prepared piano

noun

1. a grand piano that has been altered for some modern compositions by having various objects attached to its strings to change the sound and pitch, and performance on which typically involves playing the keys, plucking the strings, slapping the body of the instrument, and slamming the keyboard lid.

prepared piano

noun

1. a piano in which some strings have been damped by having objects placed between them or tuned differently from the rest for specific tonal effect. This process was pioneered by John Cage

Word History and Origins

Origin of prepared piano¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The first, an ice-cold trap pounder that sounds like the tortured strings of a prepared piano, provided a blueprint for the two-times-platinum “What a Time to Be Alive,” the full-length collaboration from Future and Drake, where Metro Boomin served as executive producer.

From New York Times

And the prepared piano added an interesting timbre.

From New York Times

“I think of that stuff now as an orchestrational device,” Wubbels said of his prepared piano designs.

From New York Times

Like the original, Moran performed it on a prepared piano — a technique developed by the avant-garde composer John Cage where objects are placed in between the instrument’s strings.

From New York Times

They move from beauty to ugliness on a dime — midway through, the piece morphs into a section of guttural grunting, percussive pounding and prepared piano madness.

From New York Times