Artistic Revolution
Empower the Pianist
More than just a piano—it’s a revolution in musical artistry, performance, and health
Tendens represents a bold leap forward in piano design, merging the timeless qualities of the finest instruments with the possibilities of modern technology. Our mission is to empower musicians with an instrument that delivers exceptional sound, playability, and reliability—meeting the highest standards of performance in any setting. In creating Tendens, we sought to recapture the richness and expressive depth that once defined the great pianos of history. Today's concert instruments, while mechanically advanced, often fall short in delivering the full spectrum of tonal colors and dynamic range that musicians need to truly connect with their audience. Tendens changes that. With our innovative active soundboard technology, this modular concert grand piano produces a sound that is both powerful and nuanced, capable of filling the largest concert halls with warmth, clarity, and resonance. Beyond its superior sound, Tendens is designed with the practical needs of modern musicians in mind. Unlike traditional pianos, which can be bulky, fragile, and difficult to transport, Tendens offers a modular and portable platform that adapts to a variety of performance environments. Its robust construction ensures consistent performance without the need for constant maintenance, allowing musicians to focus on their artistry rather than the instrument's upkeep. Tendens also provides unparalleled flexibility. Whether you're a touring artist or a studio musician, you can easily customize the instrument to suit your specific needs. From its adaptable keyboard configurations to its compatibility with different performance settings, Tendens is built to support and enhance your musical journey. At its core, Tendens is about more than just innovation—it's about reviving the true potential of the piano as a living, breathing instrument. It bridges the gap between the revered craftsmanship of the past and the cutting-edge advancements of today, offering musicians an instrument that is as inspiring as it is practical. With Tendens, you’re not just playing a piano; you’re experiencing the future of performance.
Active Soundboard
Tendens features an active soundboard
Maintain open and natural sound, even where traditional acoustic grand pianos start to sound as loudspeakers.
Who does not have a memory of mistaking a piano in a public space for a loudspeaker and feeling a bit stupid about the obvious mistake? When a piano sounds in a very large space, you should be forgiven for thinking that it is a loudspeaker, because it actually starts to generate the compressed sound that we are typically getting from a loudspeaker system. How is this possible? A good loudspeaker functions as an ideal piston, it pumps the air back and forth, creating dynamic pressure differences in it. A soundboard on the other hand behaves much more as a lake in motion. There is a complex wave motion through the whole diaphragm, creating a very natural and open sound. If the soundboard is relatively small for the space in which it is located, such as in large halls or in the open air, it starts to behave as a point-source towards the audience in a very similar way as light in photography. If you want to have soft light, you typically use a very large light source relative to your subject. A large softbox is what many photographers resort to. When they put the same large softbox, at a large distance from their subject, they do not get softer light, but very hard shadows. This is because the light becomes relatively small from the point of view of the subject, giving parallel light beams instead of diffuse ones. A typical concert grand piano, like the two panel Tendens version, is large enough to provide an open sound in common classical concert halls. A grand piano of 1,80m instead of 2.80m sounds very open in a small room, but sounds compressed in a typical concert hall. That is the main reason for using a concert piano. It is not louder than a smaller one as many people believe, it just maintains a more open sound in a larger space. Additionally, because of longer bass strings, it has a bit more clarity in the base. This all comes at a cost though, not just a financial cost. A 1,80 piano plays a lot better and is much more direct than a concert grand in which heavier hammers are needed, adding to sluggishness and in which it takes much more time for the sound to develop in its soundboard, frankly giving an annoying delay. With Tendens however, we can expand the soundboard unpunished. As the wave motion in the soundboard is directly controlled, we can expand it as much as we like without creating any compromise on its playability or directness. Playing Tendens ends the fight with the orchestra, with the large halls, and with similar settings. The feeling of maintaining such an open sound, even in the most demanding environments is a bizarre experience for most professional musicians. Tendens is built to surpass all existing pianos in every sense.
Availability
Tendens pianos are hand-crafted, and we build them one at a time. We will have touring models of the 2 and 4-panel versions available, but each new piano will be custom-built to your specifications only after purchase. This means that production begins once an order is placed and deposit is received.
This is what trying it does to you..
"Having played Horowitz’s Steinway, I know only too well how the magnificence of an instrument’s basic sound can inspire the artist to play way above his or her level. I had the same experience on the Tendens."
