The Expanded Toy Piano: Specific Instruments
On this page are photographs and descriptions of each of the individual toy pianos that comprise the Expanded Toy Piano. To hear what these instruments sound like, watch the video demonstration directly below. These recordings of Béla Bartók's First Term at the Piano (1913/1929) and Cornelius Gurlitt's Die Anfangs-Stunden (1881) ("The First Lessons") were made in May 2022 with pianist Vivian Chan.
Additional listening: Connor's work Watching the Sea for the full collection of pianos used together.
Additional listening: Connor's work Watching the Sea for the full collection of pianos used together.
BASS TOY PIANO
The Bass Toy Piano was modified from a standard 2-octave toy piano. The tines of a standard instrument (Schoenhut) were extended (on two different occasions) by welding additional metal onto the tines. The range of the tines, when plucked carefully, produce pitches from C1-C3. However, when struck it is difficult to hear most of the tines' fundamentals and complicated overtone clusters are more easily heard. When the tines themselves are bowed, the greater length allows for complex multiphonic sounds to occur (ones comparable to woodwind multiphonics). In order for the tines to hang freely and be struck with the standard plastic hammers, a larger toy grand piano base is used as a platform. Even gently bumping the instrument can cause the tines to rattle against one another, and it takes a decent amount of time for the tines to settle and the sound to stop. |
TENOR TOY PIANO
The Tenor Toy Piano is a standard toy piano with a range of C3-F5. This instrument is not modified. Connor's instrument is a Schoenhut-brand instrument. Instruments of this type are usually marketed as "toy grand pianos," and the lowest register's overtones tend to overpower the sound of the fundamental pitches. |
SOPRANO TOY PIANO
The Soprano Toy Piano was modified from a standard 2-octave toy piano (Schoenhut). The tines of a standard instrument were cut short with a Dremel tool so that the pitch was raised two octaves (C6-C8). In order for the tines to be held within the piano (functioning as a resonating body) and subsequently struck by the plastic hammers, new holes had to be drilled into the instrument. Attaining perfect intonation proved difficult, and most notably the lowest E sounds quite flat. This makes a major chord sound more like a minor chord (or neutral chord), and due to the tuning difficulties, it is unlikely that standardizing "other sizes of toy piano" would become commonplace. |
PICCOLO TOY PIANO
The Piccolo Toy Piano was modified from a standard 2-octave toy piano (Schoenhut). The tines of a standard instrument were cut short with a Dremel tool so that the pitch was raised four octaves (C8-C10). In order for the tines to be held within the piano (functioning as a resonating body) and subsequently struck by the plastic hammers, new holes had to be drilled into the instrument. When the tines are struck, the resultant sound actually appears to be much lower. When plucking the rods — something not possible through normal playing means — it is possible to hear a much fainter and higher-pitched fundamental. Due to the outcome of this experiment, this instrument cannot be used as a drastically higher doubling instrument. The duller timbre produced is unique and somewhat melancholic. |