Fred, have you considered slicing the cloth into vertical strips between notes... to get rid of that "strumming" effect* of the cloth on adjacent notes? (*sounds like a keyboard shifted too far, in both directions. John Adams would've loved it!) Mark Cramer, Brandon University -----Original Message----- From: Ed Sutton <ed440 at mindspring.com> To: caut at ptg.org Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:50:47 -0500 Subject: Re: [CAUT] practice rail Fred- Wood or aluminum, there is much to be said for your thought of a rail you lift in and out from above. There is the problem of clearance of pins and pressure bars, and a tendency to tangle on the hammer heads that can happen with the rotating bar system. There is also a potential for having different weights of moderator cloth on different rails for different degrees of tonal change. Thin cloth can be very musical. Ed S. ----- Original Message ----- From: <dew2 at u.washington.edu> To: <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 11:36 AM Subject: Re: [CAUT] practice rail >I installed a Quiet-Keys rail in a Charles Walter studio in 1998. I admit >to being skeptical at the start, but when I was done, it seemed to work >pretty well. I've even serviced the piano a couple of times since, and it >still works. It did take a bit of thought to get it all to work as well as >I wanted, but not a bad job. The one thing I don't know is how much they >actually use it. But I think I'd do it again in the sort of situation you >describe. > > Doug > > On Thu, 5 Nov 2009, Fred Sturm wrote: > >> He wants one so he can practice and not disturb the rest of his family. I >> am not impressed by the retrofit kits I have seen. I'm thinking maybe of >> just making a wood strip that would rest securely on the action brackets >> (grooves to make it secure, and spacers fore and aft), that he could >> place and remove. The piano in question is an old Steinway upright, with >> a split lid, so there is easy access. And the customer is the sort who >> could handle it. But I'd welcome some thoughts before I plunge in. (Yes, >> the letoff needs to be a bit wide so as not to block hammers). >> I used one as a college student. I could practice piano at the same time >> as my wife practiced harpsichord in the next room. Certainly not ideal, >> but practical. Also good for middle of the night insomniacs. >> Fred >> On Nov 5, 2009, at 8:30 AM, Joe Goss wrote: >> >>> Hi Fred, >>> Ask Why They want the mute. >>> Personally my feeling is that it robs the upright ( PRESUMING ON MY >>> PART ) of dynamic level on the fff and causes the action to be less >>> responsive due to larger let off needed so that the hammers do not >>> block. >>> BTW is the regulation set so that the player can play soft as a whisper >>> and loud as a trumpeting elephant? >>> Is this a Samick? No reflection negatively on the product, just thinking >>> of a key problem easily solved. >>> Joe Goss BSMusEd MMusEd RPT >>> imatunr at srvinet.com >>> www.mothergoosetools.com >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm at unm.edu> >>> To: "College & University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> >>> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:10 AM >>> Subject: [CAUT] practice rail >>> >>> >>>> A customer has asked me to install a practice rail (muffler felt). I >>>> haven't done this retrofit before. I see Jansen has one. Are there >>>> others? Any advice, comments? >>>> Regards, >>>> Fred Sturm >>>> University of New Mexico >>>> fssturm at unm.edu >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >> >> Regards, >> Fred Sturm >> University of New Mexico >> fssturm at unm.edu >> >> >> >> >> >
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