January 18, 2023

Piano Tone Is Completely Subjective w/ Chano Dominguez and David Andersen

59 minutes

So much in life is subjective. And you’d think with a “machine” like the piano, the way it should sound is set in stone. However, when analyzing a single piano’s sound, one piano technician might say they’d like it softer, while another might not see anything wrong with the sound or style–they are thoroughly enjoying it.

Does that mean one of them is wrong?

Not really; the right tone is entirely subjective.

In this session, with a world-class Flamenco-Jazz pianist, our co-host David Andersen explains how many leading pianists made one of his pianos sound different from tune to tune. That’s right, even though he laid the foundation, great artists were able to achieve a unique sound, within each performance. Chano further explains, from an artist’s perspective, how every pianist has a different tone. This effect applies to not just their personal “voice” but the voice they create for every tune.

This conversation extends beyond piano tone, to an artist's challenges with and strategies for piano care. We learn about how Chano's piano is situated in a challenging environment that makes it susceptible to going out of tune more often. Stay tuned, and learn how great artists stay tuned up in this Piano Tech radio Hour session!

Here's a little bit about our guest Chano Dominguez:

Chano has three Grammy nominations and over 40 years of stage performance experience. As a native of Spain, his works are an ingenious and unique combination of jazz and flamenco music that never ceases to leave their mark on the minds of the audience. Along with his recording and performing career, he has also shared his expertise through seminars and masterclasses and taught at Juilliard, the Taller de Música in Barcelona, and other institutions.

Early in his career, he formed a Latin rock band, CAI. They released three albums for CBS. However, the band parted ways in 1981, and Chano took on a solo career. Since then, Chano has earned several accolades for his inexplicable works. His album Flamenco Sketches was highly critically acclaimed and in this album, he reinterpreted all five songs from Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue,’ and more.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓❗❗

Browse more masterclasses and lectures from Piano Tuning Pros here: https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/

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