone of the piano.

That is essentially what I did in the earlier test here on pianoworld, I listened for the (very faint) sound of the umbrella touching the key. It's not what is meant when the many theorists say 'touch' or 'tone'

I suspect that they are missing the subtile differences in the way that the key is depressed, due to the softness of fingertips.

Will it ever stop?

ROFL !

This topic has also appeared recently on the "Pianoteq" user forum. You might as well expect agreement on doctrine between Lutherans and Presbyterians. [And no, I don't know how they differ, but I'm sure they do!]

. Charles

PS -- with a degree in physics, I have an opinion, but keep it to myself.<g>

? How can touch make any difference on an electric piano? Or am I misunderstanding the situation here?

This argument has literally been going on for a hundred years. What do you think?

For the listener, the noise of knocking finger is an integral part of sound pianist, not of instrument , as well as the resonator amplifies them: and it really is not related to the speed of hammer. The same applies to kick key on the bottom board - an integral attribute in the performance of jazz and rock.

This whole thing about the "chink" was adequately covered in Geoffrey Payzant's book about Glenn Gould, published in 1978 when the pianist was still alive.

Whoa! Whoa! Hang on. I need to go get some popcorn!

What did they say?

Yup. That's the only difference. They both obviously hit the keybed.

Well there you go, that's what's wrong with my Schubert. I need to upgrade my front rail punchings.

Larry.