We all know what Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for, the pointing of Mona Lisa. But the man had many more talents. And Da Vinci had even made the design for a Hybrid Piano Instrument, which was recently implemented by Polish concert pianist Slawomir Zubrzycki.
The plans for the keyboard instrument was taken from da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus, a twelve volume set of drawings and writings.
Pianist Zubrzycki constructed the instrument over three years and here’s what he has to say about the instrument:
It has got the characteristics of the harpsichord, the organ and the viola da gamba. It looks similar to a baby grand piano from the outside and because of the steel strings
And how is the sound produced on this hybrid piano instrument designed by Da Vinci?
It has ‘four spinning wheels wrapped in horse-tail hair, like violin bows’ which are turned via a pedal under the keyboard. The strings are connected to the keys on the keyboard and when the keys are pushed down, the strings are pushed onto the turning wheels, emitting sound.
Want to see how the piano has turned up?
Zubrzycki has uploaded a video of the instrument’s first public performance: Here’s the video
So, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions comes to life for the first time, right in front of our eyes.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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