PREPARED PIANO 101

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/ nahresol
Recently I fell in love with John Cage’s prepared piano techniques. Here is a video about my introduction to this process while working on Sonatas and Interludes by Cage, a bit of history, and a few samplings of my own improvisations- I hope you enjoy!
A HUGE THANK YOU TO DAMON GROVES AGAIN :)
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John Cage essay - johncage.org/prepared_piano_e...
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PRACTICE NOTES: • PRACTICE NOTES
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As always, thank you so much for watching, and thank you to all of you that leave comments.
#preparedpiano #avantgarde #improvisation

[@RickBeato]

Incredible video Nahre! I love the improvs and the John Cage quote at the end was beautiful and thought-provoking. Thank you for your brilliant content.

[@Bati_]

You are a true supporter Rick, I have seen your comments nearly every video in this magnificent channel! I am a huge fan of your works! Thanks for everything you did! Greetings from Turkey! (And thanks for raising awareness on Aydın Esen’s music as well.)

[@dangelobenjamin]

Hi Rick! You're channel is inspiring too! Keep it up; the both of Nahre and you.

[@cameronmurphy5850]

Rick!

[@miguelcorona4105]

Always nice to see Rick in the comments.

[@pedterson]

When I was ten or so, I threaded strips of paper through the strings on my piano, which resulted in a very cool, distorted sound from the paper rustling against the strings. And that's where my experience with prepared pianos begins and ends. Your video made me appreciate the whole thing anew. Never knew so much preparation went into preparing. Thank you!

[@SendyTheEndless]

I wasn't prepared for this!

[@NahreSol]

😂

[@Oddquartet]

Such a cool video. The upper register reminds me of a gamelan. Thank you for sharing the process!

[@NahreSol]

Thank you !! ❤

[@usera598]

You could say that you prepared the piano for a special o-cage-tion. *Drops mic into piano*

[@fernandonunes7608]

Please, don't forget to show your KZbin Plate. It's really inspiring to see a high quality educational channel to be rewarded - mainly when it's made by someone that puts so much love on it. You deserve so and much more! Cheers from Brazil and keep doing the amazing work! ❤😍😇

[@NahreSol]

Thank you!! Only thing is that there hasn't been any acknowledgement of passing 100k from youtube yet so... 😂

[@fernandonunes7608]

@@NahreSol Oh my, really? I've been seeing many youtubers showing their 100k plates along the time... Still, you honor us all with such amazng work here.

[@Hephasto]

who cares lol 🤡

[@vl4rt637]

Schnttke uses a prepared piano in the first movement of the concerto grosso (N. 1 ). It's brilliant

[@Cambodia69]

Perhaps unintentionally, the "Wide Range Thing" seemed to have a hint of Javanese (Indonesian) gamelan music to it. After having been to Indonesia, and having some of the best times of my life there, it immediately brought all those memories back for me. Thank you. Now if you could somehow get Damon to agree to tuning the piano in microtones.... And if he doesn't agree, at least capture the look on his face when you ask him.

[@NahreSol]

Interesting! I would love to visit Indonesia one day...

[@VampireHeart518]

Ah, what a great observation! Haven't noticed - it does sound like gamelan music

[@bricolagefantasy7291]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3a6dHaJqq2mq7M This one is balinese gamelan. Javanese one is more atmospheric and not as energetic as balinese.

[@matthewv789]

You should record an album of original pieces on prepared piano. I think it could be very popular for streaming, sort of like a percussion ensemble.

[@LukeFaulkner]

Cool that you're bringing this niche technique to a wider audience.

[@UncleBubba]

**Rushes off to google "Prepared Piano VST"** :)

[@iAmTheSquidThing]

There are a bunch of packs for Native Instruments Kontakt. I think they might even come as part of the standard library or a free download.

[@Izzymusamusic]

you can try Una Corda or Giant by Native Instruments.

[@composingchef]

I literally opened another tab to do this right when before I saw your comment! LOL!

[@composingchef]

@@Izzymusamusic I have Giant! Hmm. I may need to check it out better! Thanks for the hint.

[@benjaminmcfarlane3807]

lol

[@DojoOfCool]

Nahre I love how musically open minded you are, don't stop exploring!

[@spacebiggles]

Steampunk circuitbending is dope First prepared piano I saw had preparations that changed as it was played, in an improvisational setting by very serious classical musicians who had recently learned to improvise. It really stuck with me seeing more unusual musical techniques taken seriously.

[@lifeontheledgerlines8394]

This reminds me of a story my piano teacher shared with me. A long, long time ago (like, from the 70s to the 80s) in a land far, far away (Soviet Russia - I'm not kidding) my piano teacher, who is Russian, was studying in the main rival of the Moscow Conservatory. They did not have access to harpsichords, or at least they had very few of them, only really nice German pianos (imagine playing Bösendorfers and Hamburg Steinways every day, even in practice rooms! I'm so jealous), but for Baroque performances they needed to get a harpsichord sound. They would pile in a bunch of newspapers into the piano body on top of the strings and that's how they would get a piano to temporarily be a harpsichord. I tried this on my school's crappy, neglected grand (which is practically unused), and it works surprisingly well. Fun stuff.

[@TheBassHeavy]

I've just sent this video to the professor at the school I did my PhD at. He does a lot of cage stuff. I'm sure he'll love it. Brilliant work again, Nahre.

[@NahreSol]

Awesome, thank you for sharing it! ❤

[@ajostuder]

I once had the good fortune to attend a concert by Singaporean pianist (and John Cage specialist) Margaret Leng Tan. She explained to the audience that concert hall custodians were so leery of her playing around with the guts of their precious pianos that she did a technician’s course at Steinway so that she could placate them that she knew what she was doing. You’ve always been a rhythmically interesting improviser and the prepared sound really brings that out.

[@Dhooparty]

This is so cool Nahre! I can't wait to hear the rest of your improvisations!

[@spacerockwizard]

Wow. A lovely breakdown of Cage's prepared piano. And you sound great on it! I'm a guitarist and I utilize prepared guitar for my space rock music.

[@Tantacrul]

This was great. Had never witnessed a piano being prepared before. Thanks!

[@idnemgk]

Wow, lovely sounds! Remarkable how much work (and thought) goes into the preparation. Thanks for sharing this!

[@floweredstar]

I love it!!! I love Cage's work I think he was such an insteresting person and artist. Glad to see more about him in the classical music community

[@ChickNGuitars]

That was awesome! That quote at the end is brilliant. Thank you for such a thorough look into another spectrum of art.

[@HaliPuppeh]

Thank you for this video, Nahre. I've always wondered about the prepared piano and its sound. This was very cool

[@michaelcarrithers6811]

Thank you so much! I'm pleased to know that John Cage is still very much with us. I was honoured to take a seminar with him in college. A man full of ... refreshment! And now refreshment from you!

[@EsferaltdLOL]

I didn't know anything about that technique. Awesome! I love It❤️

[@mup807]

Thank you for this wonderful video! I am sharing your work with my students and appreciate your very clear and engaging content.

[@AmandaKaymusic]

I love learning curious things, how and why from your eloquent presentations. Thank you Nahre.

[@NahreSol]

Thank you!! ❤

[@KlaviersAnthology]

I like how you find such wonderful topics to talk about in your channel. you really inspire people ^_^ you inspired me for sure to start something with music again.

[@NahreSol]

That's so great to read, thank you ❤

[@KlaviersAnthology]

@@NahreSol :3 ^_^

[@alexprice5352]

If you’ve ever listened to the music of Kelly Moran, she very extensively uses prepared piano, along with electronic elements I suggest you give a listen to her her newest album, Ultraviolet. God it’s such a gorgeous album.

[@composingchef]

So good! Thank you for this!

[@l_ndonmusic]

Vendor: What are you doing to that piano? John Cage: _It's a secret tool that will help us later_

[@justincarrasco3680]

This is my favorite thing you've uploaded so far!

[@DarkForcesStudio]

This is a fascinating concept. Thanks.

[@waxwingflock]

Fascinating and inspiring. I really like your attitude to discovering new things. John Cage hit the nail on the head (no pun intended until afterwards!). Keep up the great work!

[@NahreSol]

Thank you!!

[@gabrielmcwethy3441]

Thank you so much for this video. This was great

[@niiiiiiisse]

Loving your videos and looking out for them since i've subscribed! Please keep doing what you do

[@miguelcorona4105]

Very informative, thank you!

[@joancu88]

Thanks a lot for posting this video and your experience! Also for showing the great wisdom of Cage's quotes!

[@dangelobenjamin]

That quote at the end is absolutely beautiful. And so is your music!

[@illusion5739]

Woahhh never thought you could do this with a piano. Love your video as always! They're inspiring

[@johnrula]

I just watched a John Cage video yesterday as I heard of him 50 yr’s ago and have loved his brilliant mind…peace

[@mysticsushi]

You're improvs at the end are really moving. Would love to hear more or a full comp.

[@arastoomii4305]

Thank you for this great video 😁

[@arc1105]

Nahre Sol play on! Hearing your whispered notes, as you play your dream songs sweetly, truly is a treat. As you explore these musical mysteries may you forever hear your Soul songs sing. Love your pianos rejoicing to the wonders found within. Beautiful knowledge you impart, visually musical too. Your piece's remind me of music that the Universe constantly sings. Hints of celestial rhythms, this music is a start, perhaps it was the beating of a universal heart. Thank you Nahre Sol. To quote Damon Groves "Wow" 🙌😍😎🙏

[@EggBenis]

Simp

[@geographypony]

Okay, time to find these John Cage prepared piano pieces. Great playing. Between this, your looping videos, and you video game music video, I can see you have a serious knack for percussive repetition. Your style is intriguing. If you ever release an album of such material, please share.

[@RhettShull]

So cool, I’ve never heard of this until now. I didn’t know a piano could sound like that! Thanks Nahre!

[@nickyhopeless]

Great video, great sound! Thank you.

[@NahreSol]

Thank you!! ❤

[@davidgiles9378]

That type of inventive approach and the quote about focusing on the act of creating in the moment are both thought provoking. Think a lot of people who use modular synthesis - never sounding the same after you pull the cables - could relate.

[@SackbutSteve]

Great video and intro to Prepared Piano, Nahre! Attended a terrific concert last night by a pair of NY composers who have been working at the Avaloch Farms Institute and played Prepared Piano (and synth) and Steel Pan Drum and was looking for a video to send to a couple non-musicians to explain what the heck Prepared Piano is! Your video is perfect! Loved the improvs and Cage quote as well!

[@terra.pianos]

Thank you for these beatiful illustrations! I've read about prepared piano few years ago, but there are not so much videos about that thing. My teacher once shown me a simple way for preparation (used among USSR college musicians). The sheet of tiny paper (or few) is putting between dampers and strings in such way the hammers beat on it and on string below it.

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

Fascinating... great quote to end with, a lesson for life.

[@graemetaylor1376]

I would imagine that if John Cage had a videocam with him when he was discovering prepared piano, we'd see the same level of excitement as new sounds were created. Thanks for sharing the adventure.

[@SoundFieldPBS]

This is next level!

[@chrissoares23]

This was great! Thanks Nahre! Now I want to go look for a prepared piano sample library to fool around with.

[@martinbeats8290]

ty for this!!!

[@lacosingalerneb8543]

Thank you IT was very insteresting!😁👍

[@magmiy]

Just saw my first performance of a piece meant for a prepared piano. Wasn't expecting it but it had me intrigued.

[@joechip1232]

I always love your musical sensibility no matter what you're playing. It just feels magical to me ^.^ I hope some of these will make it onto that album that I'm still waiting for, or at least be available for downlaod ;)

[@PenFtv]

Hey Nahre, someone you didn't mention, but also was quite early with this technique was actually Erik Satie. Listen to his 'Le Piège de Méduse, Sept pieces pour piano: III. Pas vite' (can be found on spotify) which was written in 1913! Wikipedia: At the private premiere of the Piège, Satie, performing the music, had slid sheets of paper between the strings of the piano for a more mechanical sound. This was supposedly the first appearance of a prepared piano in the history of music.

[@dsullivan6916]

Just catching up on all your amazing videos. All thought provoking but this one takes me back to reading Cage's Silence and now i have to find that and put it in the "read again" stack. Thanks for all of this, and yes, you could really hear the carrots in the first improvisation ;)

[@rodrfil]

Thank you !! as a piano technician by myself, im glad to see that video ! so interesting :-)

[@jannisopel]

It sounds so interesting. Really like it, I want to mix and match with it other instruments.

[@DezMonKei]

Had to come back and watch this again after the Sound Field episode! John Cage is Legendary

[@educapro]

I love stuff like this Nahre, LOL. I'm laughing because when I used to watch piano tuners (here in Texas) and listen to the muffed tones that you demonstrated in your video's beginning. This was interesting also much later when I got into understanding tone separation, the number of beats within the strike of a key (whether muffed or in a tuned fashion). This is such a fascinating yet rare skill that only technicians who understand the mechanics of how pianos work will ever understand. the breakdown of the components really weighs heavy in understanding why time, cost and the construction of a high quality instrument (say for instance, like a steinway) has the value that's placed upon it. Anyway, didn't mean to chatter, but I guess as a professional keyboardist I can feel your joy in learning more about piano preparation. :). Fun stuff, interesting, educationally enlightening.

[@adamdonahue2079]

Can you do more videos where you compose little Rondos and Fugues, etc? They actually kind of inspire me, I guess.

[@dwilliams4142]

Super cool! Nils Frahm is a neat modern composer, too. Looking forward to playing Nahre Sol prepared piano practice pieces!!

[@leonardobiano980]

Wow your music is great I can't wait to listen to more of these

[@NahreSol]

Thank you!! ❤

[@paxwallacejazz]

I seem to remember something about a new system of objects that gaurantees no damage. I used to practice Cage's old Chickering at Cornish sometimes.

[@LeeBlaske]

Fascinating sounds. Consulting the owner of the piano is GREAT advice (and the owner is not a stick in the mud if they don't want you to do it). Actually, it would be a good idea to use an older instrument that's close to needing to be restrung. High-end grands cost close to $200k and above. Really good to be kind to strings on those instruments, so they retain maximum sustain for people who want to play music with a singing tone. Also, I'm sure others have probably mentioned this below, but there are MANY fantastic prepared sample libraries that have been wonderfully recorded. The additional huge advantage of using these is that you can quickly move from one set of preparations to another. You can have endless possibilities without compromising a piano.

[@LordHar]

Great insightful video as usual! There are probably sample libraries of prepared pianos that can come in handy when you want to compose but don't have 24/7 access to a real one.

[@AprilKeez]

This was awesome!

[@fuxleo]

thats hillarious! i did it with different papers like baking paper or alluminum foil... grt vid!!

[@taimly]

I remember the first time i played a piece from Crumb, you had to put a piece of paper on the strings of the grand piano, so simple but the mood changed so dramatically.

[@Shuzies]

This is Fantastic

[@antigen4]

hey thanks for posting this - great to see someone reaching outside of the box. I think what this technique does is force you to explore music making in a way that is more innately syntactical - which is interesting

[@12throot32]

Nahre--I've been composing for prepared piano for a number of years now (as well as piece for 3, 6 and 8 regular pianos). Of course, finding anyone to perform the pieces is darn near impossible. Most of the time I used preparations that Cage developed, i.e., for Sonata V, Bacchanale, A room--so that Cage's excellent instructions may be used in preparation. I will be interested in hearing where you go with this. Good luck!

[@TLMuse]

Another piano-centric video that still remains fascinating to those of us playing other instruments-thanks! And it was great to learn a little more about Cage, too. All we ever hear about him is 4' 23"; it was great to learn a bit more. I'll have to check out his compositions more thoroughly. And Damon Groves's fun preparing the piano was contagious. BTW, when do we get to see your 100k subscribers plaque? 8-) -Tom

[@ronhammett2635]

Nahre : Home improvement meets piano. This prepared piano by Cage is interesting from an acoustical engineering standpoint. Thanks for sharing as now i have some insight to John Cage. This gets me thinking of Microtonal Music and Tuning Theory.

[@DivKid]

Some great sounds in this, would be to team up with someone and make a sampler instrument of the prepared piano so more people can enjoy it and use it in their work (if possible of course).

[@golafs]

great improv!

[@bartolomedelmar1694]

amazing imrpovs!

[@Bati_]

An amazing day! I was about to sleep then I saw the new video notification and my alertness level raised sharply! Thank you for providing this video Nahre! It's so insightful and inspirational to see these behind-the-scenes! It's like a manual of instructions, a documentary and I am positive that the odds to encounter a top-notch quality prepared piano video like that on the Internet are extremely low! I always loved John Cage's, Nils Frahm's, Fazıl Say and Tigran Hamasyan's works on the prepared piano and now my new favorite will be your take on the prepared piano! Anyways, I am going to watch it now more elaborately! As always, astonishing work Nahre! Keep shining! Thanks a millon times! Greetings from Turkey and big love and respect! You are a true Avant-Garde and amazing educator, what this world needs visionary and humanitarian competent people like you! 🙏❤️ - Batı (P.S. If you haven't checked it, you should check Fazıl Say's Black Earth on the prepared piano, it inspires me and it's one of the best and rare examples of Turkish folk sounds and themes employed in Classical Music and it blends Jazz, extended techniques and experimentalism perfectly and it has a sentimental meaning for that reason). #thankyousenpai 😃

[@NahreSol]

Thanks so much Bati! That being said, please go to sleep before it gets even later !! 😊

[@Bati_]

@@NahreSol Thank you Nahre, I will! (hopefully) 😊

[@josephfraley4614]

Inspired to go learn more about John Cage!

[@ChuloDavidcito]

Wild! It makes me think of a giant kalimba. And all this time I thought a prepared piano was one that was tuned. ;)

[@sixmonthssleep3057]

I'm making a video about this too! So I play prepared piano in an experimental ensemble...so cool Nahre!

[@oceancheung6139]

So awesome 😎

[@davidsummerville351]

Very thought provoking.

[@NSMITH8516]

this is amazing😁

[@the_emmo]

This is genius! How did I not hear about this before?!

[@mitchlg531]

Could you please do a video on what specific alteration makes what sounds? like demonstrates what the nail sound makes and all of the other alterations?

[@SilentNote]

Nahre Sol I KNEW there was something there, but I didn't thought it was"common objects" !!!! COOL / SICK !!! THANKS for this VIDEO !!! Post an PRELUDE OF YOURS with this PREPARED PIANO ( just to see what happens ) !!!

[@krustttyyy]

For all of you piano lovers... there's a sampled prepared piano somewhere in the web, it runs in kontakt and is AMAZING!!!! i recomend it

[@ibji]

Hi, great video. How long did the process take? Can one person do it alone? Are all the parts necessary for the process easily accessible?

[@NahreSol]

The process took maybe 90 min - somewhere around there, maybe more. It was pretty much all Damon, I just helped look at the chart etc

[@JamesSBaker-de6sd]

A bold and aggressive activity; but approached so professionally by enlisting your knowledgable technician friend. And of course, a number of clear musical goals : Mr. Cage's and your own. Its a treasure of a video that will never be seen as often as it deserves to be, but thank you for making it for us. Its a mechanical mashup, tilting the piano toward the percussive.

[@lazybelphegore6748]

I remember when I was young the church had a Christmas cantata and the pianist laid a long chain on top of the piano strings. It gave the piano a sort of shimmery sound. Now I wonder if she may have damaged the strings. It was quite beautiful sounding though.

[@chenresi]

It's fantastic you filmed it! Right this morning I was wondering how do people prepare pianos. :)

[@NahreSol]

Awesome!! ❤

[@mykhedelic6471]

For guitar dork's like me it's "Piano Player Gets Guitar Pedals" or "Piano Player Plays Slide." Oooh, that's an idea, is there a way to you could play the strings with a slide after/while "striking/keying" them? This is great, i mean, acoustic manipulation, someone might say "you could use a sampler or an electonic keyboard," but it's totally not the same. Tactile, acoustic, present, visceral. This is awesome. You could also play the acoustic keyboard family: spinets, celestinas, harpsichords etc. Quality Nahre, as usual!

[@splashesin8]

Wow! This is a thing I never thought about. Pretty neat! Also amazing to hear a professional doing this! I'm guessing copious notes about every change are made so that it can all be accounted for on removal. This makes me consider what it takes to become a piano technician. Maybe a possibility. The inevitable snake, scorpions centipedes and tarantula encounters make me a little nervous. There must be ways of dealing with those... 🤔...for the chance of encountering as many pianos as possible. 😃 Loved the sound of the piece by the way.

[@setphaser]

beautiful

[@educapro]

There is a legendary artist in the person of Herbie Hancock that has incorporated just playing the stings of the Acoustic Grand in a few settings. Forgive me for not knowing the names of the jazz compositions but I found this interesting in my adolescent years of listening to him. There is also a Japanese pianist/jazz pianist by the name of Hiromi Uehara who is phenomenal with playing the strings of the Acoustic Grand as well, and my apologies for not knowing her composition that featured that moment. Just some interesting parallels between the artists and the non-traditional ways of performing.