Mirra

You can Tune a Piano, but you can’t Piano a Tuna. Mirra Kannan is an incredible conservationist, working with the government of Scotland on their architectural heritage, and just happens to be a prodigy of piano. A talented musician, whose passion for the instrument matured into studying the piano, how to tune it, care for it, and conserve it. On world piano day, she hosted a tiny group of curious individuals who gathered to go visit 4 of Chennai’s oldest Acoustic Pianos. An Acoustic Piano, or any acoustic instrument in general, has a specific texture to its sound, and the vibrations, and the vibes (while they are the same word, I feel context varies their inferred meaning here), are very different, and unique. The chance to experience these rare instruments, built by masters, played by maestros, maintained by masterful technicians, and matured by time, was a truly one of a kind experience. We started at the KM Music Conservatory, with a 90 year old Steinway grand, and also got to see a very unique upright piano with ivory keys. It was recently discovered and restored to its near full glory. The sound is clear, strong, and reinvigorates you from within. Then on to the Goethe Institut, for their 80 year old Steinway, which has been in regular use, and was immensely smooth. It echoes through the small and tall lobby of the Goethe Institut, and they encourage musicians to come play. Then on the trail was the Taj Connemara, a heritage location in and of itself, housing a 100+ year old Challan. This piano is built for tropical climates, and it has been played by three generations of pianists of the same family. Its stories are old, unique, and significant. Played almost everyday today, one can enjoy its music in the evenings when staying at the Taj Connemara. Then the last stop was the oldest music store in India, Musee Musical. A historic place, standing at over 175 years old, housing some incredible pianos - grand and upright acoustic pianos. This is where we met Veera, a master piano tuner, who along with Mirra taught us all how to tune a piano, how the mechanism works, and how to use it with care. An incredible day, 4 amazing pianos, and some fun peop

i still remember the day @thenomadculture played this song to me for the first ever time, it was a first draft whatsapp recording that i instantly fell in love with. his writing has always been amazing but something about this particular song “PIDITHA PORVAI” which means ‘favorite blanket’ sung beautifully by @mirdyss moved me. There’s a line in this song that goes like “naan thoonga, oru oramaai, konjam oindhidu..gadigaarame” which just made me tear up. It disturbed me that this song was not out in the world. I kept forcing him to release it for almost a year before i gave up and threatened to leak it myself (i didn’t but it took a looot of self control) and then yesterday morning he sent me the link. That day had finally arrived. I know many people who already fell in love with this song, and it’s finally out there for the world to discover <3 go give it a listen #pidithaporvai #leak #tamil

Piano Day is on March 29 because it is the 88th day of the year and the piano has 88 keys. I am still in search of old pianos in India to document them, tune them, and bring them back to life - and on this trip I thought I would share my enthusiasm for it with you all! So on this Piano Day, join me as we wander through the city to meet some of its older sonorous residents. We will also engage in a tactile exploration of the instrument's architecture, while its guardians help us understand the work that goes into restoring and caring for it. Come, let us play together! 🎹 Registration link in bio! Special thanks to @snugglepanda69 for helping make this happen out of thin air, and @museemusical @kmmcchennai for their continued support! 🎶 . . . . . #piano #pianoday #pianotrail #music #chennai

At the end of the month go went gong will be playing as a six-piece at the wonderful new @pianodrome in Bruntsfield! It’s such an honour to play at such a venue ran by the extremely talented people that have inspired and supported me so much over the past few years. And it is a great pleasure to be joined by my super talented friends @mirdyss , @hughes_fraser , @bell.lungs , @le_vangelis and @mano.camatsos . Visuals will be provided by @calmlocker Ticket link in BIO 📸 by @ohlonglongwalkhome

We’re having a very musical fundraiser, celebrating all the best of Edinburgh’s music, on the 22nd of February at the Waverley Bar 💜 Spread the word and get your tickets here: /events/songs-of-care/songs-of-care-1/ (Link in bio) All proceeds donated to the Edinburgh Greens 🌿 (Promoted by Q Manivannan c/o Scottish Green Party, 19b Graham Street, Edinburgh EH6 5QN)

It's not called anything else, it's just called - . Chennai, June '17 Udaipur, October '25

வணக்கம் மக்களே! Something’s brewing! Open to all! அனைவரையும் வரவேற்கிறோம் 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 We @scottishtamilarts are at the crux of building a new collective for anyone — regardless of birthplace, residence, language, or ethnicity — who has a desire to connect with Tamil arts in Scotland. Collaborative performances, curated opportunities, multicultural arts exchange, and more. We hope for this to be an anti-caste, trans inclusive, anti-colonial, feminist collective — built from the grassroots. If you or someone you know has a connection to Scottish and Tamil arts (or a desire to develop one), write to us to get involved 🌿

In September, I woke up to 30 in Vienna under the shade of pianos, tools, mushrooms, and fishing equipment. That day gave me a glimpse of a life I now know I want to live - surrounded by curiosity, sound, and the lightness of earnesty and care. There's a surrender to all this, I think. The beings in these photos and videos (yes, humans are beings too) have quite simply changed my life for the better. There's more to say and I will say it eventually; . . . . #paraa #sound #piano #pianotuning #workshop #pianotechnician #vienna #music #apprenticeship #restoration

Over the years I’ve been thinking a lot about how I relate with the world around me through history, my life in Scotland and my roots in India. It is something I have not shared very often, don’t really write about because sometimes I’m still lost for words, and that is still very much an internal journey. (Now bear with me, this next sentence is going to be very long) But when a friend shared a call for applications from The Edinburgh Slavery & Colonialism Legacy Review Implementation Group (within Edinburgh Council) for a performance as part of the 2025 UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, it felt like I was being given a stage to share a bit of what I was feeling in a medium I could best express myself. It was to be at St Cecelia’s Hall - the UK’s second oldest purpose built concert hall - which I coincidentally studied as part of my undergraduate thesis in Chennai 8 years ago. It was to be supported by Historic Environment Scotland, an organisation I’ve been working in for three years now. The event would shed light on Scottish colonial links and shared heritage. It just made sense. What emerged in August was a 10 minute musical performance for piano and voice, interweaving songs of freedom composed (and adapted) by Robert Burns in Scotland ( ‘For a' That and a' That’, ‘Auld Lang Syne’) , and Rabindranath Tagore in India (‘Ekla Chalo Re’, ‘Purano Shei Diner Kotha’). The piano was reinterpreted as a mouldable instrument by incorporating changes to its standard tuning - a way of questioning its immutability. This was accompanied by an exhibition of photographs of old pianos and their caretakers in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata where the first imperial distributors of pianos were once situated. I also brought a second piano that I tuned in strange ways for the audience to experiment with beyond the performance. How can freedom be expressed in two very different parts of the world connected by shared, uncomfortable histories that continue to shape global politics on migration and identity? And what in the world does any of that have to do with me? (Continued in comments)

I chipped up this Rischard upright piano by a semitone yesterday. Started with the A 440 and worked my way through the fifths and their octaves. I decided to stop in between and play a familiar tune to listen to what it sounded like with a randomised tuning, and was pleasantly surprised by this ethereal piece of music. Can I consider this to be an original composition? Can you guess what the original piece was? Thanks @siwenfilmartheatre for the space-travel video 👽 . . . . #sound #paraa #piano #music #pianotuner #deeplistening #unison #composition

Hagia Sophia Mosque | Blue Mosque I visited Turkiye recently. It was beautiful. I felt warmth in the company of very special people and their homes. I didn't get to visit Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, but I sat at the maidan, in between the two great mosques, waiting for their simultaneous calls to prayer. I wondered how they would sound together - synchronous, or a cacophony? Instead I was treated to a duet like I'd never heard before. Can you sense the relative distance between the two mosques from the sound in the audio? I thought this sort of call and response resonated with the layers of brick and stone that guided me through the narrow streets and arched alleyways of the city. . . . . #sound #duet #istanbul #mosque #listen #deeplistening #paraa #music

Tuning Meditation, by Pauline Oliveros ~ Begin by taking a deep breath and letting it all the way out with air sound. Listen with your mind’s ear for a tone. On the next breath using any vowel sound, sing the tone that you have silently perceived on one comfortable breath. Listen to the whole field of sound the group is making. Select a voice distant from you and tune as exactly as possible to the tone you are hearing from that voice. Listen again to the whole field of sound the group is making. Contribute by singing a new tone that no one else is singing. Continue by listening then singing a tone of your own or tuning to the tone of another voice alternately. ~ (Sorry - I recorded this hastily with my phone right next to me rather than at the centre of the circle. That's why my voice stands out.) . . . . #paulineoliveros #sonicmeditation #tuning #meditation #sound #paraa #voice #harmony #dissonance