I'm still here Brian, enjoying your contributions!

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Becroft:
Steingraeber carbon fiber soundboard

Having been lucky enough to play one of these...

LilyLady, just for you, I'm sure you must be a person of many pedals...

Richard Dain - Piano Innovator Extrordinaire
Read here to hear latest news:
http://www.hurstwoodfarmpianos.co.uk/
http://www.hurstwoodfarmpianos.../news.php?news_id=30
http://www.journalism.co.uk/pr...-design/s66/a537912/
This is the bridge agraffe from Richard Dain's piano:



This is the Bosendorfer Imperial - he had two and I bought his other one - This piano Richard used as his research piano to try out his technical innvations - he installed the bridge aggraffes on the Imperial shown here.


Here you can read a paragraph about Richard Dain. He is the best person I know of in the world who has really made the most amazing piano ever, in my opinion.
http://www.3mbs.org.au/?q=node/415

Here is the best photo I can find of Richard Dain and also one of his pianos

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Becroft:
LilyLady, just for you, I'm sure you must be a person of many pedals...

Truth be told...

I am actually a person of many 'petals'!!!

"Richard Dain is a retired research engineer who developed the IC225 trains that hold the rail speed record for non-specialist track. He is also a nut farmer, amateur pianist, piano dealer and designer, and recital host. Based at Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios in Kent, England, Dain has designed and developed a bridge agraffe – a device to clamp the string to the bridge without causing down-bearing pressure on the sound board - and carbon-fibre sound board. Licensed in a partnership with Steingraeber & Söhne his designs are incorporated in the Steingraeber-Phoenix range of grand pianos. A Steingraeber-Phoenix E-272 with spruce sound board and finished in rare Santos Rosewood won the Bavarian state award for Innovation in the Arts in 2008. A CD by Eric Himy playing this piano was declared the best sound of piano ever recorded on CD by Audio Emporium in the USA. BBC Music magazine has made similar comment. A track from this CD will be played in the second program on January 24th."

Richard Dain sounds like a very interesting person. I remember when AJF (PW) wrote about visiting Hurstwood.

Brian, have you a recording of your piano?

quote:

Originally posted by lilylady:
"... ... Brian, have you a recording of your piano?

No am afraid I don't, have tried but never get a good result, the room leaves a lot to be desired...

However can post a recording of my Pianotech/Roland V-Piano, which due to my living situation am spending most time on right now, it is halfway OK...

Well it is getting to be that time of year again here down under, fiddling with a little sand and if you have talent you turn out something like this...

Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on “Ode to Joy” for a Prepared Piano

For Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano, the artists cut a hole in the middle of a grand piano and hired professional pianists to stand in it and play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” upside down and in reverse, while walking the piano around the exhibition space. The result is a marvelous performance piece that is at first startling, then hilarious, and lastly, thought-provoking.
http://www.moma.org/explore/in...joyful-noise-at-moma

Philadelphia Flower Show 2008
This might be what you are meaning, Lilylady...?

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Becroft:

I *really* hope that pianist is getting paid plenty...

On that Piano Flower theme again...

Piano Made of Simple Sewing Buttons
"Esquivel tells us that he used 30,000 buttons! The artist worked on this piece alone, which took him a total of two and a half months from start to finish."
http://www.mymodernmet.com/pro...imple-sewing-buttons

The photos of Hurstwood Farm and Richard Dain bring back memories. He must be nearly 90 years old?

I am tempted to visit again to play a 272 Phoenix and maybe compare it with a Stuart 290. And to play the 138 upright.
It's a 90 minute drive for me.

Thanks for posting the photos.

Phoenix Piano, Cobnuts - BBC 'FOOD FROM BRITAIN' TV program
"He played the piano in the walnut orchard and it was a magical scene."
http://www.cobnutoil.co.uk/new...etails.php?newsid=64