Korby Lenker's charming 64-key acoustic piano

navindra

I've shared Korby's Cheers Theme rendition before:

I absolutely love how his piano sounds. For an acoustic, it's quite small and compact.

I recently saw his new tutorial for Gillian Welch's song 'Hashtag':

There's a top shot that shows some of the innards of this tiny piano:

I've never seen such a piano before, but I find it to be utterly charming. The size is just perfect for most songs and many pieces... after all isn't 88 keys a huge overkill for many people?

Does anyone know more about which piano this is or why this size of acoustic piano isn't more popular?

Nightowl

navindra I love it! I agree it's charming and it would have a wide enough range to cover most modern songs and a fair chunk of classical music too. Sometimes I wish I'd bought a 76 key DP instead of my 88 key DP, because I doubt I'll ever play those random notes each end of the keyboard and I could have got a 76 key instrument with the control panel to the left of the keys, instead of having the switches at the back, which makes them awkward to reach. I might even buy a 64 key piano like this one, if I'm still playing in 5 years and I want a compact accoustic piano.

I'm going to take note of which pieces I play which use the dozen or so "end" keys, just in case I buy another piano one day.

Also, Korby is a talented man, his rendition of Cheers sounds great.

Josephine

I think I read once that they sound quite good for their small size because there are also keys missing on the left side. On both sides there are keys missing. So the strings of the 64 keys can be longer than the strings with the same pitch would have been if there were 88 keys in a piano with the same height, just because there are less strings.

I googled some brands with 64 keys and I found a brand that looks like the one in the videos. It's called a Melodigrand. Do you think that might be it?

navindra

Josephine So the strings of the 64 keys can be longer than the strings with the same pitch would have been if there were 88 keys in a piano with the same height, just because there are less strings.

Interesting, I never thought of that! Indeed, instead of A0 to C8, the range appears to be A1 to C7. That seems like a fair deal to me.

Josephine I found a brand that looks like the one in the videos. It's called a Melodigrand. Do you think that might be it?

Nice find! That looks like a match to me!

WieWaldi

Josephine I think I read once that they sound quite good for their small size because there are also keys missing on the left side. On both sides there are keys missing. So the strings of the 64 keys can be longer than the strings with the same pitch would have been if there were 88 keys in a piano with the same height, just because there are less strings.

I don't think so. This would maybe true if the 64 key piano would have the same width as a 88 key version. This would allow to make the string longer if it uses the whole diagonal space. But it is smaller in its width and so I don't think the reduction to 64 keys gives any advantage other then cost and space.

keff

WieWaldi

Josephine the strings of the 64 keys can be longer than the strings with the same pitch would have been

When I was considering upgrading my upright I measured the string length of the lowest note A0 and in so doing had a good look at the frame, the bridges and the hitch pins. Although I cannot be certain I would imagine that the length of the lowest note on the Korby Lenkers, A1, would be approaching the length of A0 on my previous piano and therefore the bass strings would be relatively longer .

Josephine

I do use those lowest bass notes on a piano often I think. So maybe that's why it isn't popular? I think it can be fun for composing melodies, or improvising. I can't really improvise, and if I could I already have normal pianos. So I don't need one. For a small apartment it's nice perhaps. Or just for fun. I can totally imagine it in a small holiday home, like a log cabin in a forest.

KevinM

That is a unique warm and rich sound. I love it.

It makes for a lovely rendition for the cheers theme.

KevinM

I think a lot of mozart should be within the range of that piano as the pianos he was using for composing varied between 64 and 72 keys. Not sure if the sound of that piano works for Mozart that well. But it would be interesting to try.

There probably isn't a lot/any from Bach or other composers of that era that would need 88 keys.

pseudonym58

I remember visiting friends' apartments in New York City during the 1970s, and sometimes they'd have those small pianos, which took up comparatively little space. I understand they can be difficult to tune, though, just like spinets.
There are also "apartment grands", perhaps 4 ft 7 in, or even less, and to my mind they offer no advantage in that any of the notes beyond the four middle octaves are going to sound pretty awful anyway.

WieWaldi

My bad. I overread "strings with the same pitch".^^
Found another video of an instrument of the same type as Korby Lenker's. JPS tested one, and he stated it has a surprisingly amazing sound. In my opinion, it sounds good as long he plays in the treble. But as soon he goes down the to bass register, I didn't like it anymore.
This is maybe because I am used to a digital via headphones. And if I hear an acoustic via YouTube, it is mostly a perfect in tune instrument at several higher classes, if not even a nice grand.

Nightowl

WieWaldi I love that little piano and that young man plays very nicely. 🙂 Apparently these quirky little pianos can sometimes be picked up very cheaply, even for nothing - if I saw one being given away I could be so tempted to get it, even though I don't need two pianos! If the wood needs restoring or minor repairs my husband could do that as a little retirement project... I'd be doing him a favour giving him such a nice retirement project (because I'm so thoughtful like that)! 🙃

My DP is fine, but I have a craving for an acoustic piano. Maybe one day, but only when I feel my piano skills justify such an indulgence. (So maybe never.)