Turning the Traditional Piano Into an Electro-Acoustic TECHNO MACHINE

PIANO M.U.S.C.L.E (piano techno study #5)

Published on Dec 22, 2012 by Leon Michener

"In this study the piano is prepared by inserting "m.u.s.c.l.e. men", (cool figurines from the 80's) between the strings, as well as my normal preparation for creating the low kick drum sound. To my delight others lounging around nearby inside the Piano case started leaping around due to the vibrating strings.......and luckily were captured on film by "mild eye". All live solo piano playing, no multi-tracking or looping devices allowed. Scores available on request.

Taken from a series of piano pieces exploring the notion that the traditional piano can create sounds and textures which are normally only found in dance and electronic music. Drum, percussion and bass are created by inserting various objects such as wood, metal and Blu-Tak between the strings and are played "sequencer" style in the left hand while the right adds polymetric patterns and isorhythms of varying length. No looping device is used, the idea being everything is "live" and played in real time, the piano as "modern one-man-band-electro-acoustic-orchestra"....

The piano spans the centuries, traditional technique melding with modern sound design in real time.
By adding a Moog analog delay, analog filter and playing in a strictly rhythmic, quasi mechanistic way the piano can also be transformed into a unique acoustic/electronic live "human techno sequencer" device......

Musical cybernetics, absorbing the machines "feel" that has shaped much of modern electronic music into the biological pianistic mechanism."