Turning the knobs moves
a completely customized,
proprietarily-fabricated rail
under the keys, attached to which are
sliding pivots, which move
back and forth under each key.
Using SALA, the pianist
actually alters the key balance point,
the leverage point, of the entire
action, which immediately and
profoundly changes the relationship
between the piano and the pianist.
Turning the knob to the right moves the
leverage point of the keys towards the
player. Turning to the left moves
them back. A half turn produces a
noticeable change to the action/tone.
A range of 5 full turns is
possible, producing an
astonishingly wide range of change.
Turning both knobs equally in or out
produces equal change across the
keyboard. Turning them unequally
makes for a "slanted" effect, allowing
different feels for the left and right
hand.
An indicator gauge on
either side of the key frame allows the
pianist to see at what position the
leverage point is and allows for
returning settings to the
preferred or default position.
The normal function of the
piano is not interfered with in any
way. Regulation settings are
automatically maintained throughout
all the ranges. This gives the player
a visceral sense of security, coupled
with a quick and magical change in the
voice and feel of the instrument.
Artists who have experimented with the
SALA have reported experiencing a
"delicious paradox:" feeling a reliable
and unchanging platform (stable
regulation specs: key travel,
aftertouch, letoff and drop) on which
exciting and lightning-fast changes (in
"resistance," "heaviness,"
"lightness,"tone and timbre") are taking
place.
In the long history of the instrument,
pianists have always had to "take what
they get," to not only make do, but to
make inspiring art on an often
less-than-inspiring or
not-appropriate-for-the-program piano.
SALA changes all that by offering
multiple piano tones and touches within
one instrument-available at the turn of
a knob.
We have a dozen working SALA devices
across the U.S., and are in talks with
both noted and famous rebuilding shops
and the premier piano stores around the
country and the globe to help us bring
this revolutionary tool to the concert
stage, the recording studio, the piano
teacher's studio, and the player's home.
