The Stuart piano is an imposing, intimidating, challenging but ultimately extraordinarily rewarding instrument.
Imposing: The physical appearance of the piano is of the highest order. An American owner of a Stuart concert grand piano has stated that it’s the best finished piano he has ever seen. Everyone who has seen my piano is bowled over by the sheer artistry put into the physical appearance of the instrument. The detail and the symmetry of the veneer are absolutely perfect. My piano is finished in 2000 year old Tasmanian huon pine, which is very rare and difficult to get, and consequently somewhat expensive. Never was the Millignan phrase “you can’t get the wood, you know” truer in real life. Every Stuart piano is unique – no two pianos look the same.
Intimidating: I’ll make no bones about it – this piano is intimidating, and this is a view that many people have shared with me. The reason is very simple. This piano is of such a high quality and is so responsive and reactive to the fingers that it accentuates everything that I do
wrong. There is also the small matter of four pedals rather than three (more of that later) and the fact that the 97 notes mean that the ends of the keyboard are not where you are used to, which can be a difficulty for some people. The piano also has an extraordinary resonance and sustain. But, don’t worry, all is not lost …
Challenging: … because the challenge is to adapt to a totally new way of playing the piano and taking advantage of what it offers. This piano is not for the faint of heart nor for those who are so stuck in their ways that they don’t want to change or progress. The Stuart piano offers an unparalleled adventure in the art of making music, and you don’t (because I’m not!) need to be a concert-quality pianist to take part and succeed in this adventure. And ultimately…
Rewarding: … once you succeed in this challenge, you will never, and I do mean
never, go back. This piano offers the rewards of a complete reinterpretation of the entire keyboard repertoire, from Attaingnent to Tan Dun, from Byrd to Crumb. What you can achieve from a traditional viewpoint is little short of heresy, but from a musical viewpoint is cathartic and mind blowing.
All of these points will be expanded upon at length in future postings