RESEARCH

THE SLIDE PIANO

The Slide Piano is a hybrid musical instrument created by Alex Young as part of a Master of Philosophy candidature at the University of Wollongong. Young’s research explores the question of how the techniques of electric slide guitar playing can be applied to the steel strings of an acoustic piano to arrive at new performative and compositional outcomes. Situated within the field of hybridised musical instrument design, the practice-based project centres on the creation of a new instrument, the Slide Piano, where the cast iron frame and strings of a piano are adapted to allow for the exploration of electric slide guitar approaches, such as open tunings and continuous pitch control, whilst maintaining timbres and textures traditionally associated with the piano.

COMPOSITIONS:

3.1 Sculptures in the Garden

Sculptures in the Garden introduces slide guitar playing techniques and their transference to the Slide Piano, such as portamento, open tuning and vibrato. Sonic conventions commonly associated with the electric slide guitar are transferred via guitar-oriented technologies, including effects pedals, electromagnetic pickups and amplification. Improvised musical movements are explored through live looping, phrase sampling and the evolution of alternative striking methods.

4.1 In Cage/In Flight

In Cage/In Flight investigates new playing techniques that highlight the Slide Piano’s potential for hybridised composition. Inquiries into timbral elements such as harmonics and prolonged sustain are achieved through further interrogation of the instrument’s electro-acoustic response and striking styles.

5.1 Lux Nocturna

Lux Nocturna addresses the development of the Slide Piano, placed in a sound/light art installation context. The expressive qualities of bottleneck blues guitar are woven into the composition alongside the extended piano technique of bowing strings, which culminates in a crescendo of guitar-oriented effects and harmonic hand tamping, reflected in the LED light sculptures created by Australian artist Cinnamon Lee.

5.2 Lux Nocturna

Lux Nocturna is also the title of an audio-visual work created by metalsmith Cinnamon Lee in collaboration with musician Alex Young. Presented as part of Lee’s solo exhibition of the same name, the original composition written for the Slide Piano by Alex Young (5.1), provides a haunting instrumental landscape for Lee’s choreographed response with light. A full-length recording of this collaboration was filmed in situ during the exhibition (Seven Marks Gallery, Kiama, 2023).

AUDIO-VISUAL REFERENCES:

3.1:

Sculptures in the Garden composition (complete performance)

3.2:

Audio-visual example of vibrato technique (01:28-01:50mins)

https://vimeo.com/995672531/d8b6ece192#t=1m35s&end=2m15s?share=copy

3.3:

Audio-visual example of ‘hold’ button on Boss DE-200 delay unit (05:27-6:21mins)

https://vimeo.com/995672531/d8b6ece192#t=5m35s&end=6m21s?share=copy

3.4:

Audio-visual example of Shelter live looped open tuned guitar riff (06:20-07:21mins)

https://vimeo.com/995672531/d8b6ece192#t=6m20s&end=7m21s?share=copy

3.5:

Audio-visual example of slide guitar-oriented electronic augmentation to the strings of the Slide Piano and slide-striking technique (08:00-11:05mins)

https://vimeo.com/995672531#t=8m00s&end=11m05s&share=copy

3.6:

Audio-visual example of arpeggiated chord progression played on the Kaosilator Pro and Curious Dream of An Architect sound response (11:40-17:47mins)

https://vimeo.com/995672531/d8b6ece192#t=11m40s&end=17m47s?share=copy