Filling a piano with water probably sounds trivial and unusual to many. However, it also arouses a certain curiosity about what it will look like. Thanks, [Mattias] Keep working hours to find out so we don’t have to!
A first attempt with a steep piano quickly failed. After being submerged in water for just four minutes, the wooden hammers will stick to the swelling in the moisture.
A grand piano was the source for a second attempt. The strings were first attached to make things easier to work with, and the inner frame was pulled out of the surrounding piano body. To stop the pouring of water between the keys and the strings, a simple solution was applied: tilt the piano upwards so that the water remained in the lower body. A fair application of different sealing agents was used to seal the frame. Surprisingly, the best information to seal a piano came from enthusiasts of making aquariums out of plywood boxes. Go to the figure.
The sound of water piano has a muted effect as you might expect. The sound is particularly striking when heard through underwater microphones placed in water-filled cavities. It almost sounds like a plaque instrument and gives everything a weird marine feel. Sound waves can also be seen on the surface of water.
The experiment ended tragically when the piano became too full, water was thrown on the keys and hammer. As a result, every key gets jammed, killing the piano for good.
It’s a fun construction, and a very silly one, if you can stand to watch a piano treated like this. [Mattias] The Oddball Instrument Hack also has form, as we showed its helium guitar earlier. Video after the break.