© Pianos, the Future. Innovations and developments in acoustic piano design. Innovations The piano-forte's form has remained essentially static since the late 19th Century. Is this beginning to change? Recent work by a number of innovators has accelerated the glacial * flow of piano design. For the acoustic instrument to maintain its position such work is essential. Without it the rapidly improving electronic imitators will pose an increasing threat. The concert grand is the most beautiful & complex manual+ musical instrument created by man. To remain viable it must be more than an item of historic nostalgia or of prestigious furniture. With changes in the music industry, it is no longer sufficient for large studios & a few hire companies to own one. It must go beyond the confines of the occasional concert, television performance or high profile recording.

Such a limited maket cannot, in the long term, sustain the high investment in manpower, skill & materials required. The instrument may eventually go the way of Concorde, once gone it will never come back.

The many firms making cheaper models for a currently thriving midrange market may not always do so. When sampled electronic imitations advance enough in looks & sound they will probably capture that market. They have already driven virtually the entirety of electro-mechanical manufacturing into extinction.

We will cover ways a number of companies are moving forward. The future is not all bleak.

More soon:

Notes: *Glaciers move VERY slowly. ⁺Manual, using only human effort.

Select here for Music Play's excellent animation & description of a piano's double escapement repetition action. This clever mechanism, now common to most grands, makes very rapid playing possible. Its invention in 1821, by Sebastien Erard, was a major milestone in the piano's evolution.

The animation shows the action at full key travel, with escapement & hammer travel controlled by the 'jack'. The spring loaded 'balancier', heart of the repetition mechanism, is seen pivoting on the support lever. With rapid repetition, this balancier launches the hammer up again, before the key has risen enough to re-latch the jack. This deceptively simple action was the breakthrough needed by dazzling keyboard gymnasts of the day.

Information given is generally brief & is based on our experience. If you spot any factual mistakes or 'typos' please feel free to let us know. We are not quite perfect & promise not to sulk over constructive criticism.

If you need more information on models listed or can suggest another instrument to add let us know & we will do our best. From time to time we may include comprehensive details of specific models.

Piano Developments. Updated on the 31st of December 2005. ^© Ron Lebar, Author.