[CAUT] How long is too long?

[Susan Kline]

Thank heavens, Alan! When I read your first sentence, I thought I might 
have written something unforgivable ... <grin>

I totally agree about voicing. Also, I think that we are sometimes so 
eager to keep our work on the highest possible plane that we lose sight 
of what those playing the piano will really think, what will really 
matter to them. Not that we shouldn't keep trying, but sometimes a piano 
is good-enough-for-stage-one, knowing that over time we can make it 
better as it reacts to being played, but that right out of the door from 
a major change we can only get so far with it.

Sometimes I worry that trying to get new hammers "finished" before they 
have been played in might narrow the possibilities for tonal development 
and lessen their  lifespan. But then, I haven't followed enough sets 
through the whole process, so this just remains a suspicion. In these 
days of budget struggles, anything we can do to keep pianos and parts 
lasting well should be done, IMO.

Susan Kline


On 10/20/2010 10:57 AM, McCoy, Alan wrote:
> They say that when you are editing your own writing, you should wait 
> three days between the writing and editing. That has served me well 
> for writing, and for voicing as well. But of course you mostly don't 
> have that luxury. Still the idea has merit. The fact is though that 
> nearly every time you come to the piano you will hear things that 
> either you missed, or changed in the interim. Voicing is really a 
> continual work in progress, especially for concert work and for pianos 
> that are played a lot. Just keep on refining.
>
> Alan
>
>
> -- Alan McCoy, RPT
> Eastern Washington University
> amccoy at ewu.edu
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From: *Susan Kline <skline at peak.org>
> *Reply-To: *CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org>
> *Date: *Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:13:28 -0700
> *To: *CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [CAUT] How long is too long?
>
>    On 10/20/2010 5:42 AM, Paul T Williams wrote:
>
>     That would be in a perfect world!  The piano is being used on
>     Saturday.  Now that fall break is over, I have until noon today,
>     then just a couple hours on Thursday morning and Friday morning.
>      It should work. (unless it doesn't!)  Worse case scenario would
>     be that they have to use the Baldwin D on Saturday, but it's a
>     fine piano and these aren't piano majors performing, just
>     accompanying.  Paul
>
>
> Have you ever noticed that so often we tend to run on anxiety, 
> fighting deadlines, as if something is crucial, but in retrospect, all 
> "FAILURE"  would mean was that someone would play an accompaniment on 
> a Baldwin D which was not a bad piano either?
>
>  You know, every time we stress out several days over nothing much 
> (and I surely do that as often as anyone!) we lose a little health and 
> longevity? Cortisol has its price.
>
>  Susan Kline
>



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