Allen: If you do wear the cool hats, how will we know if you ' are ' or ' are not ' ??? It would be so confusing :-) Dave McKibben > [Original Message] > From: Alan Barnard <tune4u@earthlink.net> > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: 6/19/2005 8:26:41 PM > Subject: Piano Religion ... was Pitchlock > > Just returned from KC and was interested in the comments below. I was in > classes and conversations with some of our most experienced > rebuilders/voicers/concert prep types, etc., and wish to comment on an > observation. I mean this to be light--and certainly not offensive--but not > quite tongue-in-cheek, either, because there is a serious side to it ... > > One person taught: ABSOLUTELY, always seat the strings on the bridge (light > taps, rubbing, pushing with material softer than string steel, etc.). > Another said: ABSOLUTELY, always give all the bridge pins a judicious tap > or two before you even think about tuning or voicing. Ron says: No way to > either procedure, and I think others agree with him. > > One said: NEVER EVER "cross stitch" voice under the strike point. Another > said: BY ALL MEANS, needle this felt. Some said: Use steam, use pliers, use > alcohol/water. Others: NO NO NO NEVER. One said he only uses lacquer, > another said he never uses lacquer (takes too long to dry and much too long > to stabilize), always use plastic/acetone. Most people say: NEVER deep > needle the strike point and rarely sugar it. One said, basically, Have at > it! and proceeded to demonstrate it on a new hammer in a new Kawai > grand--deeply, aggressively and vigorously, too! > > I spent 3 hours with Virgil Smith, a treat. Very interesting and a > delightful person. Some think he's something of a mystic in his approaches > to tuning, and don't subscribe to them. > > Anyway, I used to think our business was about 1/2 art and 1/2 science; but > no more. I am now convinced it's about 1/3 art, 1/3 science, and 1/3 > religion! > > By the latter, I mean that people practice what they BELIEVE to be true art > and what they believe to be true science; what they have faith in because > of their own experience and their faith in the people they learned it from. > Others--of different piano religions--believe other things, often radically > contrary. > > And there is NOT -- as our Internet discussion about "where the flatness > goes" proved -- a sufficient body of scientific study, or even collected > empirical data, to prove or disprove anybody's piano religion. > > Nor is there anything approaching artistic consensus on many, many topics > that are really quite important. So we have little that can be described as > uncontested orthodoxy in piano belief--with the possible exception that > soaking a piano in a pond is generally agreed to be a bad idea unless the > words "Winter & Sons" appear on the fallboard. > > I find this fascinating. People trying to learn the craft over many years, > have surely been frustrated that the path to enlightenment has so many > forks in it! > > The saddest thing is that sometimes, as among all religions, hard feelings > are often harrowed up and much bitterness has arisen, over the years, > between people who should be friends and collegeaues. > > BTW, Scott would disagree with some of the Pitch-Lock comments that have > been posted lately. For one thing, they would tell you to fix the > string/bridge problems, etc., and only use the clips to fix bad string > matching, mysterious falseness, and other nasties that won't go away after > all else is tried. > > Alan Barnard > Salem, Missouri > > P.S.B.S. If nominated, I will not run for Piano Pope; if elected, I will > not serve. I would, however, wear the cool hats. > > > > [Original Message] > > From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net> > > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > > Date: 06/18/2005 10:17:50 PM > > Subject: Re: Pitchlock > > > > > > > Has anyone had experience with the pitchlock devices. It sounds like > > > something that would help with some wild bass strings, and maybe even > > > some false beating treble strings. However the startup cost is pretty > > > hefty. Not bad if it does what it says, but I thought I might inquire > > > from the list first. > > > Any thoughts?? > > > > > > Ed Carwithen > > > John Day, OR > > > > > > No experience, but coupling a flagpoling bridge pin to another pin > > by a pitchlock staple pretty much has to limit the flagpoling that > > causes the false beat. Short of actually fixing it, this is likely a > > quick, non destructive alternative. WAY better than seating either > > strings or pins. > > > > My call > > > > Ron N > > _______________________________________________ > > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > >
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