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Alexander Piano. Author Khaki.

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Alexander Piano

 The Alexander Piano which is  19 feet long, is one of the largest pianos in the world. The musical wonder was constructed by Adrian Mann and named after his great-great-grandfather. At this time he was just 15 years old.

He bought the idea of building such an instrument in 2004, after asking his teacher a lot of questions about how long brass strings are. He also asked if the long brass string were to be created would their produce the correct notes?

And if they weren鈥檛 wrapped in their usual copper wire would they still serve the purpose?  Out of curiosity and because his teacher did not give him the answers he needed, he decided to find out for himself.

Let鈥檚 learn more about the Alexander Piano

1. The Piano was Completed in 2009

In 2009, Mr. Mann completed his mission at the age of 20. he built a  piano that was 19 feet long. The piano was twice large as the typical concert grand. However he did not achieve this great milestone alone, it was a group effort. Mr. Mann’s neighbors and friends helped him by providing space to build it, and others helped by donating money, timber, and tools.

2. It Toured New Zealand

Alexander Piano. Author CCPE Rosario.

After the piano was completed, it made several tours around New Zealand for a while. The Alexander Piano made several appearances in shipping terminals, churches, schools, and even at the Otago Museum.

Many Amateur musicians and professionals in New Zealand tickled the piano’s keys. In 2017 after many stints on the road, the piano arrived home at Mann鈥檚 workshop in Dunedin. It made a historic arrival since it was escorted by a fire department escort. The piano has remained available for the public to admire ever since.

3. It is the Largest Piano in the World

Despite having no skills and any formal training in constructing such an instrument. Mr. Mann only 15 years old by then decided to amuse the world by building the largest piano from scratch. Four years later he achieved his goals and constructed the world鈥檚 largest and longest grand piano. 

He decided to name it The Alexander Piano after his great, great grandfather Alexander Barrie Mann. The piano is about the same width as a standard grand but is a whopping 5.7metres long and with it came many unusual challenges.

鈥淎 big challenge was the keys, the keys had to be about a meter long. It鈥檚 an ordinary keyboard but inside the piano, it goes a long way back and I went through about four different designs and prototypes making it before it actually worked. It definitely took a lot of energy and thinking, even when I went to bed I was thinking about how am I going to stop the keys from warping, or how am I going to get the strings to work so they don鈥檛 clang into each other!鈥� Adrian says.

4. The Piano has a Long String

One thing that amazes people is the piano’s long strings. Most don鈥檛 understand what it means for pitch and tone. The long string gives the note a much richer, it gives more resonant tone. The note has deeper harmonics and also a greater projection.

5. The Piano has Been Played by a Notable Local Musician.

Since the piano was completed many musicians have enjoyed and admired its flexibility and its rich tone. The piano has done stints at one of the shipping terminals, in different schools, in performance spaces, and also in a church in Timaru.

In 2011, the piano was installed at Otago Museum in the foyer when Mann struck a deal with the museum.

6. The Piano is 1.2 Tonnes

The Alexander Piano which is 6m long, makes all other pianos and mini-grand pianos near it look like babies.

The Alexander piano is 1.2 tonnes and also the same length as a 10-tonne truck. This justifies why the piano cannot be easily stored in a concert hall or being kept at someone鈥檚 house.

Currently, the Alexander Piano is on a display at the Alexander Pianos Dunedin workshop. One of the interesting parts of it is that it was built at a neighbor鈥檚 shed in Timaru. During this period Mr. Mann was still in school.

7. Mann Created The Piano to Hear how the Long Bass String Sounded

The piano builder Adrian Alexander Mann a few years ago challenged himself in building the world鈥檚 longest piano. The reason why he thought of such an idea was to hear how long the bass string sounded.

He was only 15 years when he started making this historical instrument. The process involved a lot of work, problem-solving, improvisation, discovery, and also a touch of luck.

8. The Size of the Piano was Determined by the size of the Garage

Mr. Mann once explained that one of the factors that determined the length of the piano was the length of the garage. As the construction of the piano was ending, he needed more space to work. His friend鈥檚 father who was his neighbor gave him space to work on this piano at their farm tractor shed.

9. People Volunteered to Support Mr. Mann鈥檚 Work

More people who knew him became more interested in his work. The more he advanced the more people gave him the support he required. He received tools, timber, books, and money.

10. The Piano Construction was Based on a Formula he had Discovered

The piano Scale was designed based on a formula Mr. Mann had discovered in a 1916 book. The book was called 鈥淎 Treatise on the art of pianoforte construction.鈥�

At his age, he was not good at reading or writing. Through skimming the book he got information that helped him in the construction.  

The piano鈥檚 physical design was completely based on the formula and hammer line. The Hammer strike point information helped him to place the hammer line.

Despite his age, at the time he settled on the construction of the Alexander Piano. Mr. Mann is regarded as one of the best creative people of his generation.