Artist description The Virtual Virtuoso re-creates difficult classical piano pieces "player piano" style. An astute listener can quickly tell that a human being is not playing the piece in real time, because rhythms are impossibly accurate. However, reverb, volume, tempo, note length, and other types of adjustments are made to translate the printed instructions of the composer, so The Virtual Virtuoso surpasses a simple player piano performance in that respect. Part of being a virtuoso is going fast, but there's no need to be ridiculous. These pieces are presented at speeds attainable by virtuoso human beings. Yes, the photo you see on this site of The Virtual Virtuoso looks like a real, two headed person. Actually, that's just some guy who punches in the data. The performer behind the scenes is a powerful combination of plastic, metal, programming and silicon chips. We just used the human faces because they were much more photogenic.

Music Style Classical piano, rendered by computer

Musical Influences Sheet music from dead composers

Similar Artists Walter/Wendy Carlos, without the electronic noises

Artist History In 1984, the data entry guy who works for The Virtual Virtuoso started to college. It was a satisfying experience that culminated in a music degree, but there was always some frustration with human limitations in playing difficult piano pieces. In 2001, the data entry guy realized he now had the tools to create piano performances that sounded like a real instrument was being played. The Virtual Virtuoso was born.

Instruments SONAR 1.0, on a Pentium III 650 mhz system

Location Bostic, NC - USA

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