Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi by Davids Klavins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza in Igikoresho cy'Umuziki Competition Category.
IfezaIbikoresho by'Umuziki· 2021
Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi
Client: Nils Frahm
Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza Winner in Ibikoresho by'Umuziki Category
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The Design
About Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi
Una Corda ni piyano y'ijwi yubatswe idafite ubwato bw'ibikoresho by'urugo. Igishushanyo kiziguye gituma ijwi rigenda ryisanzuye rigera ku muntu uryumva. Iki gikoresho gifite umugozi umwe kuri buri noti, uburyamo bw'icyuma kidashira (stainless steel) n'urubaho rw'ijwi rw'ibyiciro bibiri. Uburyamo bw'icyuma kidashira butuma piyano iremera buhoro, bitandukanye n'uburyamo bw'icyuma cyayenze bukoreshwa muri piyano gakondo. Ijwi rivamo rиророро kandi risobanutse neza. Una Corda ikinwa nka piyano gakondo, kandi ibice by'imashini bigaragara byerekana uko buri noti itangwa. Iyi piyano ikorwa n'amaboko kandi nta miti ikoreshwa.
The Recognition
About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza
Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza, ishimwe ridasanzwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo byo ku rwego rwo hejuru, byiza kandi bikora ku mutima. Abegukanye Ifeza ni ibihangano by'ubuhanga bukomeye kandi bifite guhanga kwinshi, bigaragaza ubuhanga bwimbitse, impano n'ubushishozi bw'ababihanze. Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cy'icyitegererezo, gifite ubunyamwuga bukomeye n'udushya twimbitse. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Ifeza ni igihangano kizwi kandi gishimwa, gifasha kugura imbibi z'ubuhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga. Una Corda Piano Piyano y'ijwi ni igihangano benshi bifuza, gikangura ibyifuzo, gitanga amarangamutima meza kandi gitera igitangaza.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- 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
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