Argent Instrument de Musica · 2021
Una Corda Piano Piano acostic
- A' Design Award d'Argent 2021 in Instrument de Musica
- CLIENT: Nils Frahm
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 550,204
- Verification code E3D1B8C106 · Verify this award
Colors
About Una Corda Piano Piano acostic
Una Corda es un piano acostic bastit sens estug de mòble. Lo design dobèrt permet al son de viatjar liurament cap a l'auditor. L'instrument a una còrda per nòta, un quadre en acièr inoxidable e una taula d'armonia a doble jaç. Lo quadre en acièr inoxidable manten lo piano leugièr, a la diferéncia dels quadres en fonta emplegats dins los pianos tradicionals. Lo ton qu'ne resulta es doç e clar. Una Corda se jòga coma un piano tradicional, e las pèças mecanicas visiblas mòstran cossí cada nòta es produsida. Lo piano es fabricat a la man e cap de produch quimic es pas emplegat.
About the A' Design Award d'Argent
Una Corda Piano Piano acostic a ganhat la distincion A' Design Award d'Argent, una reconeissença extraordinàriament prestigiosa acordada a de designs d'ort de gamma, esplendids e impressionants. Los ganhaires de l'Argent son d'òbras terriblament brilhantas e extrèmament creativas que illustran l'experiéncia, lo talent e la finessa excepcionals de lors designers. S'espèra que Una Corda Piano Piano acostic siá una òbra meravilhosa e de referéncia, notablament professionala e prigondament innovanta. Aqueste design ganhaire de la distincion A' Design Award d'Argent es una invencion fòrça notabla e admirada, que fa un ben e fa avançar las frontièras de l'art, de la sciéncia, del design e de la tecnologia. Una Corda Piano Piano acostic es una creacion immensament envejada que desrevelha de desirs, aduch de sentiments positius e fa néisser l'estonament e l'esmaiment.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Una Corda piano represents an open design, without a furniture "box", which serves for its sound to freely travel. It has only one string per tone, a stainless steel frame, and a double-layer soundboard, these features setting it aside from any traditional acoustic piano.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 1330 mm x 670 mm x 1170 mm
- Tags
- Una Corda, Una Corda Piano, Klavins, Klavins Piano, Piano Innovation
- Production Technology
- The Una Corda design is strictly defined by the acoustic and technical properties of the piano, utilizing materials that serve best for each particular function. Stainless steel for the static frame serves for the lightness of the design, versus the heavy designs of traditional pianos, which all are equipped with cast iron frames. The Una Corda is completely hand-crafted, utilizing industry manufactured parts only for the action. The Una Corda is essentially a "green"product, no chemicals used.
- Design Challenge
- A major challenge was to define the most suitable material for the main frame of the Una Corda. All traditional pianos utilize a cast-iron frame, which was prohibitive for the Una Corda, for reasons of weight and cost. After thorough research of alternative materials like steel and aluminum, stainless steel showed most suitable, to pick up the string tension that sums up to 49 kN. Historically there has never existed an open-design acoustic piano, but in light of the rather open-minded public of the 21st century it seems appropriate to offer an innovative product design.
- Research
- Materials and design research, the objective being to design a piano that reflects the 21st century feel. Investigating existing piano designs by Internet search and based on years of experience with traditional piano design, as well as meticulous analysis of all factors pertinent to piano sound. Building a first prototype, evaluating its weaknesses and applying needed improvements. The final result constitutes a disruptive, strictly functional piano design, aiming to appeal to a public open for innovation on a field of generally rather conservative attitudes.
- Inspiration
- Frequently clients were asking for a softer sounding piano, compared to the traditional acoustic pianos. In the course of researching piano acoustics, I decided to strip the piano from any and all unnecessary features, invent a new, softer soundboard, and to build a piano by the strict principle of "form follows function" - the one-string-per-note Una Corda piano.
- Project Duration
- The project was started in February 2014 in Balingen, Germany, and basically finished by May 2015 in Germany, though it was finally completed in every detail only in December 2020 in Kuldiga, Latvia.
- Operation Flow
- The Una Corda technically is played like traditional pianos, though based on its open design the player can follow the mechanical process of each note pressed. The sound character differs from any other existing piano by means of softness and clarity of tone, because of the one-string-per-note principle, the specific soundboard design, and the specific hammer felt. The action is modified to play faster than typical upright piano actions allow for.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Davids Klavins, 2021
- Image Credits
- David Klavins
Video Credits: Native Instruments, Berlin
