Fluid tuning is a
tuning system for the
piano.
It was developed by
Geoff Smith Geoff Smith may refer to:
*Geoff Smith (music composer) (born 1966), English composer, academic and vice chancellor of Regent's University London
*Geoff Smith (footballer, born 1928) (1928–2013), English footballer
*Geoff Smith (politician) (born ...
, a composer and musician from
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
England.
Fluid tuning is accomplished by the addition of the microtonal tuning mechanism to the instrument. This mechanism enables the
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
to alter each
note individually and separately by precise microtonal
intervals. With this design modification, the musician can choose either to leave the piano in 'fixed tuning', or to use the mechanism to retune any number of notes microtonally to any desired combination. The modification, therefore, allows a number of tuning layouts to be created and explored per composition, in contrast to the instrument being creatively limited to fixed tuning which is typically the culturally predominant
Western chromatic octave.
The microtonal tuning mechanism consists of a sliding bridge, a groove and buffers fitted to each note of the instrument. The bridge is in constant contact with the strings. If the musician slides the bridge along the groove to any point between the buffers, a precise microtonal interval change results.
References
External links
Geoff SmithBBC: Out of tune
An investigation into the development of musical tuning systems
Musical temperaments
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