Sound is produced without loudspeakers using electromagnetic actuators to directly manipulate the piano strings, expanding its vocabulary to include infinite sustain, notes that crescendo from silence, harmonics, and new timbres. A sensor on the keyboard reports the continuous position of every key. Time and spatial resolution are sufficient to capture detailed data about key press, release, pretouch, aftertouch, and other extended gestures. The system, which is designed with cost and setup constraints in mind, seeks to give pianists continuous control over the musical sound of their instrument.