KAR logo

harmaapalkki


KAR Photo

Products

Services

Research

Publications

Research CV

Contact


Services


Loudspeaker measurements

Headphone measurements

Acoustics and 3-D audio consulting

Grand & vertical pianos

My love to music & pianos

As I was pushing my tenth year birthday, if my poor memory serves me correct, on a day afternoon, a truck got in front of your front door and two guys hoisted up a piano. NOPE - correction to that! I was just (July 15th, 2012) sorting out my dad's (RIP) positive films that he scanned on my old scanner a few years back, and there I have it: by Christmas 1980 the piano was there, at which time I just had my 9th birthday, so I must have been pushing my nineth birthday, as they were hauling the piano into our place. The piano was a Hellas Prelude, a Finnish made (year 2011 the company finally went chapter eleven, they had stopped making pianos already decade ago or even more) small brown walnut upright piano. They took it to the fireplace room, with cork flooring and the walls covered with pine sheets under which was sound absorbent (noisy neighbors).

The sound of piano and the acoustics of the room were horrible, but I didn't knew of better - except, of course, the (private) piano teachers upright at her (or her parents) place. I played and made my practice painstakingly BUT always when I had an exam the next in the school or the long summer vacations, I didn't go to her. My big brother was way ahead of me, perhaps better than me, but as soon as C=64 (Commodore 64, the real first home computer, many of us think) in hmm.. 1986, he quit playing the piano, and started playing with the other gadget (well, he started soon coding and making own programs etc. so I wouldn't call that a total loss, and it got him a good occupation as well: his is still the one who has a fixed paid job, on the contrary to me, a gun for hire). Hmmm... I never thought my brother played the piano for five years long, but I suppose he did. Oh yes, once we wanted to change the piano teacher for someone giving lessons closer by (it was always one hour travel at least one way to go to her), but the chap next by was a total loss: some odd traditional songs from Russia he wanted to make us play, no thanks.

My piano teacher (the lady) has a funny thing: one death ear, so she couldn't hear me playing and speak on the phone simultaneously. Years went and I always had a stage fever to start with, which soon then during the (+ half an hour) passed away. I also think, I had a crush on her, and me being a small child, of course, never could say that. She used to practice the ballerinas in the opera dancing school, I believe, so she was/is pretty good a pianist.

Just before my final examination in the high school started, my father finally decided to act upon my demands that the Hellas Prelude was too small an instrument to me to use - I had grown up, and my knees didn't fit anymore between the chair and the action (20 years afterwards I realized that hmmm... I could have used a smaller chair instead..). The sound of the piano was also horrible, always, and perhaps me playing it so long a time, got him to believe that I had earned a better piano, go figure (he never really said what he really thought about things, my father that was). So, after me searching suitable instruments a noteworthy time, my father astonished me again: he let me choose between a brand new Yamaha U (was it U1 or U3, can't remember, perhaps even U1) or a Steinway&Sons upright, V-125, around the World War II. I invited his friend, my brothers godfather, who had played the piano for God knows how long (+40 years) and everything in jazz style, for sure, to have a test run with the Steinway. He recommended me immediately (without having played the Yamaha) it: choose what you like, but a Steinway is always a Steinway. So, I said yes, and my father, at that point having bargained the price down for two hours, then said to the salesman, yes, we like this, so what's your best price on this, making the salesman to cry in public like a child. At the end, my father got most likely more money out of the old Hellas Prelude, in exchange for the Steinway, then he had paid originally, got the Steinway slightly repaired, transported and tuned with the price that still makes my wonder, how good a bargener he was on sales. Yes, that was my dad.

So then I got through high school ("gymnasium") and got my diploma. I invited my piano teacher to the graduation party, and surprisingly she came. Se brought me sheet music, of course, but of the Sibelius' Romance, with inscription "to my gifted student Klaus", which really shocked me, as I never considered me any good; I was always so damn slow reading the notes (and playing simultaneously), and even keeping up with the tempo, ush, so horrible. So where was I, in the middle of Czerny's II, perhaps, while I stopped going to my private piano teacher, as I, most likely due to playing the piano + being interested in all technical stuff + electronics, got to Helsinki University of Technology (and then to Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing Laboratory) and was then too busy to keep on practicing the piano full time.

The fewer

Ever since I have played for fun (or actually, sad(ness), as I believe, the more sad and heartbroken I am, the better tunes come out of my head), continuing the Czerny's book (the only real piano books which I have truly liked to play - as those, most of the time, I could play) and others, but more and more more seldom, as I have been the last multiple decades been playing something out of my head, which is like always the same, and never the same.

Then something odd happened. I visited Ihme päivät Spring 2010, the contempary art festival in Wanha Ylioppilastalo, in Helsinki, and as I was singing (very poorly) the lullabies (with the +20 ladies and kids) I noticed there a Bösendorfer grand piano and ooops, my dormant desire for owning a concert grand awake the instant (I have dreamed of a Steinway & Sons concert grand ever since I started playing the piano). I kept on playing the Bösendorfer whenever there was a pause, I could even fool the ladies working there, that I'd be having a gig there during the banquet. What gave me away? I said no to them, as they asked should we move the piano from the wall so that there is properly place to put a chair to the behind (I was standing in the window cavity and playing so far), and continued that you know, they never really appriciate us music makers, so it's better that I just stand here in the corner and be ashamed. Soon they checked me out and got rid of me.

But it was too late: the fewer of the concert grand had awoken, and there was no way of stopping it. So I searched and searched, read everything I could find on my hands upon, sent sooooo much time in the Internet, and finally, got a real Steinway&Sons Concert Grand on a tight budget. Sure, it was on the other side of the big ocean (the Atlantic), and was heavy and big, and I was so confided with a large mass-digitization business venture that I had no change of seeing the machine on-site. But the seller was a pro in the field for 40 years had a name and reputation to think of, and I've imported this how most of my print making apparatus anyway, so I went ahead and made the winning bid. Yes, that's right: I bought a 140 year old grand without seeing it from Ebay.com (Florida, USA).

The end result

Being swamped by the large mass-digitization business venture, which went pretty much sauer as nothing went like planned, I had nothing but time to look upon time passing, as after four months after my winning bid on the grand, the magestic instrument finally got to Finland.

Have a laugh at here. All work in the way too many photos of the repairing of the Steinway&Sons NY Model IV #21464 (1870) Concert Grand done by yours truly.

Well, because you are too lazy to go check all the 727 photos above, let me pick some them here for you here, to make this reading more picturesque, i.e., interesting.

As the "small" crane (after chopping off wood nearby to make some way for it) hoisted up the grand to 50 feet high to my apartment, the neighbours looking up with respect, silly me got cold feet and second thoughts. I had dreamed of this moment for 30 years, but how much really good luck have I had in my life; and why would this moment be any different? Am I a true believer or not?

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) flying, with the help of the smallest crane of the lifting company.

The verdict

As soon as the guys, the professional piano movers whome I had to help, opened up the well-packed grand, I played one single note on it, and.. started crying. The boss looked at me and asked, is it really so bad?

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) in the shop - my living room; see, that's my kitchen table, too.

Full cleaning of the vintage grand made it look like a decent buy, an instrument with dignity, exchanging new felts to the vintage grand got rid of the sticking keys, removing metal on the screws and doing something else also got the action back inside, and some more wood chipping made the grand mostly loose it's couple twangy sounds, hot ironing the hammer heads got a bit more clarity and strength to the sound. Thank you so much guys (Mr. Juha Huotari and others) at the F-Musiikki workshop for all your tips and selling the material, all Steinway & Sons original, of course.

The tuning

Tuning the grand seven times made the Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) finally to come alive; after one year after the delivery I had reached string and instrument stability, more or less. Oh yes, I had to learning tuning myself, as they was no pro in Finland wanting to do the job (YES, I would have paid for it fairly!); but thank God (Jesus, Jahve, Allah, Buddha.. or name your pick), we have Tunelab (by Real-Time Specialties, Inc., thank you so much! :)) and even a Matlab plug-in (by Kees van den Doel, thank you so much! :))for it for the tweekers united using EBVT. This Equal-Beating Victorian Temperament (click on the EBVT on the top right of the page) is discussed in, e.g., in the pianoworld forum.

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned.

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) measured inharmonicities with outliers mostly manually edited off
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) measured inharmonicities with the outliers mostly manually edited off.

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870): tuning curves (ET = normal tuning = equal temperament; EVBT = used tuning = Equal-Beating Victorian Temperament)
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870): tuning curves (ET = normal tuning = equal temperament; EBVT = used tuning = Equal-Beating Victorian Temperament).

The sound

How did all this work succeed? Was the sound acceptable? Well, listen to yourself, two options below. (You need to have Javascript and Flash running, and then you can use the player incorporated in my webpage.)

Please note that the recordings are straight-take real-head (mine) binaural recordings, so you should listen to them with high (good) quality headphones, with a typical stereophonic loudspeaker set-up the sound will be odd. More on this topic see below, paragraph How did I do it?.

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870), almost four months before (EBVT-) tuning
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870)
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870).

    Owner: KAR Ltd
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Last EBVT-tuning: Dec 1, 2011 = almost 4 months before the playing.
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 19.3.2012 17:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 19.3.2012 17:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870), just after EVBT tuning
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned.

    Owner: KAR Ltd
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Played just after (8 hours of) tuning (yours truly using Tunelab and custom Matlab codes by Kees van den Doel (implementation of EVBT, Equal-Beating Victorian Temperament)
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD


    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 18.5.2012 15:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 18.5.2012 15:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

The way out

Yes, I was duped. No: the grand was not intact, as I was promised by the seller, not even by a very long shot and surely not by a short one) and I WANT better. Actually, before I bought the grand I realized that opening my upright's cabinet (like it will be while tuned), it's sound will be much wider, clearer, brighter and (horribly) louder. In short, playing the Steinway&Sons V-125 cabinet open, it sounds pretty much like a grand, and pretty damn good one: better than many Steinway&Sons B's or even C's I've come across (check the end of this too long www-page). But, as I got the fewer already running high, I went and bought the vintage Model IV, which I must admit, still has the grand uniqueness: the sound is much wider spread, a characteristic that only a grand possesses.

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) not intact Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) not intact Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870)  not intact
Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) not intact.

Yes, if you are looking an instrument to play, more or even less seriously that is, then, do not go to a vintage piano/grand. One from year 1870 is vintage, and their technique is not yeat that developed than a modern one. The wippens, and everything else in the action, of the grand I bought were original: 140 years old! When is a piano modern? Say starting 1900, or at least ca. 1884, when they introduced the first Steinway&Sons Model D. Still, many consider the 1920s and 1930s (before the World War II) the golden age of the Steinway's, i.e., the era when all the very best of their instruments have ever been done.

The other solution

KISS: keep it simple stupid - GET ANOTHER GRAND! Don't even dream about repairing the (too) vintage grand by yourself, however handy and relentless you are. The thing is, it needs a complete rebuild, not only fixing this and that there, but as there is not a damn thing that would be ok in it as we speak, that piece of vintage history belongs where I got it: to a museum. Anyone interested?? - just contact me without hesitation, I sell my grand for sure!

So I started seeking for another grand, Steinway&Sons Model D preferably, or other concert grand from Fazioli, Bösendorfer or August Förster. Countless (several hundreds that is) hours using Ebay, Craigslist via Google and everything else Google might found.

Why you ask, take such a painstakin project? Aren't there any decent ones sold in Helsinki / Finland, where I live? The short answer is: "no". The Finnish importer has one Steinway&Sons Model D demo, mostly hired out, and a model A might be in the shop. That's not something big to go on, quite frankly. They have sold perhaps two used Ds during two decades, not having them in the store even a month. Yes, we are here, what, six million people, so it's not a big market; (way) less then 10 persons have a Steinway&Sons Model D at their home. The institutions, which buy those machines, are pretty much only interested in new ones, and their old ones get to their other smaller spaces and rarely some lucky (or not) parish might get a worn-out D for the servant's joy and pleasure.

Be wiser: learn from your mistakes!

This time I surely would not buy another (concert) grand piano without seeing and inspecting it myself. I found some possible candidates from Ebay, where the cheapest were, of course, located in USA. But I'm also nowadays considering the environment, and as the journey to USA necessitates flying there, I would not do it on light grounds. So, if a person is selling me a pretty expensive (i.e., ten of thousands of dollars worth) piece of instrument, but is not willing to send me good and ample photos thereof beforehand, then just forget it. Indeed, a photo tells you nothing how well it plays and sounds (hopefully sings), and the images can always be manipulated (or just taken from such an angle that the mistakes are not revealed), but it is a starting point.

So much there is to interprete the sellers every word - and even what has not been stated becomes more important than what was said - than it surely is a painstaking process. The real problem is there is so much to ask but only so little answers you will get, so you really need to learn how to filter the important issues from the less important. The really baseline dilemma is with all of us humans: we are animals that are egoistic, mingy and lazy - but of course creatures that can do most wonderful things, e.g., produce art and culture beyond our dreams of imagination.

Let the Journey begin!

As times got slow early 2012, and had (still have) living relative(s) and (family) friends in Germany and elsewhere, and I'm still (or at least was) keen on snowboarding and (fine art) photography, I decided to make journey by train(s; i.e., Interrail) to combine all the previous in one. Two weeks I planned, every done too many hours, which train (and other vehicle) routes to take, so that my travel would be optimal. After the ca. 8th version I was ready enough to contact my friend in Frankfurt, to hear I miscalculated the great birthday a week to late, and had to remake all my plans, also the accommodation in the French Alps. After the 11th version I thought I was all set - just to notice that I still had to reschedule many times my plans during the trip.

I was very lucky indeed, to get to the new Helsinki Music Centre to test two Steinway&Sons Model Ds there, thanks to their great piano technician, Mr Matti Kyllönen. This happened the morning on my starting day, just after spending the night in Götterdämmerung by Wagner at the Maxim movie theatre and half the very early morning in tweeking my machines for the journey (invain, no solution found in making old and new technology to work together). The two playing tests I made, with the short discussion with Matti, were all excellent in sett(l)ing the baseline as Steinway&Sons Model D references: these two instruments were very well maintained and the musical storage room was big and acoustically sound enough, to sound well. The two instruments were of different ages which gave a very good overall impression how to age affected the sound; the regulation and touch in both of them was very good indeed, so their most variation was in the timbre, I think. The build year of a Steinway&Sons instrument you can check for example via this page.

How did I do it?

Whilst my journey, I was lucky enough to test 20 Steinway&Sons Model Ds and a couple of other fine grands. Yes, I really wanted to buy a Steinway&Sons Model D from / on my journey, and I even carried, just in case, with me a deposit in cash, to pay if I would have found my ideal.

As I got the allowance from the grands' owners and also promised them to do this, so here I am able to put most my test playings (recordings) for you to listen to. I also took a lot of photographs and made lots of notes from all the instruments, but as I got robbed on my second last train travel, the night train from Hamm to Copenhagen, I lost most those with my cash and everything else (except the Minidisc -recordings and my large snowboard pack).

I want to express my utmost humble thanks to all the people, institutions, companies and others who made my playing of the their great instruments possible. It was a great joy and honor.

Please consider that this playing is a "straight take" with no pre nor post-processing except outputting to 128 kbs mp3-file. The playing includes all the human and non-human mistakes, me being tired, hungry, passionate or not - all the things in a normal, the very opposite of the end results from multiple cuts taken in a polished recording studio with heavy post-processing.

The sound has been captured in three dimensions by custom-made binaural microphones at the entrance of my open ear canals (open meatus), and recorded with my old Minidisc-recorder at 48 kHz. The digitized (44.1 kHz) recording involves the monoraul and binaural cues, i.e., the aural perception I made in the 3-D sound scape, while playing the grand instrument. Of this topic I made my PhD. The recording should be listened with high-quality headphones, positioned correctly on your head for best sound experience.

You may use this recording freely, as long as you acknowlegde my name ("KAR Klaus A J Riederer 2012") with a link to this web-site and the corresponding owner(s) of the grand piano(s) as well.

Please regard my effort in this area as pro bono work (regardless of the many thousands it cost was to me, the trip + robbery not being compensated for my stolen money etc.), a thank you for the field, and all the people how helped me and let me play their really wonderful instruments.

Please note that the sound player embedded here uses a javascript engine (= the "player"), so that the sound files would work effortlessly out-of-the-box in every modern computer with a browser with Flash (decoding the sound). The javascript is safe to use, but it might give you a warning. You might want to but an exception to your javascript settings so that it will not bother you constantly with the warning messages. Note also that here is over 500 MB of data in all, so with a slow connection it might take some time.

Take the test - listen to my recordings!

Now, are you finally warm enough? :)

Ready, steady, go!

Just a small test: can you hear all the variation in the 3-D recordings below regarding the following:
  • the difference between the timbre / intonation (voicing) / harmonics of the various instruments,
  • the difference between the action (regulation etc.) in the various instruments,
  • the player being tired, hungry, angry, sad and whatever,
  • the variations in the room acoustics,
  • the time being too short to test a magnificent instrument like this,
  • the stage fewer attacking (every time on me :/ ),
  • and finally the ultimate goal: the player weeping like a baby and the majestic grand singing like the an angel?

Steinway & Sons Model D #4388470 (1974)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #4388470 (1974) and Steinway & Sons Model D #556252 (2000)
    Like two berries: Steinway & Sons Model D #4388470 (1974) on the left and Steinway & Sons Model D #556252 (2000) on the right.

    Owner: Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finland), RSO
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #4388470 (1974) 12.2.2012 09:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #4388470 (1974) 12.2.2012 09:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #556252 (2000)
    Owner: Helsinki City Orchestra (Finland), HKO
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #556252 (2000) 12.2.2012 10:50 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #556252 (2000) 12.2.2012 10:50 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D # (1916)
    Steinway & Sons Model D # (1916) Steinway & Sons Model D # (1916)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #x (1916).

    Owner: Clavier (Sweden), Cl
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    I am so sorry! This was a truly magnificent instrument, but my old MD-recorder went haywire afterwards and recorded on top of my playing. This is a real shame! :(

    If you are not that picky, you can listen to the not that great Nokia N79 MONO recording I made as a backup.

    MONO recording Steinway & Sons Model D #x (1916) 13.2.2012 10:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    MONO recording Steinway & Sons Model D #x (1916) 13.2.2012 10:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer


    And luckily, you can see and hear a much better piano player on these youtube videos: of that great instrument in question.

Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921)
    Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921) Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921)
    Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921).

    Owner: Johannebergskyrkan Församlingen (Gothenburg, Sweden), Jbf
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD
    Nokia N79 MONO recording!

    I am so sorry! This was really a wonderful instrument, but I got to the idea of playing it by such a short notice and on a moment's thought that I did not have any time to waste by setting up the binaural microphones on to me - the lunch organ concert, for which my friend and I actually came for the curch, was soon about to start. So I saved the ten minutes FOR PLAYING instead of messing with the microphones and recorded this badly on my Nokia N79 MONO device.

    MONO recording Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921) 14.2.2012 10:55 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    MONO recording Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #209408 (1921) 14.2.2012 10:55 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) close to the wall
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008), close to the wall.

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Copenhagen, Denmark), J-S K
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Grand piano close to the wall
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 16.2.2012 12:51 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 16.2.2012 12:51 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 1 m off the wall
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008), 1 m off the wall.

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Copenhagen, Denmark), J-S K
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Grand piano 1 m off the wall
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 16.2.2012 13:10 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 16.2.2012 13:10 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) [and Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) to the back] Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) [and Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) to the right]
    Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) [and Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) to the back/right].

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Copenhagen, Denmark), J-S K
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) 16.2.2012 14:06 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) 16.2.2012 14:06 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) [and Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) to the back]
    Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) [and Steinway & Sons Model D #587115 (2010) to the back].

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Copenhagen, Denmark), J-S K
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #498365 (1986) 16.2.2012 15:01 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #583212 (2008) 16.2.2012 13:10 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008)
    Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008) Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008)
    Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008).

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Egå, Denmark), J-S E
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008) 17.2.2012 12:37 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Bösendorfer 200 #30415 (1975/2008) 17.2.2012 12:37 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #546225 (1999)
    Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #546225 (1999)
    Steinway & Sons Model B-211 #546225 (1999).

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Egå, Denmark), J-S E
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD
    MONO (binaural left channel -> copied to right)

    I am so sorry! This was an interesting instrument, but my old microphones had something wrong and only the left channel functioned. So this a bizarre recording: binaural left channel only, which is then copied to right channel: a MONO recording. This is a real shame, I am so sorry! :(

    MONO Steinway & Sons B-211 #546225 (1999) 17.2.2012 12:55 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    MONO Steinway & Sons B-211 #546225 (1999) 17.2.2012 12:55 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008)
    Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008) before it was moved 0.5 m off the wall for playing
    Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008) after its test playing - moved back close to the wall

    Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008), before it was moved 0.5 m off the wall for playing and after its test playing - moved back close to the wall.

    Owner: Steinway-Haus Berlin (Germany), ShB
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008) 18.2.2012 10:45 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #580775 (2008) 18.2.2012 10:45 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009)
    Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009)
    Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009) Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009) Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009)

    Steinway & Sons Model C-227 #584245 (2009).

    Owner: Steinway-Haus Berlin (Germany), ShB
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons C-227 #584245 (2009) 18.2.2012 11:20 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons C-227 #584245 (2009) 18.2.2012 11:20 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #545078 (1998)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Piano Center Kleinhenz (Oberthulba/Reith, Germany), Klh
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #545078 (1998) 21.2.2012 10:08 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #545078 (1998) 21.2.2012 10:08 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #378120 (1962)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Piano Center Kleinhenz (Oberthulba/Reith, Germany), Klh
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD
    MONO (binaural left channel -> copied to right)

    I am so sorry! This was an interesting instrument, but my old microphones had something wrong and only the left channel functioned. So this a bizarre recording: binaural left channel only, which is then copied to right channel: a MONO recording. This is a real shame, I am so sorry! :(

    MONO Steinway & Sons Model D #378120 (1962) 21.2.2012 10:47 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    MONO Steinway & Sons Model D #378120 (1962) 21.2.2012 10:47 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #96293 (1900)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Piano Center Kleinhenz (Oberthulba/Reith, Germany), Klh
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #96293 (1900) 21.2.2012 11:27 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #96293 (1900) 21.2.2012 11:27 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D # (2011)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Steinway Hall London, ShL
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Grand piano close to the wall
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D # (2011) 2.3.2012 14:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer


    I am so sorry! This was a truly magnificant instrument, but my old MD-recorder went haywire with the particular minidisc and the sound is unplayable. This is a real shame! :(


Steinway & Sons Model D # (198x)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Steinway Hall London (United Kingdom), ShL
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Grand piano close to the wall
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D # (198x) 2.3.2012 16:00 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

    I am so sorry! This was a great instrument, but no recording could be made.


Steinway & Sons Model D #209441 (1921)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Richard Lawson Pianos Ltd (Chorleywood, United Kingdom), RN
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Against the hard concrete wall, soft wall-to-wall carpet
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #209441 (1921) 3.3.2012 20:50 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #209441 (1921) 3.3.2012 20:50 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #445770 (1976)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Keith Everett (Bath, United Kingdom), KE
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Smallish room, soft wall-to-wall carpet
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #445770 (1976) 5.3.2012 15:49 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #445770 (1976) 5.3.2012 15:49 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #586084 (2009)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Steinway-Haus Düsseldorf (Germany), ShD
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #586084 (2009) 6.3.2012 16:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #586084 (2009) 6.3.2012 16:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #586083 (2009)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Steinway-Haus Düsseldorf (Germany), ShD
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #586083 (2009) 6.3.2012 17:25 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #586083 (2009) 6.3.2012 17:25 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #507225 (1988)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Pianohaus Micke (Münster, Germany), ShM
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #507225 (1988) 6.3.2012 20:04 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #507225 (1988) 6.3.2012 20:04 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model D #427660 (1972)

    I am so sorry, no photos by me: my Nokia N79 with many other things were stolen during my journey back in a night train and all the 2000 photos on it got lost! :(

    Owner: Juhl-Sørensen (Stockholm, Sweden), J-S S
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model D #427660 (1972) 8.3.2012 12:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model D #427660 (1972) 8.3.2012 12:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870), almost four months before (EBVT-) tuning
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870)
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870).

    Owner: KAR Ltd
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Last EBVT-tuning: Dec 1, 2011 = almost 4 months before the playing.
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD

    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 19.3.2012 17:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 19.3.2012 17:15 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870), just after EVBT tuning
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) EVBT tuned.

    Owner: KAR Ltd
    Keyboard: Plastics
    Played just after (8 hours of) tuning (yours truly using Tunelab and custom Matlab codes by Kees van den Doel (implementation of EVBT, Equal-Beating Victorian Temperament)
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD


    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 18.5.2012 15:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model IV NY #21464 (1870) 18.5.2012 15:44 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940)
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940)
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940).

    Owner: Klaus A J Riederer
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD
    Front desk closed (normal position)

    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940) 20.3.2012 18:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940) 20.3.2012 18:30 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer

Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940)
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940) Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940)
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940).

    Owner: Klaus A J Riederer
    Keyboard: Ivories
    Music: Free improvisation (always the same - never the same) by KAR Klaus A J Riederer, PhD
    Front desk open (tuning position)

    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940) 22.3.2012 18:00 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer
    Steinway & Sons Model V-125 #304123 (1940) 22.3.2012 18:00 by KAR Klaus A J Riederer