Topic: Acoustic piano and Pianoteq: enjoying the best of both worlds on stage
part 1 (!)
After months of anxiously waiting (we all know why), it finally became possible to play live for the first time since releasing my latest album . As some of you may know, "la falaise" is an all-Pianoteq record with half the tunes being recorded improvisations. The show was to include some old and new material. The compositions would be played live on my Pianoteq setup, but I decided to add a few interludes consisting of pre-recorded improvs (from “la falaise) on which I would add a live synthesizer layer.
My choice of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal as the venue suddenly offered a tantalizing new possibility: their Salle de concert owns several grand pianos, including this magnificent Hamburg Steinway D! It was available, freshly tuned the day of the concert, for a very reasonable supplement. It didn’t take me long to decide to take the plunge. I even had the opportunity to briefly try both the Hamburg and a NY one that they also own. I picked the Hamburg. So, I was to play all the live piano on that Steinway…Now, I am not classically trained, and have limited experience playing good acoustic pianos. Between my decision and the concert, anxiety started to build-up and I lost some sleep. What if the transition from my Pianoteq setup to the Steinway proved too difficult? At best, I had a few hours rehearsing time on the instrument…the day of the concert. In the afternoon, my first 15 minutes with the big piano were shaky…but I adapted sooner than I would have ever imagined. I felt very comfortable, even though the action required more force to achieve fff. The damper pedal also required adjustment from my Roland ru-3. As you can imagine (or know from experience), the piano had a full, balanced, expressive sound with exquisite overtones. A dream come true.
Overall, the concert went very well. My strong conviction is that the reason it went so well is because of my playing Pianoteq for the past three years. It’s a testament to its accurate modelling and expressive possibilities that so resemble the real acoustic piano experience! It certainly made me a better player, not to mention allowing me to record and edit in the comfort of my living room. Long live Modartt!
Here is an excerpt. Next time, I will have a clip showing the Pianoteq + synth side of it.
