Your practical hammer weight experiment (was RE: Good book on voicing...?)

[Lesher, Trent J.]

Thanks Barbara,
 
No, I knew you weren't trying to conduct a controlled research experiment.  Your impressions just as you are giving them are great.  You know, a little bit here and little bit there, you never know what might help give you a useful clue or bit of context later.  
 
The comment about the Yamaha clips is intriguing to me, too, because I have one piano whose hammers have lost a lot of felt over the years...and I've often been curious how much of what I'm hearing is due to loss of mass and how much is due to loss of "cushion," i.e., the thickness of the felt.  Not to mention the strike angle being slightly changed.
 
You wrote:  "everything was improved with the lighter hammers, initial attack through decay.  Again, the tone color variety available was superb."  I will be curious to hear your full report later -- from your earlier reports of this piano, it sure sounds like you have it performing beautiful leaps and bounds better than it has in a long time!
 
Best regards,
 
Trent Lesher

 
 
-----Original Message----- 
From: Barbara Richmond [mailto:piano57@flash.net] 
Sent: Fri 11/19/2004 6:05 PM 
To: Lesher, Trent J. 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: Your practical hammer weight experiment (was RE: Good book on voicing...?)



	Hi Trent,
	
	Actually, I'm not smart enough to think up such a gem.  But I am a good
	student (still in learning plenty after 22 1/2 years) and willing to try new
	things. So, thank Bill Ballard, he's the one who suggested the experiment to
	me, though later he admitted he had never actually done it.  That guy!  :-)
	
	I wasn't experimenting for the sake of piano science, only trying to find
	what would work on *this* particular piano (Steinway D) with *this* set of
	hammers (big & heavy).  So, I can't make any generalizations or proclaim any
	knowledge or wisdom on the subject of hammer weight--only my taste in
	voicing.  I had three concerns to rectify--carrying power, touchweight and
	musical flexibility for the pianist.
	
	With the too heavy hammers, the tone was muffled, though
	pleasant--especially compared to the previous granite voicing.  Compared to
	the lighter hammers, the too heavy hammers did not carry as well out into
	the hall.  The range of tone color was not as good with the too heavy
	hammers as with the lighter ones.
	
	Actually, everything was improved with the lighter hammers, initial attack
	through decay.  Again, the tone color variety available was superb.
	
	I'm sorry I can't be more scientific about it all, I was just searching for
	the best voice for this piano in this setting.  I'm planning on writing
	about my adventure and getting into more detail, later.
	
	My past experience with hammers that were too light (and it was may fault
	they got that way! :-o), again on a D, was there was not enough power or
	depth of tone.  Those Yamaha clips to add weight saved me until something
	could be done.  Whew!
	
	It's an easy experiment.  Just remember to number the hammers!  :-)
	
	Barbara Richmond, RPT
	
	
	----- Original Message -----
	From: "Lesher, Trent J." <tlesher@sachnoff.com>
	To: "Barbara Richmond" <piano57@flash.net>; "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
	Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 1:42 PM
	Subject: Your practical hammer weight experiment (was RE: Good book on
	voicing...?)
	
	
	Thanks Barbara.  This is a real clear, practical nugget.  Can you explain a
	little more what it sounds like when you hear "interference," going if
	possible from the attack, through the initial stronger sound, to the sustain
	after the first second, finally on through the decay?
	
	
	



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