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Let’s think about the traditional piano in the modern world. It has, to all intents and purposes, stayed the same for more than a century while its surroundings have

changed signifi cantly. There are more entertainment options, for instance. The piano now competes for attention with recorded music, radio and television broadcasts, and mobile devices. There are more people, living closer together, in less sturdily constructed dwellings too. An instrument that has a sound that travels annoyingly easily through modern walls – even when played piano rather than forte – is not going to be everyone’s favourite.

A mechanical solution of sorts has long been around. There are both ‘soft’ and ‘practice’ pedals on many uprights that reduce the hammer travel and therefore restrict the volume. For occasions when even that is too loud, taking the principle to its logical conclusion results in the incorporation of a bar that stops the hammer before it can even touch the strings. That makes for truly silent practice; the drawback being that while a truly silent piano won’t upset the neighbours, it won’t offer much value (or enjoyment) to the player either. That ceased to be the case once digital technology had become affordable enough to make fi tting a sound module (plus the 88 individual sensors necessary to trigger it) an economic proposition.

While various fi rms were quick to jump in to offer retrofi ts, it’s no surprise that 20 years ago Yamaha led the pack in providing the technology as

a factory-fi tted option. The company continues to update its technology – with the latest incarnation being the new SH Silent Piano series, which Yamaha says embodies signifi cant technological advances. This is, indeed, more than a tweak, although the advances apply to the piano in silent mode rather than when used loud and proud as a traditional acoustic piano.

In traditional mode – for when there are no neighbours to upset, when the television is off and when the kids aren’t preoccupied with homework – each of the 20 new SH-fi tted models is indistinguishable from its equivalent standard (i.e. ‘non-silent’) model. In other words, these are all bona fi de traditional pianos, with a model to suit most spaces (and budgets), ranging from small uprights to large grands.

The technological innovations only really become apparent once you activate silent mode (accessible via the middle pedal on upright models or by pressing a button on grands), effectively changing the instrument from an acoustic to a digital piano. If you’re familiar with Yamaha’s earlier silent pianos, the fi rst thing you’ll be aware of is a higher quality of sound. It’s not that the previous technology was anything to be ashamed of. Rather it’s that things have moved on.

In an acoustic piano you have controllers – keys – that cause hammers to move. You have a series of sound sources – strings – that are activated when the controllers cause the hammer to strike. And there’s an amplifi cation system

– the soundboard and the piano’s cabinet. It’s the quality of all those elements that defi nes the sound of the instrument.

Similar principles lie at the heart of digital piano technology, although they might appear vastly different. Keys are still controllers, but instead of moving hammers they trigger sensors. You have sound sources, but instead of being strings they are a series of snapshot recordings – samples, to use the technical term – of the sound of strings being struck. These are encoded into a sound processor, ready to be activated by the sensors. And you have an electronic amplifi cation system – which, in the case of a silent piano, transmits the sound to headphones.

Switch on to silentLet’s start with the samples – the master recordings encoded in the sound processor. Whichever SH-equipped model you plump for, you’re now treated to the sound of Yamaha’s top-of-the-range CFX concert grand whenever you pop on the headphones and switch to silent. But the improvement in sound is not only down to the quality of the instrument used for the original samples. The number and type of those samples matters too, and so does the way they were captured.

The very name of the instrument – pianoforte – tells us that it can be played gently or strongly, and we know that not only the volume but the tone varies accordingly. In the hands of a maestro, the range of nuances from

M A K E R S

In a silent way

Three of

the new SH models,

clockwise from top: C7X,

YUS5 and P116

Spread the news (quietly): Yamaha has given its Silent Piano range a makeover. Gez Kahan dons the headphones and listens in

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M A K E R S

WATCH THE EXPERTS

You can watch Jamie Cullum’s ‘Silent Session’ at

www.pianistmagazine.comView it at uk.yamaha.com/silentpiano

as well and watch a full productdemonstration of the new SH.

playing just one note is vast. In order to capture them all, one would – in theory – have to take an almost infi nite number of highly detailed sonic snapshots for each string. But back in the early days of sampling, there was neither the available memory nor the processing power and speed to make that practical, so instead a few samples (soft, loud and medium, for instance) would be recorded and the gradations between them calculated by a technique called ‘interpolation’. And because the limitations of older technology meant there couldn’t be enough snapshots, and because they couldn’t be at super-high resolution, the results, though passable, couldn’t be superlative.

Now, however, memory and processing power have increased signifi cantly. The SH range has 256MB of wave memory. This not only allows for more samples at a higher resolution (and therefore less interpolation) but for additional types of sample. Play a key on a piano and listen as you release it. That ‘key-off ’ noise, as the damper resets against the string, is an essential ingredient in the sound of a piano. Now, so gently that they don’t sound, press and hold down a range of keys in the bass. Still holding them, play notes in the treble to induce ‘sympathetic vibration’ and listen to the subtle changes in tone and resonance caused by the interaction of harmonics.

The increase in wave memory allows these additional sonic factors to be incorporated in the tonal make-up, along with similar changes that occur when the pedals come into play. So not only does the new SH technology use higher quality samples of a higher quality piano, but it can also bring in more of the elements that contribute to the instrument’s sonic signature. (That, incidentally, explains the need for 256-note simultaneous polyphony even though the piano has only 88 keys – it’s to allow the inclusion of all those elements, each of which counts as a separate ‘polyphonic event’.)

Next there’s the ‘how’ to consider. How would you take a sonic snapshot of a grand piano? How would you position your microphone? Well, in fact, assuming you’re recording for playback

through headphones (and assuming you’re not Van Gogh), you’d need two microphones. And ideally, they should correspond with what the performer will hear. Whereas ordinary microphones positioned at the performance position will go some way to achieving this result, they won’t accurately replicate the mix of direct and refl ected sound waves picked up by the human ear. Instead – and for the fi rst time in their Silent Pianos – Yamaha employed a specialist recording technique called ‘binaural sampling’, where sampling microphones are installed in the ears of a dummy seated at the keyboard.

Controlled responseSo much for the sound source. Now for the controllers. Under each key, there’s a ‘continuous-detection grey-scale shutter key sensor’, to monitor performance characteristics – not just which key is being played, but how it’s being played – and transmit them to the sound processor when in silent mode. But, sensitive and accurate though these are, they can’t guarantee to detect every type of keystroke. That’s where the additional hammer sensors come in, to help pick up, for example, rapid trills that the key sensors fi nd it harder to read.

Of course the key-hammer mechanism on a grand piano has to be precisely regulated to give the optimum response or ‘touch’. And ‘touch’ is the right word – the way the keys cause the hammers to strike the strings defi nes response. In ‘acoustic

mode’ that’s just how the grands in the SH range work, that is, they are all set up to deliver exactly the same response as their non-SH counterparts. In silent mode, Yamaha uses its ‘quick

escape system’ to ensure that the sound muting mechanism doesn’t compromise playability or musical expression.

Finally, taking as read the presence of standard ‘silent system’ features such

as MIDI capability and a choice of internal voices, there’s the amplifi cation system, including upgraded headphones to minimise ear-strain for the user. This also includes a variety of ambience options, which is where the system doesn’t just replicate but can positively enhance the playing experience. Beethoven sonatas in a recital room, Chopin ballades in a concert hall, Hoagy Carmichael standards in a jazz club… just slip on the headphones, dial up the appropriate setting and you’re no longer simply playing silent piano because the kids are slaving away at their homework and your picky neighbour is embroiled in reality TV. You’re living the dream instead. ■

Imagine Beethoven sonatas in a recital room, Chopin ballades in a concert hall, Hoagy Carmichael standards in a jazz club… just slip on the headphones, dial up the appropriate setting and you’re no longer simply playing silent piano

There are 20 new models within the new SH Silent System. Prices range from £7,459-£22,339 for an upright and from £19,599-£56,999 for a grand.

WHAT’S TO LIKE• Sound samples recorded from Yamaha’s fl agship CFX concert grand

• More wave memory for higher sample quality and fi ner detail, incorporating subtle elements such as ‘key-off’ noise, damper resonance, and so on

• Binaural sampling for a more realistic ‘performer’s ear’ sound

• Two sensors per key to capture performance characteristics more faithfully

• Improved headphones – plus a choice of ambient settings to put you in the performance space of your choice

THE FACTS ABOUTTHE NEW SILENT

THE EXPERTSYou can watch Jamie Cullum’s

www.pianistmagazine.comView it at uk.yamaha.com/silentpiano

as well and watch a full productdemonstration of the new SH.

position your microphone? Well, in fact, assuming you’re recording for playback

response as their non-SH counterparts. In silent mode, Yamaha uses its ‘quick