Acoustic analysis of individual notes. Preliminary results.
The analysed notes: C great octave (C2, average frequency 65 Hz) played forte, sustained until the tone decays.
Below is the 3d frequency analysis of C2 made with the Wave Lab Pro 12 software. I chose C2 because the sound of the base register on a historical piano differs significantly from it on a modern grand piano.
The full description of the experiment, equipment and results will be available later in the course of my artistic research.
Here we can see (top right):
- Decay of the tone is much shorter and smoother on Hafner, while on Steinway we can observe that the overtones fluctuate significantly after the peak;
- The fundamental tone (65 Hz) is very small on Hafner while the second overtone is the strongest;
- On Steinway the fundamental tone is noticeable, the first overtone is the strongest;
In two pictures (bottom right) we can observe the tone development on both instruments. The upper picture represents the first 2 sec of the tone development on Steinway; the bottom picture - on Hafner.
It is visible that the peak on Steinway comes later in time than that on Hafner. Also the fundamental tone on Hafner is barely noticeable. It means that it takes more time on Steinway for a tone to reach its full overtonal richness.
Afterthoughts
What does this experiment give me as a piano performer and artistic researcher?
The above analysis demonstrates the acoustic differences (the tone development, decay) between the original 1830 fortepiano and a modern Steinway D.
First of all, these pictures confirm (maybe the others will contradict) what we hear.
Secondly, as a performer I feel more convinced why I should take special care of my left hand, pedalling, tempo, balance, touch. This is important for me because now I can see the physical qualities of the instruments and have a solid foundation for building adequate technique in my practice.
Finally, I can start building my interpretation relying not only on my musicianship and tradition but on my understanding of piano mechanics, sound production and affordances of my instrument.
