SteveImprovises.com

I play my upright piano with the lower lid removed.  My Antelope Edge Solo Microphones are positioned there close to the strings and soundboard.  I love this arrangement and the sound it creates both in the open room and in the recordings.  I also appreciate having the mics out of the field of view of my cameras or my own peripheral vision.  

There’s many ways to mic a piano. It’s a common task in recording school for students to attempt as many ways to mic the instrument as they can think of. I have a couple of friends who have recounted stories of spending hours trying different mic positions and mic combinations and finding surprising results after different experiments. 

Typically you’ll see an upright piano mic’d either from the back or from the top.  I’ve never liked the sound of a piano mic’d from the back, it has a boxy kind of tone because you’re primarily hearing the soundboard resonating and not the percussive action of the hammers on the strings.  I also don’t like the sound or the look of the piano with the upper casing removed.  The piano can get ultra bright that way, which may be desired for rock music styles, but isn’t the tone that I like as a solo pianist.  

Some uprights have lids that open as a wing off to the side, kind of like on a grand piano.  Mine doesn’t do that though, it’s hinged in the back and lifts up a few inches facing front.  I don’t like this setup either, as it puts a loud bright tone right at my ear level.  It also negates the ability to put any fun decorations on the top of the piano. I need my little Debussy, Bach and Beethoven and my Kachina doll and of course my music lamp.   

So I had the idea to remove the bottom lid and I was astounded at the sonority it created.  This really creates the vibe of a grand piano, especially one with the music rest removed, which is typically how I play a grand piano.  You get a small amount of the strings resonating back in the player’s direction, not the full breath but a good little portion. 

And added benefit with the lower panel removed is that I can reach down and pluck the strings as I like to do with a grand piano. On my first album, 43, the track Cub Creek ⅓ Mile starts out with some plucks and mutes on the grand piano.  I can now do a similar thing with my upright.   I have a piece coming out in a few months where I expand this technique using my left foot to mute the strings while I can still play two handed.  Stay tuned for further ideas I’m developing in piano sonorities as I experiment with this piano with the lower lid opened.  

Steve Improvises December 2022.