11 ms·

Okay, full disclosure: I’m not entirely sure what the physical reason is, and I don’t have a source beyond just my own experience. However, I can definitely te

Okay, full disclosure: I’m not entirely sure what the physical reason is, and I don’t have a source beyond just my own experience. However, I can definitely tell a difference, and it’s not subtle at all. If you play a note on the piano for me while my eyes are closed I can reliably tell whether it’s a black key or a white key. If I’m playing on a (high-quality sampled) synth piano that’s accidentally set to transpose -1 or +1 semitones I notice right away that it sounds like a black key where I played a white key or vice versa. Something about the black keys seems to sound a bit harsher/sharper/tangier to my ears; maybe a slightly sharper attack and/or slightly brighter harmonics in the upper-mid range. I suppose it’s possible that I’ve just learned to distinguish the pitches — I don’t have perfect pitch, but I’ve been playing piano for quite literally longer than I remember, so maybe my brain just internalized the C major scale, or something. But I’m sure I can hear a difference :)

weinzierl 4y ago
Maybe you have instrument specific perfect pitch without being aware of it? Which keyboard/samples do you use where the difference is not subtle? I'd like to do the black key vs. white key test without looking. Maybe there is something to it I'd never noticed.
jefftk 4y ago
Here's a test you could do: take a recording of piano and play it back at 1.06x. Do the black keys start sounding like white keys? This distinguishes between something about the way a piano is constructed/played vs whether you have learned something about specific pitches.
Sesse__ 4y ago
It probably relates to the tuning you're used to. Piano strings do not have perfectly linear overtones, and thus piano tuning is never 100% equitemperal (I've tried; it sounds quite off). So the tuner has to make concessions across the scale, and most likely, there are more of them in the black keys since they are typically used less and you'd typically start with the pure intervals from A anyway. Of course, since you hear this effect even when played one by one, this assumes you are unconciously comparing them to some reference pitch. (I'm not aware of anything in manifacturing of piano strings that would somehow make black strings be produced different, so unless I'm missing something, it would have to either be in terms of key mechanics, hammer wear, or tuning.)
colanderman 4y ago
I've noticed this too, on the upright piano I grew up with. There's a definite "thunkiness" to the sound of black keys. I've only played digital pianos since, and haven't noticed it, which is not surprising given that most digital pianos use the same sample for at least 2-3 adjacent pitches. I also do not know the reason, but I suspect it might have to do with body resonances/geometry.

weinzierl 4y ago

Maybe you have instrument specific perfect pitch without being aware of it? Which keyboard/samples do you use where the difference is not subtle? I'd like to do the black key vs. white key test without looking. Maybe there is something to it I'd never noticed.

jefftk 4y ago

Here's a test you could do: take a recording of piano and play it back at 1.06x. Do the black keys start sounding like white keys? This distinguishes between something about the way a piano is constructed/played vs whether you have learned something about specific pitches.

Sesse__ 4y ago

It probably relates to the tuning you're used to. Piano strings do not have perfectly linear overtones, and thus piano tuning is never 100% equitemperal (I've tried; it sounds quite off). So the tuner has to make concessions across the scale, and most likely, there are more of them in the black keys since they are typically used less and you'd typically start with the pure intervals from A anyway. Of course, since you hear this effect even when played one by one, this assumes you are unconciously comparing them to some reference pitch. (I'm not aware of anything in manifacturing of piano strings that would somehow make black strings be produced different, so unless I'm missing something, it would have to either be in terms of key mechanics, hammer wear, or tuning.)

colanderman 4y ago

I've noticed this too, on the upright piano I grew up with. There's a definite "thunkiness" to the sound of black keys. I've only played digital pianos since, and haven't noticed it, which is not surprising given that most digital pianos use the same sample for at least 2-3 adjacent pitches. I also do not know the reason, but I suspect it might have to do with body resonances/geometry.