Magnetic Resonance, 2025–2026

An Electromagnetically-prepared Piano Installation and Listening Environment

Magnetic Resonance is an installation, instrument and bespoke control interface. The instrument itself is designed to be modular, inexpensive and as universal as possible – meaning with small modifications, it can be used on any upright or grand piano. Constructed with simple materials – threaded rod, curtain rails and trestles, the instrument is cheap to assemble and can be transported easily.

The 16 electromagnets, suspended over the piano strings via threaded rod attached to a sliding curtain rail, can be moved and placed over any string the performer desires. The height of the magnets over the strings can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the nut on the rod, around 4mm above the strings is optimal.

The pitches that the control interface sends to the magnets should be tuned accordingly. The control interface consists of 16 Square wave oscillators, which are tuned to the frequencies of the corresponding piano strings. Different types of signal modulations – envelopes, LFO, pitch adjustments and harmonics/subharmonics can be applied to the oscillators via the interface, which produces different acoustic effects in the piano strings.