Bach on thumbtack/plucked piano

Because this piano has never been tuned, it has a really distinct sound. People with perfect pitch might find this extremely displeasing however - especially the Bach enthusiasts.

I played each note on it as normal, then by adding thumbtacks to the hammers and by plucking the strings close to the end with a pair of scissors first then my fingernail. The files were then hand assembled in Audacity (an open source audio editor).

No one is actually playing the piano itself. The whole thing is made up of samples.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bach
• prepared
• thumbtack
• piano

[moskva40]

I'm okay with the tuning. Pre-Bach tuning was weirder. I am wondering, though, whether the pedals were depressed or the thumbtacks simply make that reverb happen? Without it, this could sound vaguely like a harpsichord, as I believe this kind of prepared piano was once intended to.

[256byteram]

@moskva40 This isn't plated in real time. I sampled each note and pieced them together against a MIDI file in Audacity (a sound editing program). To get the sustain effect I simply didn't chop off the end of a note when another one came in, but let it continue.

[mrspivvy]

I got perfect pitch, this is ok...obviously out but not drastically so

[missinformationage]

that's a very interesting way of doing it! I'm too lazy; I woulda just played it in, and not well. excellent job, sir!

[jonnda]

I love how this sounds.

[KeyOfEMajor]

This would be lovely as a VST instrument for use in Cubase and such...but unfortunately I have now idea how to go about making such a thing. :p Such a haunting sound!

[TheTrebleGirl89]

@256byteram You did this whole thing in Audacity?!?! omg! that must have taken a long time!!!

[thingkinfast]

Ummmm

I'm pitch perfect and this is O.K.

It's getting pretty annoyed on how messy the tuning is, but, as I said its O.K.

[morrowindarcherman]

I love this song, and audacity is awesome. I used it to simulate a crowd of 100's of people using voices only from my dog, my brother and me

[AdelaideUnited]

no he isn't. i can vouch for him. he did use samples in the program audacity.