My perceptions of the Stuart & Sons piano sound have been realised through various processes of engagement. Throughout this research project I have engaged with the soundscape of the Stuart & Sons piano in a wide range of creative, scientific and cultural projects. I have described the piano as a piano of this time and place, indicating that the modern philosophies implemented in its making by Wayne Stuart have influenced me to engage with its sound in contemporary Australian arts practices, in particular the creation of intercultural Australian music.
The experiences of playing and defining the qualities of the Stuart & Sons piano sound have inspired me to use the sound in composition and improvisation that informs me about the place of its making. The sound has moved me to act in this particular artistic manner. I have interpreted the Stuart piano sound as being a collective of many Australian characteristics. My collaborative compositional use of the piano sound with Aboriginal musicians enhanced my creativity to interpret the sound as being sound of this ‘place’. These creative outcomes of the research have contributed greatly to my individual musical and personal maturation. My artistic creativity, the outcome of my investigations, has therefore been discussed as being a consequence of the Stuart piano design and sound, and my interactions with it in the contemporary Australian society.
An education model for the creation of collaborative intercultural music has been instigated by this research, entitled OUR MUSIC, performing place, listening to Sydney. At OUR MUSIC 2012 and 2014, the Stuart piano played a ceremonial role as ‘the painted piano’ and took centre stage in the intercultural performances. The connection and acceptance I have experienced with Aboriginal musicians whilst engaging in the OUR MUSIC projects has encouraged me to continue my musical practice in this manner. OUR MUSIC, performing place, listening to Sydney is now in 2016, established as an annual event on the Sydney Conservatorium of Music calendar.This is an inspiring and satisfying outcome of the research.
Throughout the research program, I have played a wide variety of musical styles on the Stuart piano in exploratory improvisation sessions and in various ensemble settings. Playing the instrument as much as possible has been important for this study, as it has provided me with the opportunity to develop an intuitive musical relationship with the sound and touch of the instrument in my customary way, as a pianist.
As a researcher, I have produced an accurate reading of the tonal qualities of the Stuart piano sound by engaging in processes of sonic analysis. The antithesis of playing the piano, these practices required a calibrated key striker. The piano sound was captured within a controlled 180° sound field of eight microphones, transforming the performance space into an acoustics laboratory. Both Steinway and Stuart piano sounds were analysed in this way to provide data for the evaluation and comparison of the qualities of tone colour produced by each piano.
