to:        "rolls@foxtail.com"¶
to:        "jrhodes@teleport.com (John Rhodes, Vancouver, Wash.)"¶
to:        "drhodes@IslandNet.com (Douglas K. Rhodes, Victoria, B.C.)"¶
to:        "rrhodes@foxtail.com (Robbie Rhodes, Etiwanda, Calif.)"

It seems that new technology is appearing in pianos as unpredictably
as it appears in automobiles -- sometimes it's marketed prematurely.
(Have the piano companies recalled any products lately??)


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forwarded from John Rhodes:

Regarding the difficulties of producing a synthesizer keyboard which
_feels_ like a real keyboard:

Would it be practical to sample the _touch_ of a 9' Steinway, and use
feedback to a motor on each key of the synth keyboard to simulate that
touch?  "Motor" in this case would be a voice coil, or some other
solenoid form.

It seems to me we have the technology; it's not so clear that it
could be harnessed and packaged into a salable product.  But what
an impact it could have on the synth market if it were practical!

[ It would be a helluva practice piano! -- Robbie ]

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forwarded from Doug Rhodes:

A few years ago I walked into a music store, where a salesman
button-holed me to hear a demo of one of the latest generation of
electronic pianos with sampled waveforms.

"This tone was sampled from a nine foot Steinway concert grand piano,"
he declared proudly.

As we listened to the sound coming from the speakers, which was not
unlike a very poorly voiced Korean upright, the salesman said, "If you
turn your back, you can't tell the difference from a real Steinway."

So I turned my back and said, "You're talking to the wrong guy," and
walked out!