User Guide

4
1. INTRODUCTION
Congratulations! By purchasing the Moog PianoBar
you have recognized you CAN teach an old dog
new tricks…
Of course we mean no disrespect referring to
the modern acoustic piano as an old dog; it has a
long and distinguished history. Adapted from the
Harpsichord and other early keyboard instruments,
the forte-piano, produced around 1708 by
Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padova, Italy, was the first
keyboard instrument to feature a wide dynamic
response to a player’s touch. Composers began to
flock to the instrument as it became more widely
available to take advantage of its capability for
musical expression. A number of technological
innovations led to the modern piano – an
instrument capable of whispery soft playing or
thunderous passages. The piano has an impressive
repertoire – from the highest statements of
classical artistic purity to the greasiest boogie-
woogie to elegant and complex jazz voicings. The
piano is a sound that will forever be etched in our
consciousness – and one always worth exploring.
Today, music is a varied and complex
endeavor, often utilizing the latest in technology.
Piano players and composers have often found a
frustrating gap between the true touch, feel and
voice of the piano and the technology of modern
music making. In fact many have resorted to
compromised means – digital instruments with
plastic keys that lack the touch and sound of the
piano. This is where the PianoBar comes to the
rescue.
What does the PianoBar Do?
The PianoBar is a portable device designed to
scan the keys of the piano and the pedals and
transmit the playing of the piano as MIDI
information. If you are unfamiliar with MIDI, there is
detailed information in chapter 4. Simply put, MIDI
is a method of capturing a musical performance;