performance piano - student psychopathology 101

[Otto Keyes]

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Just thought I'd throw something out for your thoughts & comments.  The following has not been a huge issue, but I'd like to educate the crew here to avoid recycling history.  Just wondered how many of you have come accross the same type of issue, & how you handle it.  

Many of the pianos here have been over-voiced, causing them to split after awhile.  This seems to have come about because the players perceive the pianos to have changed over-night.  One student in a studio class will have a poor performance (for whatever reason), & this seems to be infectious, so everyone gets a hair up his/her nose that "the piano is too bright, dull, doesn't _____" (you fill in the blank).  However, the day before, the instrument in question was wonderful, blah, blah, blah...

I have been attempting to educate the faculty & the students that perceptions change like (& sometimes with) the weather, and my goal is to keep the instruments as consistent as possible so as to avoid having to hang yet another set of hammers prematurely.  It is sometimes difficult to inform them in a tactful manner that perhaps this is a problem of perception, especially the gale force of opinion is blowing unchecked in the opposite direction.  One of the problems of democracy, I guess, but that is another discussion altogether.  :-)

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out for your comments.

By the way,  this summer I restrung the treble, shaped the capo bar & hammers, etc., of several G-2s (& others) which were breaking an inordinate number of strings.  Should take care of the problem, but we'll see as we get into the heavy practice season for recitals, etc.  They sure tune cleaner now.

Otto

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