🎹Shigeru Kawai: 10 Interesting Facts About Shigeru Kawai Pianos🎹
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มี.ค. 2020
- 1. The Rim - 2:17
2. The Wood/Soundboard - 5:44
3. The Bridges - 8:22
4. Duplex Scaling - 10:56
5. Keystick Length - 12:31
6. How the Action is Prepped - 14:53
7. The Finishing Touches - 18:50
8. Master Piano Artisan Connection - 21:10
9. Batch Made - 22:02
10. Visit From Piano Artisan - 23:58
🛒 Get the Shigeru Kawai SK2 Grand Piano HERE ▸ www.merriammusic.com/product/...
🛒 See More Shigeru Kawai Pianos HERE ▸ www.merriammusic.com/product-...
💕 Subscribe to Merriam Pianos HERE ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
🔔 Click the 🔔 bell to be notified of all videos! ▸ bit.ly/SubscribeMerriam
#ShigeruKawai #Kawai #GrandPiano
Welcome to another new piano video from Merriam Pianos. In this video we’re looking at the Shigeru Kawai, hand-made grand pianos, and focusing on 10 interesting facts about these superb instruments.
If this is the first time to the Merriam Pianos channel, please subscribe, we’d really appreciate the support.
The Shigeru Kawai grand piano series is the very top musical product that Kawai produces. The series consists of the 5’11” SK-2, 6’2” SK-3, 6’7” SK-5, 7’ SK-6, 7’6” SK-7 and finally, the 9’ concert grand SK-EX. Over the years, the Shigeru Kawai series has essentially functioned as a test bed for various experimental piano building techniques and new technology, with a gradual trickle down effect wherein features pioneered in the Shigeru series have ended up throughout Kawai’s entire line up.
Fact #1: The Rim
The rim of any grand piano has several roles to play, including tonal projection, stability of construction, stability of tuning and overall durability/longevity of the piano as a whole. How the rim is produced in conjunction with the woods selected for the construction are vitally crucial to the final tonal and structural results the piano is capable of producing.
Fact #2: The Wood/Soundboard
Kawai uses solid spruce for the soundboards for all of their pianos, but with the SK-7 and SK-EX, they use select Ezo spruce from a small remaining stock pile. The process used to dry this spruce truly defies all economic sense; rather than using kilns or any other accelerating drying methods whatsoever, this spruce is dried in open air dry racks for well in excess of 5 years before the wood is worked with at all. This ensures maximum stability in a variety of climate conditions, and greatly reduces the possibility of the wood splitting. Very few companies engage in a process this time consuming.
Fact #3: The Bridges
The bridges in the Shigeru Kawai pianos, according to several Kawai insiders, are essentially reproductions of the Hamburg Steinway bridge design. This isn’t something you’ll find in a press release, but unofficially, this happens to be the case as the Hamburg Steinway bridge design is viewed by many as the absolute optimal way to design a bridge.
Fact #4: Double Duplex Scaling
Another interesting thing about Shigeru’s is the use of double duplex scaling, which means not only a duplex length on the back of the bridge, but also a duplex length on the front of the piano as well, just in front of the capo. This results in an incredibly colourful treble range. Often, even with super expensive pianos, the upper treble can sound a bit ‘noisy’, meaning uncontrolled or out of tune harmonics, and a hue of white noise surrounding the fundamental pitch. Utilizing the double duplex and managing the avoid this pitfall truly speaks to the precision these pianos are built with.
Fact #5: Keystick Length
What’s not so common knowledge is what Kawai has done with the keystick lengths; every Shigeru Kawai, from the SK-2 to the SK-7, has the exact same keystick length as the 9 foot SK-EX. What advantage does this give? Well for concert level pianists, having a 6 foot piano in the home that can approximate quite closely the feel of a 9 foot concert grand is of course hugely advantageous. For everyone else, the extended keystick reduces the difference in repetition speed and the sense of weight between the front of the key and the back of the key. This means, these actions are much easier to play on any part of the key.
Fact #6: How the Action is Prepared
Fact #7: The Finishing Touches
Fact #8: Master Piano Artisan Connection
Fact #9: Batch Made
Fact #10: Visit from Piano Artisan
Conclusions:
All in all, Shigeru Kawai pianos are some of the best value instruments available on the market, and nevermind dollar for dollar, these are definitely some of the most satisfying pianos you can sit down and play.
Connect with Merriam Music:
● Website ▸ www.merriammusic.com/
● Contact Us ▸ www.merriammusic.com/contact/
● Instagram ▸ / merriammusic
● Facebook ▸ / merriammusic
● Twitter ▸ / merriammusicinc - เพลง
![[TH] VCT Masters Shanghai Playoffs DAY 2 // PRX vs G2 | EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/T5j2XVcDFs0/mqdefault.jpg)
Just when I thought that my respect for Kawai couldn't possibly reach a higher level I came across this video. Thank you for sharing all these interesting details about the Shigeru line. I hope I can own one someday.
I just bought an SK7 based on this video. Should arrive in 3-4 wks
We're very happy to hear that you found this video review helpful in your decision making process. The SK7 is a truly spectacular piano and I know you will be thrilled with what it offers musically! :)
What a fantastic video! Thank you Stu for sharing your knowledge. I've always adored kawai pianos and after hearing about some of their fascinating methods, I certainly do a little more 👍✌
I purchased my SK7 new 2004 in Brisbane Australia, and it has been the most magnificent and enjoyable instrument I could wish to play. I have now owned this piano for 14 years, and I can attest to the Japanese Shigeru artisan personally attending my home and spending a whole day fully servicing and tuning my instrument just over a year after I purchased it.
I bought a digital kawai to learn to play piano and the quality is just incredible. My 1st acoustic piano will be a kawai for sure.
Wich one did you buy?
@@brayanjoel3580 The CN 17
Same here, a CA95, now I'm looking for a grand, maybe a GX2, an SK2 would break the budget unfortunately.
Amazingly articulate intelligent interesting presentation
Very impressed by the information in this clip, especially item #7, 8, and 10.
Super interesting stuff! Thx as always Stu.
Stu, it’s a pleasure to watch your videos. Fantastic insights and fenomenal delivery. Thanks
Phenomenal
Absolutely Impressed by this Presentation > Buying a Shigeru directly from You @ MerriemPiano as a gift for our Church is definitely on my Bucket List > BlessYou
Interesting to get to know more of this piano brand. Thank you!
Dear Sir, I would like to express my gratitude to you. You are an extraordinary, pianist as well as an extraordinary Piano professional. The quality and quantity of your advice, as well as your didactic quality are incredible. During my research, your advice allowed me to look further and more finely for the instrument that would suit me, for the rest of my life. I finally opted for the Shigeru Kawai SK II. this instrument is a marvel, and every note, every chord delights me.
One of my childhood dreams has just come true!
Thank you for your valuable advice and piano demonstrations
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for tuning in and sharing your kind words! I will be happy to pass them along to Stu for you. Also, congratulations on your SK2! It is a marvellous instrument with incredible musicality and expressivity. I know that it will serve you well as a lifelong musical companion. :)
I've had a chance to play the SK-EX and, simply put, the experience was just orgasmic.
Just awesome! Piano review in Doug DeMuro style👍
*THIS* is a Shigeru Kawai SK7. It's a piano from Japan many are saying is better than a Steinway. And I'm going to go through its quirks and features and at the end I'll give it a Doug score. For more piano reviews check my column on Pianotrader.
@@QuickQuips well said....😂
Absolutely superb - thank you for the knowledgeable and eloquent video
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to tune in! :)
Hi Stu.
Thanks for a really interesting video. I have a couple of questions/observations if you have the time to respond?
Firstly, the keys are only about and inch longer than before so is it right that that makes them almost the same length as a concert grand? Schimmel increased the length of the 189 to 195 to achieve this and they say that those key sticks absolutely are the same length in all K-series models as their concert grand.
Secondly, your point about value for money is incredible. I have an absolutely stunning SK3 (the MPA who came to me in Manchester said it was a ‘Peach’ even amongst Shigerus as they are all somewhat individual as such) and it was literally about half the price of a CF4, a Bosendorfer 185VC or a C. Bechstein A192.
For the style of playing I like the SK3 was the one I kept coming back to although I also loved the CF4 and the Bechstein. The SK3 was also just the right size for my home and you have to draw a line somewhere otherwise you’d end up with a 9’ piano! And these pianos look smaller in a big showroom than in your living room!!!
I always enjoy your videos and if I’m in Toronto anytime I’d love to come and play some of your pianos and talk piano generally with you.
Regards,
Ian
Fascinating!
Well the function of the rockmaple rim in a Steinway or I believe a Mason & Hamlin is to reject or eject the vibration from the soundboard pushing it into the air as acoustic energy. That's why American pianos have always traditionally had a more bombastic ecstatic sound above mf. Steinways high tension thinner soundboard being very very responsive actually sounds ecstatic or different at high volume like a different piano above mf. It's chracter isn't exactly linear unlike most European grands. Most pianist really like this.
Thank you very much Stu. I learned so much from you. You are amazing.
Brent here! Thank you kindly for tuning in! I will be sure to pass on your thanks and kind words to Stu! :)
Excellent video. Thank you Stu
Thanks so much for tuning in! :)
Just a great episode! I have discovered for myself these wonderful stories by Merriam Music about acoustic pianos and I have immediately become a fan of them. Best greetings for Merriam Music! 🙂
Thank you kindly! We sincerely appreciate that incredible compliment. :)
This was really interesting, thanks!! It also convinced me to buy their digital piano, to get at least a bit of this perfection.
Hi from California. We just bought a kawai digital yesterday!
@@lorihz do you like it? 😁
@@probablyblue426 There are lots of pros: we ordered it from Los Angeles and it was easy for them to deliver. My husband and friend had to put some pieces together but he said it wasn’t hard. We don’t have to get the piano tuned. It fits into a little corner of our house and looks like a real piano. Me son who is 7 is starting piano and he loves it. He loves the option of changing the sound of the piano (from grand to upright to all the other options). My 12 year old, who has been learning piano since she was 6, would definitely prefer an acoustic at her level of playing. But she says the sound quality and feel of the digital keys are good. She says the negative is she can’t really vary the loudness of her playing (like one section would be her banging on the piano, but the digital doesn’t get any louder than the volume you set it out. If you know what I mean?). Overall, I’m happy with our purchase. It’s great for beginning and intermediate levels of playing. I started learning piano myself just because the sound is so beautiful. I think if you were really serious about piano, like my niece who is a piano music major, she definitely likes the acoustics for performance. But she says for practice this wasn’t bad. Hope this helps!
The level of half-pedaling on the SK’s is unreal. It opens up a whole realm of capabilities not found on most instruments.
Didn't know about the boxwood bridge caps? In the last two 8vas nor the double duplex scaling. Wow . Intriguing.
Only for sk5 and above, according to the official website
Awesome insights, would love to have one of these one day... Fingers crossed!
I browsed and played all the piano showrooms from all the main manufacturers. My personal experience is that as quality is concerned:
1. Bosendorfer
2. Fazioli
3. Kawai
Notice I didn't mention Steinway as I find their sound and tone consistence to be all over the place (less so for the models made in Germany).
Well chosen and well tuned Steinway can go up to number 2 spot on my list, but it's not as straightforward.
I was somehow expecting the sk2 to be much more expensive ! This is gorgeous. Topic idea: high end hybrid pianos and what to favour when living in a small apartment 😁.
@@Classical416 something like 40-45k€ here in Europe
@@Yothlan isnt that expensive?😂
@@BFHPET well ... yes 😅 but for a concert-grade "handmade" piano of a renown company I expected much more - I believe the Bechstein equivalent is around 80k€
@@Yothlan yes but the other brands you pay for their name too
just got my sk2 love it the sound is so warm and clean
Nice video. But I was really hoping you would play this beautiful instrument.
Playing a piece from Bach, please. ^^
See TH-cam channel "Piano Haven - Sedona" for many performances on the SK-7, professionally recorded in a studio.
Marianne Oelund hi, I have recently come across a 1992 Kawai grand CA-40N, I can not find anything on line about this made. How do the CA compare to the KG series? Are CA premium to the KG.
Amir Motahari it’s better than the KG, kind of like the SK line now
Stu, this is one of the great things about your channel. This 'insider' information is really interesting, aspects about particular brands one is unlikely to find out elsewhere. What I would love to know is whether many, if any, manufacturers apply the David Stanwood type approach to build/regulation, in particular selecting hammers so they are of a precise weight, say to an accuracy of 0.1 to 0.2 grams. This is crucial to ensuring eveness of touch owing to inertia, which is far more than just static downweight (though this is also very important when playing pianissimo). Do you have any insights on this, which can explain why two similar models can feel very different? Thanks as always.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for supporting the channel and Stu's review/comparison videos! I definitely agree with the sentiment about Stu's deep knowledge of insider info about the piano industry. These are things that you simply can't get from a mere spec sheet! I believe there are a number of manufacturers that are obsessed with these types of precise details, especially the likes of Kawai and C. Bechstein. Both of these companies are constantly innovating and refining to ensure the utmost precision in their pianos. This is especially true in the case of the touch of their highest-end instruments.
Has Stu ever compared a Shigeru Kawai grand to a C. Bechstein grand of similar size?
Isn't the balance rail of the Shigeru offset? Very few pianos have that.
Awesome Insight Thoughts - but why am I watching a video on a concert grand I can not afford in 1000 years 🤣🤣
I don’t believe Steinway is using vertically laminated bridges anymore. They might, but it’s definitely not with different woods. The only companies I know with laminated bridges is Kawai, Yamaha (the competition to Kawai), and Ravenscroft.
Q: Is there any reason why rims are always made of layers and not ONE solid plank of some kind of wood? They're trying to max their supply of wood? I mean, isn't there wood furniture made from one solid 1" plank of wood bent to shape? Or, does that not exist? Because after a certain thickness the stress would be too great if bent? Even using industrial "wood bending TECH"?
i find the best thing about shigeru kawai is the value. i haven't played one yet in my life, but based on the comments of very talented and experienced pianists, i can say that they have a caratteristical sound that is completely opposite to fazioli, in the way that they aim to make a piano that is as consistent as possible throughout the octaves, and not an instrument that sings by itlself.
I still prefer fazioli's filosofy, of a piano that sings and that has a sound that is different throughout the various registers. But, againg, for the money i would definetly own a sk5 rather than a f212
Where did you get that idea from about Fazioli? All of the ones I've played (and I've played quite a few across 2 continents) are exactly that; powerful and uniformly consistent, if rather boring.
On the other hand, most Shigeru Kawais (except the odd few that aren't looked after properly) bring a smile to my face with that beautiful singing tone.
Excellent video, as always. :) But don't say something's "crazy" if it seems (to you) like it's the right thing to do. Surely if anything's crazy, it's doing the wrong or lazy thing.
Very well said! Thank you for your kind words! :)
How many times do they tune the piano before leaving the factory?
That is a good question! I will say that the Shigerus go through immense preparation and QCing, which is evident when you play these pianos right out of the box. :)
I was so hoping to hear Stu play this SK7 for a bit 😢
We will have to tackle an SK7 or SKEX video in the future! ;)
@@MerriamPianos That would be great! I would love to hear Stu play one of those!
The piano lengths sound much more simple, straightforward and less arbitrary in their original metric measurements: 1.8 m, 1.9 m, 2 m, 2.1 m, 2.3 m.
I can certainly understand where you're coming. The whole model naming convention of different manufacturers is quite interesting though. There is certainly no set standard in the industry on that front.
@@MerriamPianos
For sure, not ragging on other naming conventions, just pointing out that translating from one convention to the other leads to seemingly-random numbers. I just think it would have been good to give the sizes in the original units alongside the translation.
I hoped he'd play it
There are many videos that feature Stu demoing various Shigeru Kawai SK grand pianos. This video is intended to be an overview of the line and some interesting facts about the Shigeru Kawai pianos. :)
This video is missing the actual factory videos!
Kawai has a few videos showcasing the factory. With that said, we appreciate the feedback and will do our best to integrate some of that footage in future videos of this nature. Thanks for tuning in! :)
Some fast-food restaurants out there ought to have my name on a plaque due to the amount of business I've given them over the years. Interesting facts about Kawai!
Well, if you're a person of note, e.g. [in]famous, a b&w photo may be placed on the restaurant's wall. Look for it...🤔
I do not believe you have your facts straight regarding the keystick length. Relative to the RX series, yes, all of the SK series (and GX series) have increased keystick length - which shows up in the overall piano length - but the increases were the same (2cm or 3cm) for all sizes. In other words, if the RX series had shorter keysticks in the smaller models, then the SK (and GX) do as well. If the keystick lengths had truly been equalized across the SK series, then the smaller models would have needed to grow more than the larger models; but this is not the case.
Here are the piano sizes for the three series:
RX-2 178cm GX-2 180cm SK-2 180cm
RX-3 186cm GX-3 188cm SK-3 188cm
RX-5 197cm GX-5 200cm SK-5 200cm
RX-6 212cm GX-6 214cm SK-6 214cm
RX-7 226cm GX-7 229cm SK-7 229cm
EX 276cm SK-EX 278cm
The interesting fact that the concert grand also grew 2cm further suggests that the smaller models have not caught up regarding keystick length.
Marianne Oelund there was also a model called EX-L (278], which was more expensive than SK-EX (276] at that time, but now the SK-EX(278) replaced the EX-L
How much is a steinway a key length?
The name should read as ‘Ka y e’.
According to Google, the American pronunciation of Kawai is "kuh-wai". Perhaps, it is one of those "tomato-tomato(e)" kind of things. ;)
@@MerriamPianosYes but it is Japanese and which showed in spelled is seperated, so
Shi-Ge-Ru , Ka - Wa - i 😉