Playing to the room: how solo pianists perceive, understand, and adapt to acoustic conditions

Musicians perform in vastly different acoustic environments. Therefore, the abilities to perceive and adapt to acoustic conditions are crucial to expert performance. Previous research has shown how room acoustics can influence performers' perception, preference, and performance behaviour, and that the sound heard by performers on stage may differ from the sound received by listeners elsewhere in the hall. This problem is intensified by daily preparation in practice spaces that may differ substantially from performance venues. This study investigated how solo pianists perceive acoustic conditions, interpret them through musical understanding, translate them into performance decisions, and develop skills of acoustical adaptation. Two linked qualitative phases were conducted. Phase 1 comprised semi-structured interviews with four conservatoire piano students and one piano professor. Phase 2 involved observations and reflective interviews with nine piano students across four contrasting acoustic scenarios. Acoustic simulation was achieved using the Royal College of Music (RCM) Performance Laboratory's venue-simulation technology, including a Meyer Sound Constellation electronically variable reverberation system, while instrument playback monitoring was conducted using audio, video, and a Steinway SPIRIO | r system. These scenarios served as situated prompts for interview-based reflection, while observation records, audio-video materials, and playback tasks contextualised participants' explanations of their adaptation strategies. Findings indicate that pianists' acoustical understanding was often tacit and musically grounded rather than closely aligned with standard acoustic terminology. Reverberation, decay, timbre, room support, and stage-audience discrepancy were understood mainly through their effects on tempo, pedalling, voicing, dynamics, projection, clarity, and communication. Adaptation strategies were shaped by practice environments, rehearsal access, room-instrument interaction, educational background, and audience-position feedback. The findings suggest that simulation technology, self-playing piano playback, structured room comparison, and targeted audience-position listening may support acoustical awareness by enabling comparison between different acoustic perspectives and linking reflective experience with developing performance knowledge. These results highlight the need for integrated research, teaching, and practice that links objective acoustic parameters with musical language and interpretation, performance decision-making, and pedagogical strategies.