PHOTO : CARSTEN SANDER
VOLKER BERTELMANN , A . K . A . HAUSCHKA
Sol ’ s favourite sounds are “ muted , hollow percussive sounds that almost sounds like a hand drum ” and resonant sounds achieved by “ using a screw or a piece of rubber wedged between the strings in a specific way that make the note last twice as long .” She adds that , more often than not , it ’ s John Cage ’ s work that serves as most people ’ s introduction to prepared piano , but cautions that although Cage ’ s instructions are very precise , having a skilled piano technician on-hand will go a long way to avoiding any mistakes that could damage the instrument .
Another issue , she notes , and one too many pianists tend to ignore , is the damage caused by touching the strings themselves . This can transfer oil , dirt , and so forth , which can be more destructive than properly preparing a piano .
All that said – as Sol mentioned earlier – if it ’ s your piano , you can do whatever you like , which is something German composer Volker Bertelmann ( a . k . a . Hauschka ) embraces wholeheartedly .
Hauschka has a lengthy history with prepared piano .
While he ’ s perhaps best known for that type of work , however , he ’ s also an Oscar-nominated composer , producer , and pianist , who scores films and television and works , both alone and in partnership , with a wide variety of artists and ensembles .
Classically trained , from the age of 12 Hauschka played keyboards in various bands and recalls beginning his prepared piano experimentations ( employing a Tack Piano technique to achieve a harpsichord-like sound ) after a tour when he found himself without access to a synthesizer ; something he did , he adds , “ just to have a second sound .”
While he ’ s always dedicated himself to expanding his compositional and playing palette – by dabbling in electronic music as a solo artist , for example – prepared piano has helped him “ find his place as a musician and a human ,” and , as he puts it , “ slowly transform into somebody … that wanted to create ‘ electronic music ’ without technology .” Having said that , he ’ s equally fascinated by blending those types of treatments with technology to
54 CANADIAN MUSICIAN