The idea is of course to send a grand piano up in the loading bay of the next Shuttle mission and place the instrument in a non-decaying orbit.
Astronauts can then dock with it on a regular basis and treat the entire universe to their silent renditions of Chopin, Satie, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin etc as they tumble through the void, with the earth, moon, sun and stars as the ultimate backdrop.
In Space No One Can Hear You Playing Chopin, because of the vacuum, but the notes could be electronically detected and transmitted back to earth for a global audience.-- xenzag, Dec 01 2007 Ron's Piece http://www.discogs....t/Jean-Michel+Jarre"It was to have been the first piece of music recorded in space, for the album Rendez-Vous." [Klaatu, Dec 01 2007] Johnny Briggs http://www.tellytun...tle=Johnny%20Briggs [zen_tom, Dec 02 2007] Four minutes, thirty-three seconds http://en.wikipedia...E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3The ideal music for a space piano. [8th of 7, Dec 03 2007] Sun Ra http://missioncreep.com/mw/sunra.htmlSpaced out................. way, way out [xenzag, Dec 03 2007] Dummy keyboard http://www.ukgamesh...ukgs/Face_the_MusicInterim solution until the next shuttle mission [bhumphrys, Apr 11 2015] The sound of silence (Chopin) https://www.youtube...watch?v=Q4oInT79CUk [pashute, Apr 12 2015] In Space No One Can Hear You Playing Chopin https://sodabred.tu...y-xenzag-01dec-2007 [xenzag, Jul 19 2020] <obligatory theremin reference> There are miny other instruments that take up far less ....space. </otr>-- 4whom, Dec 01 2007 undecided how to vote, I see no reason to play something I can't hear (as I only play for my own enjoyment) but beaming it back or electronically recording is novel, as per Klaatu's link. but so sad to remember Challenger...-- dentworth, Dec 01 2007 Just to point out that I do sometimes give croissants to non-inventions that are pointless, impractical or impossible. Because it's beautiful. [+]-- baconbrain, Dec 01 2007 ^^^^^Playing Chopin^^^^^-- quantum_flux, Dec 02 2007 I see no reason to do this.-- simonj, Dec 02 2007 This is much better than the idea I was going to post: "In Space No One Can Hear You Beat Box."-- jaksplat, Dec 02 2007 I'd rather (not) hear someone playing the trombone in space, something like the Jonny Briggs theme (linked). Of course, you'd need a clever arrangement of airlocks and tubes in order to allow the player to play without exposure to the vacuum of space.-- zen_tom, Dec 02 2007 I see no reason not to do this.-- wagster, Dec 02 2007 + I see this as no reason to not do. (bad grammar, I know)-- xandram, Dec 02 2007 This must be done.-- Eugene, Dec 02 2007 Wasn't this baked in 2001: A Space Odyssey? Oh, sorry, that was Strauss.
Never mind.-- Canuck, Dec 02 2007 Question: in a vacuum, would the resonant frequency of the strings change ? Also it's somewhat cold in earth orbit.... the piano frame would have to be made of a material with an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, i.e. ceramic. But the steel strings would cool and shrink, thus the piano would go out of tune ....
How do you tune a piano you can't hear ??????-- 8th of 7, Dec 03 2007 I joyously toss a red and green Christmassy croissant your way. I love this idea. It has uplifted my spirits and stroked my burning fire for the Halfbakery.
The visual made made me laugh. Great links too, guys!-- blissmiss, Dec 03 2007 Fat fingers... how do you play piano with space-gloves on?-- simonj, Dec 03 2007 For the answer to all practical questions relating to the mysteries of music in outer space see link to: The Sun Ra Arkestra-- xenzag, Dec 03 2007 //Question: in a vacuum, would the resonant frequency of the strings change ?// No, not significantly. The effective mass of each string would be very, very slightly less (since, in air, each string entrains a small volume of air as it oscillates), so the pitch would be very, very slightly higher. The main difference would be that that the notes would sustain a little longer, being less damped by the air. Also, the varnish on the case might blister.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 03 2007 Added illustration as part of a talk I have to do.... this will be one of items.-- xenzag, Apr 09 2015 We need UV-resistant varnish and a sound-damping attachment stat!
I wonder how much space music would sell for.-- Voice, Apr 09 2015 The music at that place was great but overall it had a lack of atmosphere.-- AusCan531, Apr 10 2015 Yamaha make a piano that maintains tune by electrically heating the strings. You could fit solar panels to the conveniently tiltable lid to supply the power.-- bs0u0155, Apr 10 2015 When it's being played tilting the lid toward sunlight would force one particular sun-wise orientation, which could distract from the art. The addition of a battery would eliminate this inconvenience.-- Voice, Apr 10 2015 See last link pic - just resposted pic following contact from Elon Musk..... let's see what happens! Ha-- xenzag, Jul 19 2020 Mechanism of piano requires gravity to operate-- pocmloc, Jul 20 2020 Next time you see Elon, ask him when [8th] can have his arc reactor back.-- pertinax, Jul 20 2020 I'll probably give the usual slap on the back greeting as I say in my best Deputy Dawg voice: "Ok Musk-rat?"-- xenzag, Jul 20 2020 random, halfbakery