In what appears to be the musical equivalent of splitting the atom, a British musician has created a device that can adapt a piano to play the "microtones" that are usually beyond the capability of the instrument.
Three hundred years after the piano's invention, composer Geoff Smith claims to have revolutionised an instrument that, until now, has relied on only 88 notes from their 88 keys. This limitation has made the piano's "fixed tuning" unable to cope with the differing scales of Persian, Chinese and Indian music. Mr Smith's device could open up whole new markets for the instrument in places where it has previously been seen as an expensive piece of western furniture.
The innovation threatens to make professional piano tuning defunct, since players will be able to perform "user-friendly" corrections to their instrument themselves, possibly while they are playing.
It is, says Mr Smith, a device that will create "a radical expansion of choice in the world of acoustic music." Already, it has been described as an "incredible", "refreshing" and "fascinating" development by leading contemporary pianists.
The piano was designed to suit early European classical composers, who after its invention turned their backs on the other quarter- and microtones between the piano's keys that can be found in traditional music, particularly in the east.
As Christopher Simpson wrote in his 1667 Compendium of Practical Musick: "I am slow to believe that any good musick can be composed in quarter-tones, although I hear much talk of it."
Later, more open-minded musicians and designers set about expanding the piano's potential, developing the instrument so it was capable of playing quarter-tones. In 1924, Dr Montz Stoehr in New York managed the feat, but only by doubling the number of keys.
Scales
That design never caught on. As well as being unwieldy, it still barely scratched the surface of musical scales that exist worldwide.
Contemporary institutions have tried to adapt other western instruments to the split-note demands of world music. Their inventions, like the trumpet designed by London Metropolitan (formerly Guildhall) University music department can play 24 notes for every octave, rather than the usual 12, but still failed to go beyond the confines of fixed tuning.
"Some institutions have tried to find a way of adapting an instrument like this before. So it's funny that it's just me, one musician from Brighton, who's found a way of doing it," Mr Smith said.
A renowned composer and player of the dulcimer - an ancient stringed percussion instrument - Mr Smith developed the mechanism to expand the possibilities of his compositions. Having applied for an international patent, he is now negotiating with piano manufacturers. "After that, I am hoping it will set off a chain reaction with other acoustic instruments," he said.
Mr Smith's device allows the piano to have "fluid tuning", meaning that it could play all the subtle sounds that exist in between every note. Fitted to a standard 88-key piano, it means scales such as the Iranian dastgah-ha, which demand intricate microtones, will be accessible to the pianist of the future.
Yesterday contemporary pianists were united in delight at the possibilities. The young British pianist Rolf Hind called it an "incredible" discovery. "It's absolutely fascinating," he said. "I can definitely see myself using it. Where do I get one?"
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, another distinguished performer of contemporary piano music, was equally intrigued. "It's a very refreshing discovery. When the piano was first invented it was permanently moving and improving. But for too long - about the last 100 years - our instrument has been fixed. It's nice to see things are moving again."
Acknowledging what may be a major shift in modern music, Mr Hind said: "There is huge potential here and many composers will be hugely excited. But the question is are our ears ready for all these microtones?
"We're talking about a completely different sound world which before we've only been able to hear through synthesisers. I imagine that people who aren't used to all these new sounds may just think the piano's gone out of tune. It will be really interesting to see the reaction."
Doubters
The biggest challenge will be to convert more conservative musicians to the new outlook. "People set in their ways will be freaked out by this," Mr Smith said. Harriet Smith of the classical Music magazine is among the doubters. "The question it immediately begs is why? You obviously don't need all these extra tones to play the majority of the repertoire that is out there. And you wouldn't really want it to play world music on the piano because that's not really what the piano is about."
But Mr Smith can take comfort from the knowledge that, in the instrument's infancy, the piano received short shrift from musical traditionalists. In 18th-century Germany the organ builder Gottfried Silbermann excitedly demonstrated his first piano to his friend JS Bach.
The composer was initially unimpressed, deeming the high notes too poor, and the weight of the keys too heavy. It took a while, and a few developments, before the composer became a fan of the piano.
The question of how the device works remains a closely guarded secret at the moment. World music specialist Michael Church said yesterday: "Until we know precisely how the pianist is altering the length or tension of the strings it's hard to say anything meaningful. But if he really is going to 'bend' notes in an eastern manner, then it's a genuine breakthrough."