Weighty Problem

[Anne Beetem]

>         My client has a Yamaha U1 (upright) that I service regularly.
>This piano has been very consistant and my client has been very happy
>with it. On my last service on this piano though, the lady asked me a
>question that I usually don't hear very often. She asked if I could make
>the action heavier. It seems that her son, who is the pianist at the age
>of 12, has become quite good . He entered his first piano competition
>and had great difficulty playing on the competition piano. It was a
>grand that was at a local piano dealer's recital hall. I assume that it
>was a Steinway because he is a Steinway dealer.
> Anyway , the boy complained that the piano played exceedingly heavy and
>that he couldn't play his chosen piece properly. Apparently none of the
>participants could rehearse on this piano , so they had to play cold
>turkey.
>        I explained the major differences between her U1 and a full
>sized grand and that if her son continued to become more accomplished
>on the piano that she really should consider upgrading. Her response was
>that they didn't have enough room for a grand , much as thay would like
>to have one. Then she reitorated her question.
>        My experience with action improvement has always been with
>trying to make actions play easier ,or should I say with as little
>frictional resistance as possible. How can I solve this customers
>problem without radically changing what I find is a fine working action?
>
>                            Tunefully,
>                                    Cliff Maurer (Lunytuner)


Explain to her again.    Her son needs a grand.   There is always room for
priorities in a house.   I've seen grands in tiny dining rooms with only
room for a plant and a lamp beside them.   Or, he has to find a grand
somewhere else to practice.   I encountered the same difficulties when I
first entered competitions years ago, and since the problem for my family
was the impossibility of purchasing one and still feeding four children,
I managed to arrange a couple hours a day practice on the grand at my
school.  Many churches are also very kind about letting talented pianists
practice on their instruments.

Anne






Anne Beetem
Harpsichords & Historic Pianos
2070 Bingham Ct.
Reston, VA  20191
abeetem@wizard.net