Filling a piano with h2o probably seems frivolous and asinine to several. Nonetheless, it also sparks a certain curiosity as to what it would be like. Luckily, [Mattias] put in the several hours of do the job to come across out so we never have to!
A initial attempt with an upright piano failed immediately. Right after just 4 minutes submerged in drinking water, the picket hammers would seize up as they swelled with humidity.
A grand piano was sourced for a 2nd attempt. The strings have been very first detensioned to make issues a lot easier to get the job done with, and the internal frame pried out from the encompassing piano system. To quit the water pouring out past the keys and strings, a basic alternative was carried out: tilting the piano up so the drinking water remained in the system under. A even handed application of many sealing brokers was then applied to seal the body. Incredibly, the best facts on sealing a piano came from fanatics making aquariums out of plywood boxes. Go figure.
The water has a muting influence on the piano’s sound as you may possibly count on. The seem is notably powerful when read by means of underwater mics put in the drinking water-filled cavity. It practically sounds like a plucked instrument, and gives everything a unusually maritime really feel. The sound waves can be observed on the surface area of the h2o, far too.
The experiment arrived to a tragic finish when the piano was overfilled, dumping water above the keys and hammers. This triggered just about every important to jam, killing the piano for fantastic.
It’s a enjoyable build, and a really foolish one particular, if you can stand to look at a piano treated in this way. [Mattias] has kind in the area of oddball instrument hacks, way too, as we’ve previously highlighted his helium guitar. Video right after the break.
