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Great! I'll plan on dropping in to see it.

To the folks who are pros,technicians, masters in there own right etc.. have critical views on incorporating granite and other types a stone into the design of a piano is unorthodox but until you hear one in person as the PTG did and Thomas Zoells owner of the Pianoforte Chicago and Dr. Richard Bosworth who are all credible with a very articulate views agree this is a revolutionary concept that gives the artist a chance to explore new and interpretive vistas you will realize this as fact as well. During our presentation on September 18th Richard Bosworth will compare to a high end in comparison while hands on with the folks who attend. Science doesn't lie and we have the facts. When our prototype was tuned to 444, 4.7Hz higher than 440. After playing @ the 528 healing frequency this is what Richard Bosworth had to say:

My Impressions of The 528 Frequency

Initial reactions:

The sound and timbre were intoxicatingly alluring.
There was a feeling of well-being.
Serenity and calmness pervaded.
I felt very relaxed and restful.
There was less stress; a state of repose came over me.
My body and mind were more open to stimuli.
The experience put me in a trance.
There was also a mesmerizing effect.
The resulting effect was like having a power nap.
My whole being resonated a relaxed state of mind, both mentally and physically.
The endorphins were flowing throughout my body.
I was attracted to listening to the sound as well as producing it.
This instrument had an undeniably compelling quality.
After playing it, the little annoyances of life disappeared.
The feeling became ineffable and could not be put into words.
There was a lingering effect for at least a half hour afterwards.
My First Impressions On Playing These Intriguing Granite-Enhanced Pianos
By Richard Bosworth
General observations:

My first impressions were very subtle, yet powerful. It simply had a hypnotic effect. In this instance, the statement "music soothes the beast" fit exactly how I felt. After I played this instrument, my spirit was calm almost to the point of being reflective. It was as if I had been meditating and my soul was refreshed. A sense of universal, collective consciousness became a palpable moment for me.

I am beginning to realize that tuning to the 528 frequency is not only wonderful, but NECESSARY. Implementing this technique complemented by the granite bridges of a piano, has allowed me to experience a new realm of awareness. In fact, I earnestly seek out this quality and will not settle for anything less. The regular standard tunings along with the traditional wooden bridges are no longer satisfying; it is a rather irritating and frustrating scenario.

Anybody reading these thoughts here will probably think that I am a bit exaggerated in my perceptions. If so, I would encourage you to find out for yourself. Come, play this piano and see if what I am saying is true. Suspend your judgment for just a second and get ready for an extraordinary sonic adventure.

Allow me to leave you with this? Nothing can be more noble and worthwhile than to bring good will to one's fellow-man. I believe this 528 frequency and granite bridge combination has a healing effect that will have a more far-reaching outcome in terms of positive impact on humanity. To leave a legacy of this nature to posterity can only help to better the world in which we live. And the saga continues...

2 thousandths of an inch might as well be 2 miles as far as energy transfer between materials is concerned Robert. Wood has a compressive quality where small irregularities like this would be negated with the downbearing of the wires and the compression that takes place.

Outside of this, I would be open minded in hearing the results. About a year ago I got a chance to hear a piano in person that has a crystal/glass soundboard and I was quite impressed. For some reason, even though they have been out for quite a few years now, it never caught on in a mainstream way. I think piano buyers often have deep roots in traditions and are a tough bunch to sway.

The bridge is the first filter, so any modification ther change the tone. Harder component seem to be giving a more efficient energy transfer, particularely in the high treble this can be an advantage, but I just suspect some relation may exist between the resiliency of the material and whose of the tensed wire.

I am open minded but I know what I want to hear, and read...

With time I have get pretty abrupt when deceived...

Very true but, granite is a natural occurring mineral undaunted by man.The stone is quarried then I sculpt the stone to fit along with other techniques that makes the efficiency of the bridge far better than any wood bridge could ever be. When you hear the piano in person you will understand, they'll be more to follow. just because tradition has been the forefront of the majority of pianists doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.

The truth is that efficiency of energy transfer is probably not the only parameter. I heard of using metal plates too, Fazioly use a harder wood for bridge cap in the high treble, banging strong on the wire/top of the bridge as done by some hazardous techs harden the wood under and reinforce the tone(so one friend once explained me that it was "adding down bearing " ,

What a would think about is the mechanical properties of the material used, and the problem linking together a material that react to moisture (even minimally) and one that does not.

I have yet heard pianos with good solutions for one aspect of the tone, which where restricting the playability on another.

Complete understanding of the acoustics of the belly differs in its conclusions depending of the original family and region, so I can understand your love for a noble material, but including it in a so complicated assembly as a piano is certainly not easy.

Minerals are used to harden synthetic resins, sure they are hard and massive, how to take benefit from that in pianos is above my understanding, may be in a coating that would suffice.

For an example, I once used very hard epoxy to glue bridge pins ... more power, but less partials, and a "too square" tone...
I will listen, and stay away of any mystics about your idea...

We have science fact from cymascope.com that shows all 10 partials present which mode lock opposed to the 4 other high quality pianos in the video comparisons. I can't figure out how to post it here but I have that on my Stonetone® Facebook page. Utilizing granite in the bridge eliminates signal loss and at the same time allows the whole entire bridge to transfer the string energy not only vertical on the bridge as a wood bridge does but horizontally throughout the entire bridge allowing the entire soundboard to produce than locally where the notes are played. Our treble is extremely resonant and thats why we had to fit 20 additional dampers on this 5'1" baby grand.. The piano will never dictate to the player when it is time to move from any treble notes since the treble is so resonant and layers of voices can be clearly distinguished.

Here is another well know Artists comment on Stonetone® technologies
THE JOURNEY IN THE 528 FREQUENCY WITH STONE-ENHANCED PIANOS: Piano Artist Kary Regragui
www.karymusic.com
What Comes Forward Upon First Touching These Fascinating Instruments: By Kary Regragui

The resonance allows a higher level of absorption by the listener.
It re-creates a deep meditative state because of the sensation of well-being and serenity.
The audience noticeably receives this feeling as well.
Communication of the musical message is easier to convey.
The signal is so clear because there is no audible distortion.
The sound is so pure and pleasing to the ears that the musical impact is felt more deeply.
The listener responds accordingly and is affected on a subtle therapeutic level.
The music can be felt at a cellular level within the body.
There is quite literally an awakening of inner feelings, which then triggers the right emotions to happen.
The body responds well to the frequencies generated by the sound.
More power goes through my fingers producing a clearer and purer signal.
Peace and harmony are generated by this balanced sound.
This technology allows me to become one with the instrument.
Beautiful sounds and harmonies emanating from this piano inspire the composer within.
It is such a warm and welcoming instrument to the point of being irresistible.
This is ideal for music therapy and explores new vistas on higher levels of awareness.
The Ying and the Yang are in motion, perfectly matched in harmony with each other.
Playing on a stone piano is the perfect mental massage for both the performer and listener.
Inner peace and well-being are greatly enhanced after playing and listening to a beautiful piece of music on a stone piano.
My personal reactions on playing the stone-enhanced pianos:
As a composer and performer, my travels have taken me worldwide playing some of the best instruments on the planet. As a result, I have witnessed the deeply moving effects of my performances on the public. This is self-evident because music, being a universal language, is cross-cultural; it depends on me as a skilled interpreter to bring out the message.

However, the true art and power of musical expression lie somewhere between actual sounding notes. What one does with all that time is to master technique, phrasing, intonation, dynamics, intentions, feelings and warmth. This, in turn, is what makes a musician stand out from the rest.

In the case of stone-enhanced pianos, all these artistic elements are more clearly pronounced because so much more power and control are given to the performer. Intertwining chords, phrasing and rhythms let me send the vibration of my music to specific chakras so that they can promote healing starting from the higher ones to the very lowest, thus encompassing the whole field (the ethereal body, the Aura). The human body is an energy center with thousands of electrical impulses happening every second within us so that they can deliver the messages to our cells for normal functioning. Even the simple task of walking involves so many muscles, brain signals and coordination that it would be too difficult for me to explain. However, I will say that it is my belief that musical sound waves do have a positive impact on the way our internal signals are working between cells.

With the stone-enhanced pianos, music has taken a quantum leap allowing the audience to “therapeutically” engage more personally with a deeper feeling and passion within just minutes. By performing on this unique instrument that has combined the stone bridge with the 528 frequency tuning, I can gently, but quickly, enter a sacred and serene space where my natural (intuitive) playing takes over in a commanding way. My performance, experience and feeling of the music bear witness to themselves, something that is rarely happening with regular wood bridge pianos.

I would be interested to see some detailed photos of these bridges in various states of creation and installation.

I'd be concerned about the likelihood of the bridge fracturing, either due to climate changes or possible hidden flaws in the naturally-occurring granite.

I'd also be interested to hear a decent-quality audio recording. From what I heard on the YouTube clips, the bass sounded pretty brittle.

Yes there is some gain in "efficiency" but I am far from sure the playability is better, you are using the sustain pedal a lot, so the tone is not clearly heard.

But I like the warmness of the tone with a normal bridge, I am not even big fan of bridge agrafes. question of tone variability, probably.

The tone is lengthened for sure, (how much mass is added to the bridge ?)

What will happen to the stone with the vibes of the strings ? will the wire deform or will the granite deform ?

That make me think of those hardened capo, that where sending very high pitches.

Indeed your test piano is probably not the best piano to make such experiment.

What can make me understand what is the effect is notes played from ppp to FFF with different touch, with and without sustain pedal engaged.

There I cannot even hear what is the result, playing like a piano dealer with a lot of abuse of the pedal is not the way to make a demonstration to technicians. (I only listened to 2 videos indeed)

Best of luck with your idea, I would believe that if hardening the bridge more than it is done actually would be of some interest, it would have been done yet (but I possibly trust too much our friend piano builders !)

OperaTenor,

At this juncture without compromising my intellectual property, pictures cannot be posted via internet until my patent pending matures early spring 2013.

The materials I select are according to consistent grain structure than multiple densities that could present fissures that would eventually crack and would not be candidates for this application while there are thousands of qualified densities to choose.

Unfortunately in person is the way to go to have a full perspective of what actually is happening. You tube compresses etc.. @ present this is all we have posted online for now. We haven't concentrated solely on recordings since the real opinions come from the actual playability while witnessing the performance in person.

Thank you for your response.

Hello Kamin,

The type of playability questions can be answered by Dr Richard Bosworth @ www.richardbosworth.org Richard would answer any of those type questions for you folks.

I doubled the Mass of the bridge which is visible in our press release in the January issue of the slippery rock gazette magazine. slipperyrockgazette.net/file/archive/0111/pdfs/Issue_25.htm

We have had no issues of any flaws with the strings of any kind. this prototype has been completed back 2010.

We purposely used this crude indonesian entry level baby grand 5'1" piano to prove the significant improvement.

Thank you.

No argument with what you are hearing. . . .

It may take years to really understand what is happening. The big problem with piano improvement ideas has been the thought that "we are just changing this one thing so everything else will remain the same while this particular factor is improved."

Normally there side-effects or gaps in understanding all the variables. Certainly the transmission speed of sound is faster through granite than wood. I'm not convinced that is the mechanism that is used for sound transfer -- particularly if the model of soundboard as a transducer is valid where the issue is getting the soundboard to move in compliance with the string.

Also, with the change in material is a significant change in mass. This will likely affect impedance -- no doubt for an improvement- - but nonetheless a factor.

Haven't seen what you are doing with side bearing on the bridge pins, but certainly that's a legitimate question as far a whether fracturing might be a part of the end-of-life symptoms. Not saying this necessarily matter -- if it lasts 75 years -- or even 50, who really cares?

I'm looking forward to seeing the piano when I'm in Chicago this weekend.

an optimized transmission of waves thru the lenght of the top of the bridge visibly make the soundboard react sooner, the multi layered bridge of Steinways is probably working in the same direction.

Keith, your question about waves thru the soundboard, or vibrations in the other plane, need an answer.

I suppose that both elements exist together one during the attack and the rest in the sustain, I will try to find more on the subject..

Of all the posts I've read with some folks referring to the bridge as a filter is completely wrong. The bridge is the first contact to the initial attack from the string energy which the job of the bridge is to act as the optimum transducer taking as much of that energy to the soundboard with minimal or no signal loss. In this instance, wood is not the optimum choice for this function, this is why manufactures use different combinations of tone woods etc. to get optimum performance when granite is the ticket.

The algorithm of a piano is, Attack - Decay - Sustain - Release.
With a granite bridge in place the algorithm is, Attack - SUSTAIN - Decay - Release.

Wood bridges sustain the decayed sound and that has always been a problem with all types a pianos, especially in the treble registers more so in the last octave. Not any more.. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see and play this piano @ the pianoforte for your own curiosities since it will be there until february 1st 2013.

What I find really strange in this thread, and with all due respect, very detrimental to a discussion of the technical merits of the granite bridge, is an apparently random mixture of
... science (e.g. transducer principles, partial envelope),
... pseudo-science (utilizing "stored energy of atoms in a crystalline matrix" for a faster response),
... new-age mysticism (chakras and healing frequencies being felt at cellular level) and
... downright gobbledygook.

Mark, You should stick to gardening...
Never argue with stupid people, they will bring you down to their level then beat you with experience...Mark Twain

Right, then, off to the garden I am!

I'll leave you to it, with another Mark Twain quote:

To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art, if my position is correct...

I think I'll wait and see whether the worlds top piano manufacturers adopt granite bridges before getting too excited! Now if someone could come up with water bridges ..... after all it's a well know fact that water transfers sound waves superbly

Think I'll join Mark in the garden too, we can enjoy talking to the plants

There unfortunately is not a single shred of any solid scientific evidence or any reliable study that proves this.




Even with gardening if you lean close to your plants and talk nicely to them, they will be exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide from your breath. To some extent they will photosynthesize more efficiently because of it. They will get this same boost if you were to yell obcenities at them.

A smart person knows the role this plays in reality (photosynthesis), an ignorant person will believe it helps because of how you speak to the plant or what you say.

A person is not necessarily stupid because they don't choose believe what you believe.