This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Hey Dave, I think Joe's comment does have some merit. I *do* understand the = practice room problem of loudness, but I remember just "hammering away" = at the voicing anyway, to help keep things under control (and so I could = bear to tune the pianos). I remember visiting a fellow university tech, = taking a look at a particular piano in a practice room and asking if = that was the tone quality he was shooting for. (I mean, there is some = difference between that granite sound and just plain loud.) His = immediate response was, "It's only a practice room." Well??? =20 Then we went up to a recital hall to have a look at one of the = instruments there. Holy Toledo, I just about fell over playing the = first chord. He admitted that his assistant was supposed to have voiced = it, but obviously hadn't. But he also said, that that was how everybody = liked them (and added the comment that some of the petite girls needed = help in producing volume--you might be able to imagine my reaction to = that). But, he was told when he first arrived on the job that "they = like things bright here." Well, who can argue with that? I didn't ask = him who said that, but I might the next time I see him. So, it sort of brings up the "school sound"-- and who determines it. In = my case, I set it and got lucky because it was well received. I do = remember one professor telling me of a visiting pianist (from a big = university) making comments about the pianos here. "If only I could = have pianos like this in my studio." I *think* he was talking tone = quality, because those were 1970s Teflon Steinways with original = everything (they weren't terrific *playing* instruments because I was = fairly limited in what I could do since my predecessor had repinned the = parts with telephone poles and we had no parts budget). Anyway, my = reaction to his comment was, "Well, why doesn't he say something to his = technician?" I knew who the head tech at that school was at the time = and I knew he was a competent technician. So.....there are a lot of determining factors. Folks get used to a = certain sound, folks who are afraid to ask for something different, = etc., etc., etc....... I have a customer who recently replaced her worn out, little old no name = grand with a 1940s B--all original. Something was said about how she = liked the sound and touch of the used one better than the new. I knew = why---it felt and sounded most like her old piano--desperate for = regulation, complete with dampers bouncing on the backs of the keys. = :-) Barbara Richmond ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Porritt, David=20 To: Pianotech=20 Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2005 8:07 AM Subject: RE: Modern Tone Joe: =20 Your "tin can" comment below is close, but no cigar. We have 10 = practice rooms reserved for piano majors with 10 Steinways (5 Ms, 4Ls = and a B) The rooms are tin cans. If you can imagine a room with a B = that can hold the B, a bench and a small to medium sized student. How = do you get a sound that isn't too loud? I have encouraged students to = invest in some kind of hearing protection. Generally they do leave the = short lid closed with the music desk sitting on top of the piano. In = spite of the fact that this makes the music awkwardly high, it's better = than going deaf before lunch. I have steamed the hammers (doesn't last) = I've fabric softened the hammers (doesn't last and causes the hammers to = loose their shape) needled the hammers (really nothing lasts). These = pianos are played very hard and in a room about 5% of the size room = these pianos were made to fill. In our case at least it's not the = pianos, but the rooms. =20 =20 All our rooms do have walnut paneling and in the next year there is to = be some acoustic modifications made to them. The goal is to reduce = volume in the rooms and cut down sound transfer between the rooms. = (Right now we have a lot of Mozart/Liszt collaborations that you don't = want to hear!) =20 =20 When you think practice rooms, remember that these are often really = nice pianos in extremely small rooms! =20 dp =20 David M. Porritt dporritt@smu.edu ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/a9/d9/02/6b/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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