Adrian Mann’s Alexander Piano Grows from a Question About Bass Strings
Adrian Mann says the Alexander Piano grew from curiosity about the sound of a long bass string. What began as a teenage experiment developed into the construction of an unusually large grand piano that can be played.
Mann recalls asking about an unwound bass string when he was fourteen. He then tested a length of wire outdoors, exploring how it might produce the low A heard on a piano.
By fifteen, Mann had decided to build an instrument around the idea. His construction account follows the work from a small garage to a larger workspace as the practical requirements became clearer.
The project involved more than increasing the instrument’s dimensions. A piano depends on components working together, so the string experiment expanded into work on a playable mechanism and a complete musical instrument.
Mann’s recording gives the piano a musical context. It allows listeners to hear the instrument in use, connecting its physical construction with the sound it was designed to make.
Watch the performance
That difference matters with an instrument known for its size. A photograph can show its scale, while a recording reveals how it responds through a phrase and across a full performance.
The official workshop site describes the piano within Mann’s broader work in tuning, restoration and recording. It identifies a Dunedin workshop and showroom where the instrument sits alongside other pianos and musical activities.
The site also documents visiting pianists who have performed on the Alexander Piano. Their appearances show the instrument in use by different players and across their own musical choices.
Its construction does not determine a single performance style. A pianist still shapes phrases, chooses emphasis and guides a piece’s progression, creating an interaction between instrument and performer.
That interaction is clear in a solo recording. With no ensemble competing for attention, listeners can follow how individual notes connect with the instrument’s resonance and with the next musical gesture.
Mann’s explanation adds another perspective on the finished piano. It gives practical background to the project and links the unusual instrument with the question that first prompted his experiments.
The early opening footage documents a separate moment in the piano’s development. It shows the completed instrument at an early public occasion, before later workshop appearances and recordings extended its musical life.
Taken together, these videos cover different parts of the story. The construction account describes how the project began, the opening footage records an occasion, and the performance video lets the instrument be heard.
Mann’s own documentation supports the descriptions of the piano’s dimensions. Its appeal also rests on the combination of a construction project and an instrument that produces a musical result.
A complete recording offers more than an immediate visual impression. It gives listeners time to move past the piano’s size and attend to the interpretation played on it.
The Alexander Piano is both a musical instrument and the outcome of a sustained building project. Mann’s initial question led to something that can be played, heard and shared through his ongoing work.
More videos to explore
In his TEDxYouth talk, Adrian Mann explains the ideas behind the Alexander Piano. The video connects the finished instrument with the curiosity and hands-on work involved in its construction.
Footage of the piano’s April 2009 opening records an early event in its history. It provides a useful comparison with later performances and workshop recordings.
Further background: Performance information and source.
