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You have entered the Stuart & Sons Handcrafted Grand Pianos ‘Extended Information’
section of the site. For rich interactive ‘Audio Visual’ experience, return to Main Site.
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THE PIANO Q & A
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Q: Does the piano require special maintenance?
A: Stuart and Sons pianos are remarkably stable, they require similar tuning and maintenance to standard acoustic pianos.
Q: Why the extended keyboard?
A: Since around 1840 music has been written for more keys than can be found on the standard piano keyboard. It was inconceivable for me to build a new piano without recognising this fact. Of the 102 keys possible I chose 97 – sub contra F to f above the standard top c. This configuration keeps middle c to the centre of the keyboard.
Q: What is an agraffe and what does it do?
A: The innovation at the core of my design concept is the vertical coupling of the strings to the soundboard. This method enables a radical reassessment of how the instrument is designed and built. It liberates the pianos dynamic range, increases sustain and creates great clarity of sound.
Q: Why the extra pedal?
A: The Stuart & Sons dolce pedal, moves the hammers closer to the strings and reduces the travel of the keys, thereby reducing the intensity of the hammer strike. It basically gives the pianist greater control over tone colour, texture and intensity.
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