This past winter I visited an incredible piano shop in Barcelona called Parts Piano. With an unassuming storefront Parts Piano specializes in piano parts (obviously), technician tools and rebuilding player pianos. The owner and head technician, Xavier Garcia is also the inventor of a miniature piano where the hammers strike tuning forks instead of strings. He has two prototype models that he built, one with an upright action and one with a grand action and resonating tubes for each tuning fork. They are almost like an acoustic Rhodes but with a real piano action. I have never seen or heard anything like it. Xavier’s shop is full of inventions, machines and gizmos that he has created.

Xavier is a shy fellow and speaks very little english. Luckily Xavier’s employee Marcelo Cohen was in that day and acted as a translator and tour guide.

tuning fork piano, grand action with resonating tubes, second prototype

tuning for piano, upright action, first prototype

bass string winding machine, built by Xavier

Xavier Garcia rebuilding a player piano

Xavier also built a miniature piano kit intended for technician training purposes. It is a full working model of an upright piano with just over two octaves, a flip down keyboard and transportation case. I am dreaming about importing these into Canada. Here it is complete with cast iron plate, sound board, full sized action and keys.