Augmented Piano: Andrew McPherson
Andrew McPherson (Queen Mary, University of London) will present his work extending and enhancing the piano keyboard. The presentation will include a live demo of a multi-touch capacitive sensor system to detect the location of fingers on the key surfaces. The system can be installed on any acoustic or electronic keyboard, giving the player multiple dimensions of continuous control over each note.
The evening will also include a short video demo of the magnetic resonator piano (MRP), an electronically-augmented acoustic grand piano that uses electromagnets to induce vibrations in the piano strings. Both of these projects aim to preserve the traditional advantages of the piano (polyphony, tactile feedback, rich acoustic sound source) while adding new dimensions of musical control.