Canadian Musician - September/October 2021 | Page 55

HAUSCHKA ’ S PREPARED PIANO
expand his palette , on stage and in the studio .
Hauschka ’ s preparations range widely and include the use of EBows , the previously mentioned Tic Tacs attached to the strings using duct tape , ping pong balls , and a variety of other treatments , as well as loop stations and FX pedals .
He talks about how “ the sound of a piano can flow ” and about finding ways to regulate and mix the sound of the prepared piano alone with the looped and / or effected signal while he ’ s playing , which can be challenging to do “ without losing the continuity of the piece .”
Citing a preference for the Boss RC-50 Loop Station , which offers greater possibilities because of a dedicated MIDI output , the capability to record multiple tracks , and the ability to separate and individually control the level of the loop – and / or effected signal – as well as the direct signal from the piano . “ I have to always have the real , direct signal in there , but I need separation as well ; the piano ( sound ) by itself , and the loop signal by itself .”
When it comes to preparing pianos , he says : “ Everybody has their own focus and style . Some are connected more with John Cage so they may want to make it so that you can notate everything very precisely .” But because every piano , and indeed every player , is different : “ The notation may fail even though you measure everything correctly . It ’ s a little bit like Bach , who wrote for an orchestra that is not our orchestra . The orchestra at that time sounded completely different . It ’ s beautiful now , but it ’ s morphed into something new .”
CM : Much like the piano has over time ?
Hauschka : Absolutely .
CM : From what I ’ ve seen , you ’ re not just preparing a piano and recording with just mics in the room , you ’ re mixing a variety of sounds using multiple microphones and sound sources – can you take me through your setup ?
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 55