---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment On 23-mei-05, at 21:42, Barbara Richmond wrote: > > Hi all, > =A0 > Had a little conversation with someone this weekend that got me=20 > thinking (well, now, there's a miracle!). The setting was the=20 > auditorium I where I provide the service.=A0 A church group was using = it=20 > for some musical extravaganza.=A0 As I finished up tuning,=A0the choir=20= > director came up to me and said what a wonderful instrument the piano=20= > was---it was so bright (that made me cringe!) compared to "their D" at=20= > the church=A0(OK, it was a comparative comment, I felt better.) and = the=20 > touch was so=A0even.=A0 I said thank you and explained that I had = replaced=20 > the action in the piano and voiced it specifically for the=20 > auditorium.=A0 He went on to tell me how they (the folks from the=20 > church) went to New York to choose their instrument and what a great=20= > experience that was.=A0 But then he asked me for my card--although the=20= > dealer tech was servicing their piano, he said it wouldn't hurt to=20 > know someone else who knows their way around a Steinway.=A0 No, it=20 > doesn't hurt to know someone else who knows their way around a=20 > Steinway, but it made me wonder what their instrument sounds like. > =A0 > I can imagine all sorts of scenarios, but I'm thinking the one that=20 > might match what's happening in this case, is that the church has been=20= > told to "work harden" to get the sound they want.=A0 Now, it's not = that=20 > I don't believe the benefits of work hardening, but I don't think=20 > folks should be frustrated by how their piano plays and sounds,=20 > either.=A0=A0 I worked on a lovely D at Illinois Wesleyan University = for=20 > the first 5 1/2 years of its life.=A0 It was a delight to see it = mature,=20 > but there was=A0also the expectation from the very beginning that it=20= > would always be up to performance level. > =A0 > Whatever the truth of the situation is, it made me wonder about the=20 > excuse of=A0"work hardening" instead of putting the piano close to the=20= > voicing level that is really wanted.=A0 How much "voicing" does work=20= > hardening account for?=A0=A0 As I said before, I listened to the = changes=20 > in a=A0D for 5 1/2 years in a university school of music, the whole = time=20 > working with the voicing.=A0 Well, I would expect to be constantly=20 > working on the voicing=A0of any performance piano, anyway.=A0 Would = using=20 > the excuse (exclusively) of work hardening=A0say more about the tech's=20= > ability to handle the voicing and/or what voicing tools (as in=20 > whatever methods) they use?=A0=A0 > =A0 > There have been a number of times in my life (including when I was a=20= > music major), where I played on what seemed like puff balls and was=20 > told the piano just needed to be played.=A0 Nobody=A0seemed to=A0comment= on=20 > the ones I thought were too bright.=A0 =A0Maybe that's why I became a=20= > technician who has a thing about voicing.=A0 :-) > =A0 > My intent is not to offend anyone, but Conrad, send me a flamesuit,=20 > just in case.=A0 Just wondering what you all have experienced. > =A0 > Thanks, > =A0 > Barbara Richmond, RPT It is actually quite simple Barbara, as you know too well... There are just very few people who know what real voicing is. When being confronted with a puzzle they can't solve, they will tell=20 stories, if only to mask their ignorance. Flamesuit? why? friendly greetings from Andr=E9 Oorebeek www.concertpianoservice.nl "Where music is no harm can be" ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 4303 bytes Desc: not available Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/d4/26/e5/c6/attachment.bin ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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