Comments by "Classical LP Vault" (@classicallpvault8251) on "Technology Connections" channel.

  1. That's simply not correct. The instrument was already known as pianoforte in the 18th century and dates back to the earliest instruments built in Italy by Cristofori. It's an abbreviation of 'gravicembalo piano e forte'. It's also found in plenty of commercially printed piano music from the era, for instance when stating that a work can be performed on 'cembalo' or 'pianoforte'. Instruments that are nowadays referred to as fortepianos include the earliest examples from the 1730s up until the instruments Chopin and Liszt played in the 1840s - which both have felt hammers (introduced by Jean-Henri Pape in 1826) and a double action escapement (introduced by Broadwood & Sons in 1783). Haydn already had a Broadwood double action piano, so did Clemeti. Beethoven also owned one from 1818 onwards - a year before he became fully deaf - and it was his favourite instrument. He composed his Hammerklavier sonata with this instrument in mind. The Viennese single action mechanic was in use parallel to it, but not entirely supplanted until well into the 19th century, but many 'fortepianos', and especially the most highly rated instruments from back then, meet neither of these criteria you mention and are mechanically identical to a modern piano. They just lack the high string tension owing to having a frame still partially made from wood. Due to wood expanding depending on temperature and relative humidity these instruments also tend to get out of tune very quickly. Again, that's just a generalisation. Chickering was building pianos with full cast iron frames by the 1840s and Steinway have since 1855. The defining characteristics of modern grand pianos are a fully cast iron frame and aliquot strings (tuned an octave higher and unstruck, they merely act as a resonator string to strengthen harmonic overtones, which is why a modern piano has a much brighter and more defined tone than a fortepiano) and the earliest such instruments were built in 1873 by Julius Blüthner.
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  2. There is one downside to this thing. It will not work properly with brown bread, as that reflects less light and therefore also less infrared light.
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  3.  @billr3053  It absolutely is. 3-phase outputs can be optionally installed in homes here in the Netherlands although you might have to pay more for your electrical grid connection. It's mainly used by owners of EVs or those who completely took their house off of the gas grid, have electrical boilers, a heat pump, and solar panels. This is becoming a real problem because our electrical grid is running at close to its maximum capacity and expansion goes slower than the growing demand for electrical power + offloading excess solar power to the grid.
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  4. Too bad you're not working in the digital piano department. Someone needs to have a word with the designer of the Clavinova CLP series because they have serious design flaws, which became apparent when I maintained my Clavinova CLP-735 (which has the same keyboard action as the 765GP shown in the video) and the 430 before that. Having the tactile sensors right beneath the keys so that dust and hairs can easily get stuck between the contact pads and the sensors on the PCB is a recipe for disaster, especially to cat owners. The keyboard unit has to be taken out for cleaning regularly, and it's mounted with screws straight into the fibreboard case. After 2 dissassemblies the holes need to be hot-glued so the screws have something to hold on to. I wonder if using a few bolts and some threaded inserts was too much to ask for in a 1750 euros digital piano. Or a 3750 euro digital grand like the 765GP. Or not placing these darn sensors straight beneath the keys 🤔
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