Self voicing hammers/work hardening /.....Flamesuit? why?

[Porritt, David]

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Barbara:

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I don't think one should have to invest $90,000 in a piano that's not
finished either.  I might be in an irreverent mood, but I don't see any
reason for using those famous hammers that take days of prep and years
of use before they sound good (the day before they're worn out.)

=20

I've just finished hanging 2 sets of Ronsen Wurzen felt hammers and
these make the others even more unnecessary.

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Flame away!

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dp

=20

David M. Porritt

dporritt@smu.edu

________________________________

From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Barbara Richmond
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 5:29 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Self voicing hammers/work hardening /.....Flamesuit? why?

=20

=20

	----- Original Message -----=20

	From: antares <mailto:antares@euronet.nl> =20

	To: Pianotech <mailto:pianotech@ptg.org> =20

	Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 3:58 PM

	Subject: Re: Self voicing hammers/work hardening
/.....Flamesuit? why?

	=20

=09
	On 23-mei-05, at 21:42, Barbara Richmond wrote:

	<snip>
	=20
	I can imagine all sorts of scenarios, but I'm thinking the one
that might match what's happening in this case, is that the church has
been told to "work harden" to get the sound they want.  Now, it's not
that I don't believe the benefits of work hardening, but I don't think
folks should be frustrated by how their piano plays and sounds, either.
I worked on a lovely D at Illinois Wesleyan University for the first 5
1/2 years of its life.  It was a delight to see it mature, but there was
also the expectation from the very beginning that it would always be up
to performance level.
	=20
	Whatever the truth of the situation is, it made me wonder about
the excuse of "work hardening" instead of putting the piano close to the
voicing level that is really wanted.  How much "voicing" does work
hardening account for?   As I said before, I listened to the changes in
a D for 5 1/2 years in a university school of music, the whole time
working with the voicing.  Well, I would expect to be constantly working
on the voicing of any performance piano, anyway.  Would using the excuse
(exclusively) of work hardening say more about the tech's ability to
handle the voicing and/or what voicing tools (as in whatever methods)
they use? =20
	=20
	<snip>

=09
	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 stories, if only to mask their ignorance.
=09
	Flamesuit?=20
	why?
=09
	Oh, heck, there could be the chance that I am being blasphemous.
I don't have much experience with too soft Steinway hammers--mostly
over-hardened ones.  But I do have experience with some that are just
fine, just so you know.  :-)=20

	=20

	On the other hand, I don't think that after paying $90,000 or
whatever for a piano, it should take years(?, if it takes that) to get
the desired tone.

	=20

	Barbara


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