page_title: David Klavins
section_title: Modell 370
hierarchical_section_title: David Klavins / Life / Modell 370
caption_attribution_description: English: David Klavins' vertical piano "Modell 370", built in 1987 and known as the largest piano in the world. The lowest strings are longer than 3 meters. In 2012 a Berlin music software company released a digital version with samples of the original Modell 370 and called it The Giant. Here a closeup photo of the keyboard on the top floor. Deutsch: Die Tastatur (im oberen Stockwerk) von David Klavins' vertikal konstruiertem Klavier "Modell 370". Klavins hat das Instrument 1987 in Bonn der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt. Es gilt als das größte Klavier der Welt. 2012 erschien eine Software-Version des Modell 370, mit naturgetreuen Samples, unter dem Namen The Giant.
context_page_description: David Klavins is a German-Latvian piano maker. With his "Modell 370" he introduced the world's largest piano. In 2012, a digital version of the Modell 370 was published as a software instrument under the name "The Giant".
context_section_description: While restoring and studying the architecture of grand pianos, Klavins became a critic of the traditional way to construct these instruments. He stated that the materials used in common piano making are outdated and don't reflect the current status of materials science. With this in mind, Klavins designed a piano with a size, shape and interior construction based on modern knowledge of acoustics – rather than the historical construction guidelines used in traditional piano making. In November 1987, he presented the "Klavins Klavier Modell 370" to the public in the German city of Bonn. It had its name from its height: 370 centimetres. In contrast to horizontally built grand pianos, the Modell 370 is laid out vertically. It weighs two tons and stretches over two floors. The piano player sits on the bench in the top floor, while the main part of the strings and the resonance body continue below his feet. Due to this construction, the sounding board, responsible for the acoustic breadth of the instrument, is of double size of an ordinary concert grand piano. This leads to a rich sound and a larger spectrum of overtones. The lowest bass string is 3.03 meters long – about three times longer than in a standard piano. As of 2012, the Modell 370 is the largest piano worldwide.
  The instrument was first played to the public by the classical pianist Cyprien Katsaris. Today it is stored in the Pfleghofsaal of the Institute Of Music Science, University of Tübingen. Klavins never intended to produce the instrument in series. Many pianists asked Klavins for a (horizontally built) grand piano with his construction technique. This led to the "Modell 408", which was scheduled to enter production in the summer of 2014. In May 2012, the Berlin music software developer Native Instruments introduced the Modell 370 as a software instrument, sampled by Uli Baronowsky, under the name "The Giant".
caption: Detail of Modell 370, top floor.
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