hammer voicing

[Richard Moody]

It was Leonard Jarred, (not sure of the spelling) of J-B Piano Co.
Absolutely an amazing person.  The consummate technician.   Once told
a performer who was fretting about the piano, that if he didn't like
the regulation, he could sit in the audience and he (Leonard) would
do the performance.
	He would visit the Grotrian factory and pick out a few instruments
which he sold from his shop in San Rafael. Once he gave a reception
for Helmut (I think) Grotrian himself. The pianos were all played  by
various artists, and later Mr. Grotrian availed himself to answer
question after technical question at one of his 7 foot grands.  Soon
his answers became to the effect "That's a trade secret" and finally,
"Where did you learn to ask such questions?" Someone pointed to
Leonard, who soon came over and the two rattled away in German.
Klangfarber this and Klangfarber (sp?) that with the action in and
out of the piano and some passages being played.  What an afternoon.
	One more memory.  Once Leonard and my teacher Robert got into a
contest as to who could best emulate a reproducing player piano.
Both were also very competent player technicians, but Leonard more on
the reproducers which Robert couldn't stand.  So Robert played with
"the expression of the finest Steinway Duo-Art" to which Leonard
said, that an adjustment was off, that if it were to his standards it
would sound like this. and played the same passage with different but
also slightly exagerated dynamics.  Very comical as I
had just started working for a player piano store that had two very
good Ampicos, and a Duo Art, so  knew what reproducers "really"
sounded like.  But they didn't stop there, Robert had to play like
a mis-adjusted tracking mechanism transposing through the
twin hammer strikes to the next key and back again. Leonard
demonstrated what happens with a loosely wound jumbo roll on an
Ampico B.
Richard Moody


----------
> From: Horace Greeley <hgreeley@leland.Stanford.EDU>
> To: pianotech@byu.edu
> Subject: Re: hammer voicing
> Date: Friday, May 16, 1997 10:47 AM
>
>
> If the Leonard to whom you refer was Leonard Jarrett, you have had
a rare
> experience.  One of the few real voicers of recent generations.  I
knew him
> only as he was failing, but we enjoyed hours of conversation.
>
>
> Best.
>
> Horace
>
>
>
>