The mixture of analog and digital sounds is no longer a novelty in modern compositions, but few artists have anchored this musical symbiosis as broadly and deeply in their work as the pianist Ralf Schmid in his latest project PYANOOK. While in acoustic pieces technology is often used at the post-production level to modify or expand existing sounds, Schmid uses it from the very beginning in the composition and performance of his pieces. He uses a groundbreaking innovation of modern music technology: mi.mu-Gloves. With them, he can immediately digitally manipulate the sound of what he plays on the piano - by hand gestures alone. This interaction of instrumental virtuosity and sensitively applied technology not only led Schmid to an album, it was also the basis of his alter ego.
"PYANOOK is my artistic engagement with technology. I only set myself one limit: the entire electronic sound production is based on the timeless timbre of the grand piano," says Schmid about the project. The music gloves presented for the first time by the renowned British musician Imogen Heap are portable tech products that combine movement and sound. They use sensors that convert various hand gestures into programmable sound effects. The gloves allow musicians to create their music in a more natural and expressive way: "Here's an example: I want to send the piano sound to a large reverberation room - not just turn it on and off, but fade it in and out continuously. I combine this fade-out with a glove movement, i.e. an opening gesture that moves both hands to the side and opens my arms," explains Schmid.
The German composer had already worked with digital tools in the past, but it was only during a longer stay in an artist's residence in Oslo that he intensively explored how he could use the technology to expand his own instrument, the grand piano. The glove was the perfect solution. With PYANOOK, Schmid opens up completely new horizons for analog instruments and live performances. The task of bringing the album to the stage is not limited to reading, playing and interpreting sheet music. With every movement of the pianist, the compositions become alive and inextricably linked to him and his body. Every slight turn of the wrist, every finger movement changes the sound of the piano in a unique way: "While experimenting with keys and gloves, there was a moment when I stood up from the piano bench to expand my radius. I triggered piano chords with "drum hits" in the air, opened effect rooms with arm movements and conducted the electronic sound flow," says Schmid. In addition to his intensive performance, in which he uses his entire upper body rhythmically to create the music, there is a fascinating light show and visuals by Pietro Cardarelli. Triggered by the movements of the gloves, Schmid and Cardarelli interact audiovisually in real time.
The search for the essence of sound and the exploration of its limitless possibilities has shaped much of Ralf Schmid's earlier work. He has already worked together with very different artists such as Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston, Daniel Hope or the trumpeter Joo Kraus and has led large ensembles and choirs.
With PYANOOK Ralf Schmid now opens the piano himself and releases his soul and potential. "I discover magic, choreography, poetry in the interplay of man and machine." PYANOOK marks a new chapter in an ongoing journey that does not seem to end in the near future: "It is a futuristic way to play an instrument with such a great tradition. It's the travelogue of my current wing expedition," he says. "There are still so many sound possibilities along the way," so many discoveries of new gigs made during the performance, so many recommendations for new exciting tools. I think this work has just begun."
learn more: NM.lnk.to/pyanook
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