[CAUT] 5 Pianos

[Kent Swafford]

Ron's B in Rochester is a different piano, finished _after_ the one in  
my recordings. They are not identical pianos.

Kent


On Dec 21, 2007, at 1:49 AM, Richard Brekne wrote:

> Way Cool Kent !!  And I agree entirely with your conclusion in your  
> first paragraph. Variety is not only essential... its a fact we all  
> have to relate to like it or not, and really should welcome. It also  
> fits well with my own recent experience in the reactions to Griegs  
> piano at different pitches.  People think, hear, experience and find  
> musical joy in very different ways.
>
> I also found it instructive (for me)  to compare my blind test  
> comments to what you reveal below.  I was sure the 1st piano was  
> asian, but it didnt remind of a CF III.... I had really thought it  
> must have been a less expensive make.  That it turns out to be a C7  
> in the end makes perfect sense. These have a much less big and round  
> character then the S series instruments Yamaha makes.  Personally I  
> like their C6 better as a whole... tho I do know of one very  
> beautiful exceptional C7.  In general, tho hard to voice beautiful  
> IMHO without killing the power.
>
> Also really fascinating about number 5.  This is the second time  
> you've blind tested us on a Nossaman, and the second time I've come  
> with a response going along the <<thinish>> line.  If this is the B  
> he had in Rochester... then the recording does not remind me of what  
> I heard live.  I really liked his instrument...tho if I had any  
> comment at the time I guess it would be that it was almost too fat  
> sounding in the lower tenor and bass. Especially at louder volumes.   
> But the thin sound I am picking up.... I wonder if this has to do  
> with this relationship between sustain and initial attack power.  If  
> you get longer sustain at higher volumes you end up with a total  
> vibrational picture that is quite different then an equally powerful  
> attack moment followed by a shorter and less powerful sustain  
> period.  Easy to imagine that our subjective tastes will differ...  
> both individually and in ourselves over time.
>
> Really cool thread
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
>
>   Thanks for all the replies, public and private.
>
>   The following links contain a description of the audio recorder I  
> used     to record the 5 pianos:
>   http://tinyurl.com/2hzedd
>   http://tinyurl.com/25242u
>
>   A very interesting thing is that each of the 5 pianos was named  
> as     someone's favorite. I take this as evidence that variation in  
> pianos     is essential. Different manufacturers should take  
> different approaches     to piano sound -- and there is merit to  
> Steinway's traditional     approach of letting different pianos  
> coming out of their factories     having different characters. (I  
> still hate it when a good pianist has     different requirements of  
> a piano than the one in front of him can     give.)
>
>   Here are the 5 pianos:
>
>   1. Yamaha C7 voiced to within an inch of its life some years ago  
> for     chamber music. This is a fine piano, with a great bass. It  
> now lives     in a school lunch room, almost completely unappreciated.
>
>   2. Bosendorfer Imperial, just back from being rebuilt in Vienna.  
> So     far, pianists love this piano, although I believe the treble  
> is in     desperate need of proper voicing. There is little  
> incentive to do the     voicing because pianists like it as is, so  
> far.
>
>   3.  Steinway B recently completely rebuilt by Greg Hulme. The  
> Renner     hammers are too bright for me, but the piano sounds good.
>
>   4.  2000 Steinway D. 700-seat hall. I absolutely love this piano.
>
>   5.  Steinway B with belly by Ron Nossaman; I did the action. The  
> piano     is both clean- and full-sounding. (The same thing that Ric  
> called     "thin" in the sound I would characterize positively as  
> "transparent".)     The recordings of the 5 pianos reflect the real  
> volume levels of the     pianos; I think that a close listen will  
> reveal that Ron's piano has     the most sound; I also think Ron's  
> piano still sounds good when the     playback is turned way up;  
> listen close; this piano can bear some     scrutiny.  8^)
>
>   Here is a recording on Ron's B of Dave Brubeck's Greensleeves:
>
>   http://tinyurl.com/2obhxn
>
>   Thanks for listening.
>
>   Kent
>