Practical Concert Work

[Chris Solliday]

Hello Dave and all, I have for many years regulated by using the thickness
of the string method. That is Let off at  a distance equal to the thickness
of the string but my final check always is that the hammer does not enter
the vibrating envelope of the string from a ff blow on a rapid pp blow. This
has worked well in many high profile situations over many years. By the way,
for Fred, our 4 full seasons in the Northeast can easily mess up any piano
tuning, regulation, and voicing. Ah to live in New Mexico and breathe the
air.... Chris Solliday                         sorry if this duplicates,
I'll get the hang of this darn thing sooner or later
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David M. Porritt" <dporritt@mail.smu.edu>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2004 5:25 PM
Subject: Re: Practical Concert Work


> Fred:
>
> Just musing here, but I do think a "reliable" regulation has some merit.
I've regulated pianos to the gnat's eyelash and had it go south on me making
blocking hammers, or double striking hammers.  Generally, when you go back
to fix that you say something about fine regulation being very close to
blocking.  I don't think the customers are impressed at that point.  You
regulated, you had to come back and fix it.  In their mind it was wrong.  I
heard Bill Garlick once tell a class that if you're going to regulate it
that close make sure to hang around for the concert!
>
> I live 17 miles from the school so I do tend to like a "safe" regulation.
I don't set it at  3mm but I don't like it so close that you can kind of
feel the hammer letting off on the string.  In addition, in a recital hall
seating 500 there is seldom any playing done at the pppp level such that the
note would miss.  Most recital playing is pp to sfffffff!
>
> I enjoyed his perspective and his comments on voicing.  I too mainly worry
about the striking surface though I understand that this is somewhat
controversial.  Whatever floats your boat!
>
> dave
>
>
> __________________________________________
> David M. Porritt, RPT
> Meadows School of the Arts
> Southern Methodist University
> Dallas, TX 75275
>
>
> ----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
> From: Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu>
> To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>
> Received: Sat, 29 May 2004 14:11:26 -0600
> Subject: Re: Practical Concert Work
>
> >--On Saturday, May 29, 2004 1:00 PM -0500 "David M. Porritt"
> ><dporritt@mail.smu.edu> wrote:
>
> >> Richard:
> >>
> >> In Part 1 of the series he states "....I never imagined I would spend
ten
> >> years as the technician for one of the big five American Orchestras."
> >> He is a member of the Chicago chapter so unless he travels A LOT I'd
have
> >> to guess that he is the tech for the Chicago Symphony.
> >>
> >> dave
> >>
> >>
> >> __________________________________________
> >> David M. Porritt, RPT
> >> Meadows School of the Arts
> >> Southern Methodist University
> >> Dallas, TX 75275
>
> > That is probably the case. I don't like to run down any fellow tech - he
> >probably is found to do reliable quality work. But Ron Coners told me
last
> >fall that David Barenboim insists on flying Coners out to Chicago to prep
> >the piano any time he (Barenboim) plays it. Barenboim being the conductor
> >of the Chicago Symphony, and a remarkable pianist as well. So who knows?
> > I do hate to see anyone giving out what I consider to be misinformation,
> >though. Maybe his system works for him, but my experience says that
> >pianists appreciate the "finer and finer circles of refinement." Maybe
you
> >can get by with that kind of attitude - which I would describe as
avoiding
> >complaints rather than seeking perfection - but noone will leave a note
for
> >you thanking you profusely for a "wonderful instrument that almost plays
> >itself" or the like. I'm not a starry-eyed idealist, but I do try to put
> >out the special effort for those concert instruments, in hopes of helping
> >someone "create magic." I don't think you can create much magic on an
> >instrument prepped as he describes.
> >Regards,
> >Fred
>
>
> >_______________________________________________
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