Out of the Silo: What piano majors don't learn in conservatories

By Penny Johnson, Contributing Author

Like most classically trained pianists, my exposure to the piano consisted mostly of acoustic instruments. My actions resonated the conservatory tradition into which I spent many years studying, a tradition which views acoustic pianos - namely Steinway & Sons of the model B or D type - as the single most effective piece of equipment with which to recreate the music of the masters.

And so it was that I blissfully existed in my ivory tower (pun intended) of acoustic splendor, nose upturned to the possibilities of digital instruments. I had of course used electric pianos on occasion, grudgingly, and with a feeling of "Well, if I must." While part of my deep-seeded antipathy had a kernel of validity, in actuality I had not a clue as to the capabilities of digital technology and what it can do for interpretations of the great master works.

Earlier this year, I was introduced by Glenn Morley, President of The Glenn Gould Foundation, to a line of software called Ivory Synthogy. Glenn had me over to his studio where, among other things, there was a digital piano on a stand, two computer monitors, many speakers, a pair of headsets, and a pedal connected to the piano with a cable. This was not the typical practice environment I was used to! Thinking back to my days in the practice rooms of the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music - cherished days that I would live again in an instant - the only piece of electrical hardware that I could recall were the outlets on the walls. What was I in for at this digital studio?

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