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Comment by mastazi | Hacker News Reader

Some other unconventional Pianos:

https://klavins-pianos.com/products/model-450i/

https://klavins-pianos.com/products/una-corda/

For anyone into VST's, Native Instruments has a great sampled instrument of Una Corda. And their instrument "The Giant" is based on the Klavins model 370i. The product page for the 370i is blank, but it seems like the Model 450i is their new version of the same concept.

I hope that one day I'll be able to play one of the real models, but until then The Giant is my favorite virtual piano because of how massive it sounds.

I originally thought The Giant was a modelled instrument (as opposed to sampled) because it looked like something out of a Studio Ghibli film

Some more interesting pianos, all from the same person.

Tiny hammers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB7dXFWhMNU

Bass strings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijUKBIxeAS4

Fishing line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-KHIJk4Yx8

Guitar string: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RyjoXVDqUs

Also see the Earth harp: https://www.williamearthharp.com/

Here's a ring piano: https://pianoarc.com/about/

not to be negative, but various shaped controllers that are electronic, there's tons of those. That's not interesting in the same sort of way as an acoustically-distinct sound-production device

I think that's a very rock and roll controller. Picture Elton John in the middle of that.

Jean Michelle Jarre had a marimba-like version of this in his early-80s concerts, along with a laser-light keyboard

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hRzzF-WObYE

Ah, the Zorak model

A larger version from the same manufacturer was built and installed in Ventspils, Latvia. Supposedly it's the largest concert piano in the world right now.

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/pictures/worlds-biggest...

With the Giant, why put the keyboard at the top? If you put the keyboard at the bottom, it can be like a normal upright piano that is just incredibly tall, and doesn't require a ladder. Is this about where along the string the hammers are hitting?

> Is this about where along the string the hammers are hitting?

I suspect you are right, I studied a bit of classical guitar and I know for a fact that plucking the strings near the bridge or near the fretboard creates very different sounds. It is probably a similar problem with pianos.

If I understand correctly, I think the usual strategy is for the hammer to strike at the spot along the strings that's the nearest 7th harmonic node from the end. The reason being that by striking there you don't set up as much 7th harmonic vibrations, which don't mesh well with 12-tone equal tempered music.

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