The story
I purchased this piano in 2017, it was my first real piano of my own. It’s a Bechstein Model 10 dating from early 20th century, so some would say it is at the very end of it’s life. It was looked after very well over the years though so is still very playable, it is the tallest of that era Bechstein upright and is straight strung which is less common. It was recorded while muting each note individually by hand, varying the pressure of the muting hand along with the velocity. The aim is that as you hit the note hard, it is also slightly more ‘open’, so you can play repetitive phrases and be percussive through changing the velocity. Please enjoy this small snapshot of this instrument, I’d love to know if it gets used on any of your projects!
Reviews for Bechstein Mutes
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
The body is the instrument
I love how obviously you hear the "entire" instrument here, like every part of the piano whole is more broadly in focus rather than just the notes on the strings. Everything under the fingers and the feet. This is one of those libraries where any little hiccups in the interface or technical correctness feels outweighed by the unique sound / character the instrument brings to the table, there are certainly some little things to work on as well-pointed out by Alex, but overall this one is definitely staying in the arsenal and is a lot of fun
A nice muted piano, with a few things to consider
In general this a very nice instrument that gives a pizzicato feel to the piano instrument. There are a few things to consider though. In the "sustains" patch, some keys in the lower register are missaligned with the wrong pitch, and in general, the dynamics and sound signature doesn't seem too consistent, though it's not a big problem. In the "clunky" patch, the range is in high register is very limited. The GUI is good, though I am not a fan of the default Kontakt buttons, and the wallpaper is really big for no reason. I can really find reasons to complain, can't I? :P
Acctually useful
Although im usually not a fan of these staccato pianos i have to admit this one is really unique and im going to keep it around. Some of these staccato pianos on pianobook just sound like playing a piano and immediately releasing the keys. It doesent have a unique character, just sounds like someone playing a regular piano in a staccato fashion. This one acctually has a different sound and character to it which i really like. I think it would be great for layering with pitzacatto strings. Even though this isn't necessarily my taste i still really like it and find it useful. Nice job
