Coloration (was: String breakage)

[Jon Page]

Some time ago I had the good fortune to have a teacher retire
to the Cape. His B needed regulating and I needed lessons.
He had traveled to either London or Paris in the '20's to study
with Tobias Matthey to learn his technique.  It was amazing the
variations produced by articulation. He had no explaination of
why playing the note a certain way changed the shape, he just
gave me the technique which has facilitated my playing. I am not
a great player but I sound like one on the few meager pieces I play.
As I recall the method is controlling speed of key decent. (It's not
how hard or light you press the key, but how fast or slow to control
volume). Plam springs are another element, having your finger on
the key before you play it (tricky),  rolling your hand thru... There's
a lot to it, I can't remember it all right now, I need practice.

Perhaps if this question were brought to rmmp, the teachers
and pianophiles there may have better insight.
Jon Page
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
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At 02:02 PM 4/12/97 -0500, you wrote:
>> From: Kenneth W. Burton <kwburton@freenet.calgary.ab.ca>
>> 	I have wondered if the differences could be accounted for
>>by the fact that the hammer may be accelerating in speed as it
>>strikes the string or decelerating in it speed. Perhaps this possibility,
>>along with widely differing rates of acceleration and deceleration may
>>provide the answer.
>>=20
>Interesting point.  Once again the laws of physics must be
>considered.  Perhaps the hammer is actually decelerating since it
>lets off.  When the force that causes acceleration ceases, I think
>you begin deceleration at that moment.  Maybe someone from physics
>101 can say.=20
>	But suppose a decelerating hammer made a difference, could you
>control it? To decelerate you first have to accelerate.  Maybe then
>the let off should be 12.5 mm instead of 2.5 eh?      --x(-;=DE =20
>
>
>

Jon Page
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
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=09
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