New Developments in Acoustic Instruments

[....]

I have often wondered about modern developments in acoustic instruments as to me it feels like most developments in musical instruments of today are mainly in electronic instruments, while acoustic instruments have changed very little over the decades. Of course that's not to say that their hasn't been any development, as instruments made today will have some improvements or changes compared to those made in the 20th century. But what I'm interested in is developments that really stand out, say a grand piano that is designed to be lighter and more transportable. But I guess this does come down to what needs improving, and what can be improved in an instrument. But anyway here is a list I've put together of videos regarding any major developments, and any newly invented acoustic instruments.

 

Standing Grand

Future upright grand piano made from carbon fiber

 

 

David klavins piano builder

 

Contraforte

Contrabassoon developed by Guntram Wolf

 

Lupophone

Bass Oboe developed by Guntram Wolf

 

Venova

Review of a new instrument by Yamaha

 

Modern Alto Recorder

 

 

Modern Recorder by Mollenhauer

 

 

Modern Tenor Recorder

 

 

Hang

Steel drum developed in Switzerland in the year 2000

 

RAV Drum

 

 

 

 

 

[john carter]

Thanks Niccolo for putting this interesting collection together.  I think only the contrabassoon and handpan are likely to catch on.  The venova seems to have all the charm of the vuvuzela!

I welcome new ideas rather than always being locked in to what went before.  Many of the features in today's organs, that we now take for granted, started out as experiments.  Notable examples are the innovative ideas of Compton and Cavaillé-Coll.  

[....]

Sorry for the late reply, but thank you for the complement. I see what you mean about the Contraforte and the Handpan probably being the only instruments to catch on. The Venova is an interesting instrument, but I suspect it was always intended by Yamaha as just being a toy. And I think the pianos built by David klavins are quite interesting, but I think they're intended mainly for exploring new sounds possibilities rather than being the piano of the future.

The Standing Grand by Future Piano I do have hopes for, because I think this new piano could be ideal for someone looking for a compact acoustic piano with the specification of a concert grand. My only concern is how much will this piano cost? As it may cost a lot than most conventional acoustic piano.

I also decided to go back and take another look around to see if there are any other proposals for a compact acoustic piano. I found another proposal for a lightweight piano by a company called Keybird. The instrument is similar to David Klavins Una Corda as it's basically a small up right piano with a short key compass and only has one string per note. But I'm really impressed with how compact and portable this piano is, and I think it could be ideal for someone interested in having an acoustic piano that can be moved around.

 

 

The modern recorders I also think have the potential to catch on, as unlike most other historical instruments the recorder does have a large repertoire of modern music. Plus their are some recorder players who have advocated for a new recorder for playing music of today.

 

 

And one last thing- I also just realised that there is also another modern instrument that I forgot to add to the list. This instrument is suppose to be a new type of bowed clavier called the Wheelharp.