Find out the who, what, why, when and where of the Naked Piano..
Who created the 'Naked Piano'?
Gary Girouard - a Boston area native who now resides on Cape Cod - was the composer, pianist and producer for the Naked Piano compositions. You can learn more by clicking on Gary Girouard's Biography.
When did the Naked Piano project begin?
The Naked Piano project began in 1990 and the first CD was released in 2004. The second album (Naked Piano, Volume II) was released in 2006 and the third (Naked Piano - Christmas Album) was released in 2007. A fourth album (Naked Piano - Platinum) is due in 2008.
Why did you create the Naked Piano?
From the start, this project was all about capturing the uniquely beautiful qualities of an acoustic piano - sort of like a 'tribute' album. The decision was made early on to use as little technology as possible and to avoid edits or synthetic effects. The idea was to create a collection of compositions that would highlight the timeless nature of the piano (and life) by writing about such universal themes as love, family and nature. By focusing on emotionally-charged and expressive themes, the intention is to provide you a 'natural escape' from an often-hectic world. The Naked Piano is meant to invigorate your mind, while soothing your soul.
Where did the Naked Piano recordings take place?
We were fortunate to know the Murphy's that own M. Steinert & Sons in Boston. This is one of the worlds' oldest Steinway retailers that just happens to have an abandoned piano concert hall 2 stories underground! Located right on Boston Common in the heart of Boston, Steinert Hall was a major performance venue at the beginning of the 20th century. It features a stage just large enough for a Steinway D (9' Concert grand piano) and at one time seated about 350 people. The acoustics were designed specifically for an intimate piano concert. After the tragic "Coconut Grove" fire in the early 1900's, codes in Boston changed and Steinert Hall was no longer able to be used as a public performance venue. Abandoned and in disrepair, it is now a relic of a bygone era...but the acoustics are still magnificent! The real difficult part of recording in Steinert Hall is that it's very close to the Boylston Street "T" stop (underground Mass Transit) - and you can hear the loud rumble and screeching wheels of nearby trains. This made it necessary for us to do the recordings after 10 PM when trains weren't as frequent! We've got some great recordings that include the 'screeching wheels' of a not-too-distant subway train...
What kinds of equipment did you use for the Naked Piano recordings?
First the piano: We used a Steinway model "D" - a 9' concert grand
piano that is recognized by many as the world's premiere acoustic piano. We
selected this D from the Steinway concert-artist stock that is maintained at M.
Steinert & Sons. Rich Fell (certified Steinway technician) was 'instrumental'
(pun intended!) in selecting and preparing the piano before the recordings. The
piano was transported in an old 'hand-operated' elevator to the abandoned concert hall. The rickety old elevator
has since been retired and recordings in Steinert Hall are no longer possible
since it is impossible to get this large piano 'beast' into the basement. This
enormous instrument just barely fit on the old wooden stage, and a large piece
of steel was needed to reinforce the stage and keep it from collapsing during
recordings!
Now the recording equipment: On the first Naked Piano album, we were on a
very 'limited budget' and we recorded everything using two AKG C1000 microphones
(for the piano) and 2 Shure SM81-LC (for ambience)
that were borrowed from a friend. We ran the microphones directly into a Roland
VS-2480 Hard Disk Recorder. We tried recordings at both 96Khz and 44.1 Khz, but
decided to stick with 44.1Khz since our digital studio monitors (Roland digital
50's) could only playback at 44.1Khz. There were no other devices, effects or
electronic embellishments on the sound. Once the recordings were finished, we
had Sound Mirror
(Jamaica Plain, MA) make the master directly from the VS-2480.
On the second Naked Piano album, we hired NEC recording engineer Patrick Keating
to record and master the tracks. Patrick's gear included: (coming soon).
What's in the future for the Naked Piano?
We've got a number of projects that are related to the Naked Piano including:
- A television program called "A Musical Odyssey" that features the music of the Naked Piano and narration by Gary Girouard. The program began airing in November of 2007
- The Naked Piano - Christmas Album which has just been released in November 2007. This album features traditional holiday music in the "Naked Piano" style
- The Naked Piano - Platinum This is the next album in the Naked Piano series. We're not even sure if it will be called "platinum", that's just the name we're using for right now. The music has already been written, but we're searching for a proper recording studio. We hope to have the recordings finished so that it can be released in early 2008.
If you have any additional questions or would like to get involved, please send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!