[CAUT] excessive pedaling?

[Fred Sturm]

> This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
On 3/17/05 6:19 PM, "Fred Sturm" <fssturm@unm.edu> wrote:

> There are some fairly efficient procedures to get a good range of color.

A couple things have occurred to me that should be added to my previous
post, more by way of emphasis than as new and different material:
1) When the una corda pedal is fully depressed, the pianist should be able
to rely absolutely that this is where all hammers are softest. IOW, fully
engaged should have a definite value (voicing level) and it should be a ver=
y
safe, reliable spot. So, in addition to what we do to the hammer, we need t=
o
be very finicky about keeping the stop screw well-regulated. The best una
corda voicing job is lost as soon as the stop regulation migrates just a we=
e
bit, and the strings are contacted by the edge of the string grooves, or by
felt that hasn=B9t been voiced.
2) There must absolutely be no spot within the play of the pedal that
produces louder and harsher tone than the tre corde position (that=B9s fancy
Eyetalian for hammers/keyboard in rest position, pedal not engaged). There
is a real danger here with lacquered hammers =AD that there will be a spot
just to the left of the string grooves that still has a bit of unbroken
lacquer.=20
    I ran into this very recently. Had done what I thought was a pretty nic=
e
voicing job, and, indeed, the artist seemed to like it, but said there was
this problem on just three notes. When gradually easing off the pedal they
got shrill suddenly. Yep, sure enough, I hadn=B9t inserted the needles quite
close enough to the groove on those hammers. And in checking my work, I
hadn=B9t tested a fine enough range of pedal play. The harsh sound came just
as the foot barely rested on the pedal. Live and learn. (What I really
learned was to break down and get out my reading glasses when doing crown
voicing. No more of that denial game <g>).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico



---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/7c/db/f4/2b/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--