Depowering a Piano

[Isaac sur Noos]

Hi Joe,

driving bass strings to saturation repetitively certainly should brake
them, pianists usually dont play forcefully basses  (I mean with the
same attack they can use in the middle of the piano) it is unnatural,
and difficult because of the massive parts to move

I once tuned for Helene Grimaud that was on the French radio before
her concert. she was very kind, compliment me for my work, ("wow you
are a good tuner, that is rare !" ) seem to appreciate well the piano.

She was playing Brahms at that moment - (could not stay to listen
unfortunately because of other tunings)
The studio have a very damp accoustic particularely with the audience
in.

One of the single bass strings break during the first play - The
emission people find me in the next studio  I changed it taking a
string on an older piano that was in another studio (the emission was
2 hours so no big worry, but I acted fast)- well she goes back at the
piano and broke another string 10 minuts after (I stayed listening
then)  - while she was not playing more forcefully than another, (same
process, take the string on the other piano ...)

Afterthat everyone listened , and I go very upset about the tuner that
regularely tuned the basses so low to hear them produce that wowowo he
see to like.
Anotherthing is that bass hammers where heavily lacquered, and the
tone of the basses of this Steinway D was always hard to begin with.

Nowadays I admire pianists that can stay civil under those
circonstances !

Isaac

P.S  the second bass string jumped on the knees of somebody in the
audience.
No panic movement in the hall sorry ...

Never seen that kind of things again
I've heard unison drift during the concert that broke afterthat (and
unison drift that does not broke but that is another story !)

------------------------------------
Isaac OLEG
accordeur - reparateur - concert
oleg-i@noos.fr
19 rue Jules Ferry
94400 VITRY sur SEINE
tel: 033 01 47 18 06 98
fax: 33 01 47 18 06 90
mobile: 033 06 60 42 58 77
------------------------------------


> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De la
> part de Joseph Garrett
> Envoyé : mercredi 31 décembre 2003 08:26
> À : pianotech@ptg.org
> Objet : Re: Depowering a Piano
>
>
> Terry,
> As a last resort, try putting some of those screw-on key
> leads. They will
> make the piano play like a truck, but a "pounder" won't
> lighten up, no
> matter what. The nice thing is, they are removable, with
> not much effort.
> Takes less time than getting the regulation back to normal when the
> "pounder" fades into the furniture. I usually set let-off
> at 1/4" to 3/8";
> blow at 1 1/2" ; Dip at 5/16" and checking at the
> appropriate line for these
> specs. Also, if hard hammers w/grooves, surface and soften.
> Some times, even
> all that, will not get rid of the breaking string problem
> with a pounder.
> It's not really how hard they play, but the rhythm of the
> repetitions that
> cause a lot of that. Also the style of key attack. I had
> the pleasure of
> knowing a good jazz pianist that would always go check the
> club piano out a
> few days before his gig. If he felt the piano needed
> work/tuning/whatever,
> he'd talk to the club owner/manager, once. Then, if that
> fell on deaf ears,
> he'd sit down and intentionally break a few strings and
> tell the club to get
> it fixed!<G> He could break strings at will. How he did it,
> I don't have a
> clue. On his own Steinway B, it had all of it's original strings.
> Happy New Year to All,
> Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)
> Captain, Tool Police
> Squares Are I
>
>
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