The left hand plays a repeated pattern of rhythm and harmony. In the 2^nd bar of the transcript above, the two triads A^b 6 and E^b sound consistently the same with an even tonal balanced and clarity. I perceive the sounds of the accentuated chords to have more tonal evenness, consistent tonal balance, and a sense of a very even inner sustain. If I were to play the same musical passage on a modern piano the individual tones of the chords wouldn’t be as clearly defined in the sound. I played this passage of music for Wayne Stuart on his new 102 key piano, and he agreed the transients of the piano tone sounded more controlled than in the modern piano sound, and influenced by the ethos of electronically produced music.

These points about the design and sound of the Stuart & Sons piano are revisited from the discussions in chapter one, to demonstrate that significant impetus of the Stuart piano design has involved adaptations to the changes in how music is composed and listened to in the 21^st Century, and therefore can be described as a piano sound of its time, a contemporary instrument. In chapter one I discussed the chronological changes that have occurred in piano design illustrating the associations of piano design with the technological and compositional advancements of each period.

A Piano of This Place

Regional, natural, social and technical aspects combine in the making of a Stuart piano. The crafting of Australian woods and the ingenuity of the Stuart bridge agraffe display a union of natural and technological aspects of Australian society. I have attempted to list these interconnected aspects in the table below.