5 ms·

I really love Aphex's piano tracks. So intimate that you can hear the pedal shifting in the background.

by jugg1es 8y ago

whatok 8y ago
Pretty sure most of those tracks are not actually playable by a single person and that they're all programmed.
- egypturnash 8y ago
  Ever since druqs Aphex Twin’s albums have contained both fast-paced techno, and quiet little solo piano pieces that sound quite well within the range of what one human can play.
- icelancer 8y ago
  Many of the pieces are playable, like Avril 14th. There are a number of people [0] playing it on YouTube and I've been able to knock out a rendition as well. [0]: My favorite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FBWB4vv3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FBWB4vv3s
  - whatok 8y ago
    That's pretty good but I don't think the higher octave stuff near the end is spot on. This is not playable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uhTwxqE4Co https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uhTwxqE4Co
    - NateEag 8y ago
      I've used my nose to hit individual notes in the middle of the keyboard while using my hands at the extreme ends. I didn't listen carefully to the whole track, but I think you could handle what I did hear that way. Not certain that would work here, just thought I'd point out that there are options beyond your fingers for pushing keys. J. S. Bach is reputed to have held a stick in his mouth to have an additional note on tap - much more practical and playable than my stupid nose trick. If you used a forked stick or a crafted tool you could easily get more than one note, for that matter. http://www.storycompositions.com/2008/07/rare-stories-about-johann-sebastian.html http://www.storycompositions.com/2008/07/rare-stories-about-... (see section "His Music Is Terrible") (I've also used my face to move modwheels while holding dense chords with both hands, but that's not really relevant to piano technique.)
      - whatok 8y ago
        Agreed, by playable I was meaning by two hands.
- dmschulman 8y ago
  Aphex Twin uses a Disklavier for these piano pieces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disklavier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disklavier Also do some research into "prepared piano" to understand how some of the timbres are achieved. Pretty sure there is some "preparation" done to the hammers/strings on the Disklavier in these songs.

I really love Aphex's piano tracks. So intimate that you can hear the pedal shifting in the background.

whatok 8y ago

Pretty sure most of those tracks are not actually playable by a single person and that they're all programmed.

egypturnash 8y ago
Ever since druqs Aphex Twin’s albums have contained both fast-paced techno, and quiet little solo piano pieces that sound quite well within the range of what one human can play.
icelancer 8y ago
Many of the pieces are playable, like Avril 14th. There are a number of people [0] playing it on YouTube and I've been able to knock out a rendition as well. [0]: My favorite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FBWB4vv3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FBWB4vv3s
- whatok 8y ago
  That's pretty good but I don't think the higher octave stuff near the end is spot on. This is not playable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uhTwxqE4Co https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uhTwxqE4Co
  - NateEag 8y ago
    I've used my nose to hit individual notes in the middle of the keyboard while using my hands at the extreme ends. I didn't listen carefully to the whole track, but I think you could handle what I did hear that way. Not certain that would work here, just thought I'd point out that there are options beyond your fingers for pushing keys. J. S. Bach is reputed to have held a stick in his mouth to have an additional note on tap - much more practical and playable than my stupid nose trick. If you used a forked stick or a crafted tool you could easily get more than one note, for that matter. http://www.storycompositions.com/2008/07/rare-stories-about-johann-sebastian.html http://www.storycompositions.com/2008/07/rare-stories-about-... (see section "His Music Is Terrible") (I've also used my face to move modwheels while holding dense chords with both hands, but that's not really relevant to piano technique.)
    - whatok 8y ago
      Agreed, by playable I was meaning by two hands.
dmschulman 8y ago
Aphex Twin uses a Disklavier for these piano pieces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disklavier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disklavier Also do some research into "prepared piano" to understand how some of the timbres are achieved. Pretty sure there is some "preparation" done to the hammers/strings on the Disklavier in these songs.