Playing trumpet into a piano (acoustics)

OK, I don't have a trumpet and a grand piano handy, but what acoustically is happening when you play a trumpet into a grand and get the strings resonating? Does it resonate the notes that the trumpet is playing? Or something with the overtone series? Or all the notes indiscriminately? I don't really get it, and I want to use it in something. Thanks!

You're experiencing:

Sympathetic resonance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

:w00t: Yay science!!

Essentially, the overtones contained within the trumpet tone will cause the piano strings to vibrate. An effect used famously in Berio's Sequenza X for trumpet & piano.

Without the pedal you'll get an unclear full range of overtones, (all notes) ....

With the pedal you'll get the same full range but much more clear .....

If you play a single note you'll listen all the piano strings but the note related to the note will sound more clearly i.e.

You play a 5 sec, ff C on trumpet (that's all, a single note) .... you will hear something like this

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

bold notes will sound more clearly ...

now, If you play a fast melody the process will be the same but faster and if you don't clear the pedal all you'll have will be all strings vibrating equally.

..... ey, and what do you want to play a trumpet in that manner anyway :laugh: ?

It sounds awesome with an alphorn (with the bell placed under the piano)!

In many cases it will be somewhat similar to simply a lot of reverb, with the difference that the tone is more coloured and less diffuse. In other words: Like reverb in a room that is built rather badly from common acoustical points of view. But of course that doesn't make the effect sound badly at all!