What makes a Kawai piano special? What makes this remarkable Japanese instrument the brand of choice for some of the greatest artists and festivals around the world? Warwick Thompson reveals the secret.
Unless you’re a degree-level chemist – or possibly a Bond villain – you might possibly be unfamiliar with the wonderfully-named material known as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Just roll that around your mouth a bit, and see how much fun it is to say. Wouldn’t Acrylonitrile be a great name for your daughter? Or son? Or cat?
But this mighty moniker names an even more exciting object than mere felines or family favourites: ABS is a composite material (a thermoplastic polymer, if you’re interested) that is tough, rigid, impact resistant, abrasion resistant, and massively water resistant. It has many uses, but it turns out that it is just about the best thing ever invented for helping create a truly world-class piano. And even more importantly, creating a piano capable of the most infinitesimally delicate pianissimi you’re likely to hear. And who pioneered the use of ABS in piano-making? Who revolutionized the industry in this way?
It’s pretty obvious from my introduction, so no prizes if you’re holding your hand up and shouting ‘Kawai!’
The action of the Millennium III range, which uses ABS, is the secret behind the ultra-responsive touch of the Kawai acoustic and hybrid pianos. Early piano actions were made of small timber components, but timber, naturally, is susceptible to moisture and to expansion and contraction with changes in environmental conditions – especially very fine timber parts that are subject to regular motion and impact. Kawai’s Millennium III action (pictured lower down) overcomes this drawback by featuring components made of a new material created by the infusion of carbon fibre with Kawai’s ABS composites. This ‘ABS carbon’ is incredibly sturdy and rigid, and allows Kawai to make the mechanical parts of the action lighter and stronger. The company claims that this makes the Millennium III action approximately 16% faster than traditional actions in upright pianos, and 25% faster in grand pianos.
The elegant K-500 upright
Ahead of the game
Several other innovations introduced by the company have also helped to give it its cutting-edge status within the industry. Since the company was founded in 1927, Kawai has constantly been searching for new materials and technologies which can improve the tone, touch, stability and durability of their pianos. For example, it pioneered such beneficial innovations as aluminium action rails (the bar that runs the width of the whole playing mechanism and supports the entire action), slow-close fallboards (so no bruised fingers, hurrah!), and hard finish music desks.
The company’s passion for innovation also extends to electronics. Kawai created the industry’s first digital pianos with real wooden keys, the first action designs that re-create the natural movement and motion of an acoustic piano action, the first built-in CD recorders and the first affordable digital pianos with real wooden soundboards.
It’s little wonder, then, that Kawai pianos are in demand around the world. In October 2024 Kawai was selected as the official piano partner of BIFF (that’s the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech), to support UK music festivals in the provision of high-quality pianos. The partnership provides opportunities for member festivals to access a range of superb pianos, and will also support thousands of young musicians in the development of their musical ambitions. Kawai was also selected to be a partner institution of the legendary Oxford Union, perhaps the most prestigious debating society in the world.
Artists love the sound too. Alexander Gadjiev, the Italian-Slovenian first prize winner of the 2015 Hamamatsu Piano Competition, chose to perform his final concerto on the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand (a model which was also selected by a number of other prize-winning contestants). This model was also chosen as the official piano of the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
'The connection between the instrument and the performer while playing is simply telepathic’ –
Can Çakmur, winner of the 2018 Hamamatsu Competition
Inventor in waiting
The company was founded in 1927 (and is thus looking forward to a cork-popping centenary quite soon), but it roots go a little further back. Well over a century ago in Japan, a reed organ builder was struggling alone to build an upright piano from imported parts. One day, he was surprised to see a neighbour’s son riding by on a unique pedal-driven cart, the first ever to travel the roads of Hamamatsu, Japan. The aspiring piano builder was so impressed when he learned that the boy had designed and built the cart by himself that he invited the young man to be his apprentice. The next day, the invitation was accepted and a dream was born. That young man was Koichi Kawai (1886-1955), the son of a wagon maker. He would later set out to build his first piano.
Millenium III upright Action
The ensuing years would reveal Koichi Kawai’s extraordinary genius for design and innovation. He led the research and development team that introduced pianos to his country. Later, he became the first person in Japan to design and build a complete piano action, receiving many patents for his designs and inventions. It was an impressive beginning, yet his greatest achievements were still to come.
During the 1920s, the Japanese piano industry began to falter. The company that employed Koichi was struggling and new management had taken control from the original owner. It was then that Koichi Kawai, confident that the pursuit of excellence would always bring opportunity, decided to build a dream of his own. And so, his quest began in 1927 as he and seven kindred colleagues formed the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Together, it was their dream to one day build the world’s finest piano.
The early years provided many diverse challenges – the shortage of qualified craftsmen, the continual scarcity of quality materials, and an underdeveloped network of dealers for reaching potential customers. Yet, the determined company prospered. By the early 1950s, Kawai had grown to over 500 people producing over 1500 pianos per year – and Koichi Kawai had received the prestigious ‘Blue Ribbon Medal’ from the Emperor of Japan, becoming the first person in the musical instrument industry to receive such an honor. By the end of its first quarter century, Kawai had put in place the foundations of excellence and dedication that would motivate and inspire its people for decades to come.
Expanding worldwide
In 1955 Koichi was succeeded by his son Shigeru, who brought modern production methods into the company. He also founded a network of Kawai Music Schools, and launched branches of the company in America, Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. He wanted to make Kawai ‘the sound heard around the world,’ and achieved his goal.
His son Hirotaka took over in 1989, and soon invested tens of millions of dollars to incorporate advanced robotics in the production process. Later, he oversaw the development and introduction of Kawai’s internationally acclaimed RX series grand pianos. Early in 2024, Kentaro Kawai succeeded as president and became the 4th generation in the Kawai family to lead the company. His passion for excellence has led him to develop cutting-edge hybrid pianos which combine traditional acoustic elements with advanced digital features.
Under his guidance the company continues in its efforts to fulfil the ambitions of the young wagoner’s son who founded the company all those years ago: simply ‘to build the best piano in the world’.
The Turkish pianist Can Çakmur, winner of the 2018 Hamamatsu Competition, summed up his love of the Kawai SK-EX grand with memorable ardour: ‘It gives courage to the player to listen a bit more intently, and to imagine the next note yet more vividly. The connection between the instrument and the performer while playing is simply telepathic.’
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