Cable 'Midget' 5

20mm version.

 

The bottom panel (below the keyboard) is as outrageous as the top panel.

Very graphic. Makes me think of Tom Waites for some reason :-) I prefer the other photo of this piano, and the rest of your piano shots are simply superb.

I like the other shot of this piano better because I think the angle was a little more dramatic. However, still a great shot.

I like this one too, because I can see more of the extraordinary paint job! It is so interesting. It makes me want to see macro shots, for details. The paint is a work of art. How wonderful!

Carl, great image. Is that all inlay work or is it all painted. I can't really tell. Ya just gotta love that keyboard.

 

How rare are these? I have never seen or heard of one.

I've never seen anything remotely like this. The fan-shaped element top center is 3D. The rest is painted.

It is a thing of beauty for sure. What a subject huh?

The dramatic perspective seems well in keeping with the somewhat 'over the top' decoration. The distortion bothers me a little.

I'm curious to know which distorted elements bother you. I like the fan shaped keys and the decorations could have been painted on a slant, I guess.

Carl - It's probably just an anal photographer thing (or maybe its because I'm also an engineer...).

 

The decorations on the side look slightly 'splayed' I'm assuming from a slight downward tilt of the lens. Granted, they still look plausible. There is also a bit of barrel distortion present on some of the horizontal lines.

How about a B/W for discussion purposes?

I disagree about the distortion, I think that without the very slight distortion the actual keyboard would look flat and unnatural. But then that's just my 2 cents worth. And this from someone with the "curse" of the straight eye! LOL. Carl- The style of painting & the colors used reminds me of a very artistic Pennsylvannia Dutch style tole painting. Is it from the late 1800's early 1900's?

Lots of interesting observations . . .

 

The piano was built in 1929. I'm hoping to get a Piano Technicians Journal cover at some point in hopes of finding a technician who knows about this.

 

I'm surprised that I like the B&W, Michael. The keys are actually gray, yet you've kept them from looking muddy.

 

The idea behind this shot, beyond providing both a record shot of the art work and a good view of the keys, was to give you the perspective of someone seated at the instrument contemplating playing this thing. Even a slightly longer lens removes you from the player's perspective.

 

The lens distortion is quite noticeable on the bottom. Bad enough to consider software correction if I was going to print it. I wish a had a good prime for comparison.

is the distortion issue what is making me think this is tilted off horizontal? very loud piano in more way than one.

 

Knicki

Tilted? . . . which direction?

 

Lens distortion makes straight lines curved the closer they are to the edge.

the middle black line along with the silver hinge, and keyboard are tilted to the left- slight correction need to the right or I need to have my eyes checked.

Looks fantastic Carl, but you and I know the real question... how does it sound?

That's in the ears of the beholder. This was about a foot shorter than just about anything else built at the time, and a bigger size provides a bigger sound.

 

I sold pianos for several years until I realized I was in the furniture business. :-(

I think you do need to have your eyes checked ;-) Paste this into photoshop (or your favorite photo editor) and slap a grid over it. I don't know if there is a term for it or if it is even a recognized phenomenon (perception wasn't my field of study in psych), but it seems that lines that go from lighter to darker zones (or vice versa) are perceived to be slanting down into the darkness (as it were). The lines are 'straight' but both ends do curve (albeit equally) downward. This combined with the darkness does make it look slanted-- I found myself agreeing with you until I checked it with the grid.

How can an image appear to be slanted if the curvature is the same on both sides?

an illusion-- or maybe it was just the power of the suggestion. it doesn't appear to be WAY off... it could just be the barrel distortion playing tricks with me-- I should just stop making up those theories ;-)

 

And it's not really at the same time... it's like those pictures that have two images-- the image that looks like either a duck or an old woman or the two faces/vase one. I can't see it slanting and curving at the same time so I had to check it subjectively... either way, it's a nice picture descriptive and the angle brings me close to it making it an almost viseral experience of the piano...