Hard to control the hammer when you've suddenly got a 1/4" of lost motion...what pianos often need is regular voicing to allow a normal pianissimo... David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "Jim Perkins" <jimperkins at optusnet.com.au> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> Received: 1/14/2007 8:37:27 PM Subject: RE: false beats, real jazz and satisfaction >Speaking as a pianist and piano teacher, whilst agreeing that the 'soft' >pedal on uprights doesn't come anywhere near the effect of that on >grands- where the special effect is largely due to a less used (softer) >portion of the hammer felt striking the string- as well as a reduced >number of unisons, I can't agree that it doesn't work at all. The >problem is that the pianist has to PLAY softly and that demands control >and practice on the part of the pianist. The reduced travel of the >hammer assists soft playing by allowing more control over the hammer >swing. >When your customers say it doesn't work, tell them that they have to >master the technique of using it! >Jim Perkins >-----Original Message----- >From: Farrell [mailto:mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com] >Sent: Sunday, 14 January 2007 10:46 AM >To: Pianotech List >Subject: Re: false beats, real jazz and satisfaction >IMHO, you are correct. The soft (left) pedal on most vertical pianos is >nothing more than a marketing effort, on the part of manufacturers, to >paint >their vertical piano "the same as" a grand piano. >Terry Farrell >----- Original Message ----- >> >From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com> >>>The soft pedal of most uprights is the one that pushes the hammer rail >>>forward. I suspect the "moderator rail" is the mute rail - usually the >>>middle pedal on verticals equipped with that feature (if one can call >it >>>that - I have several four-letter-word descriptions for those #%&$s). >>> >>>Terry Farrell >> >> >> Correct. The moderator is the "mute rail" (middle pedal in uprights). >The >> soft pedal is the left pedal which makes nothing except pushing the >hammer >> rail forward, which is definitlely not audible. Many customers ask me: >the >> left pedal doesn´t work. Could you fix it? My answer is always: It >works, >> but you can´t hear anything! >> >> In my opinion the left pedal in uprights is just an an attempt to >copy >> the effect of the left pedal in grands. Obivously, it doesn´t work and >> won´t ever work. The theory is: shorter way, lesser energy, quiet >sound. >> In praxis it means: shorter way, no idea as to energy, same sound. I >work >> as psychologist at the university in my hometown (making my PhD) and >am >> toying around with the idea to test that in a scientific way. But I >have >> not the technical possibillities to realize it. An idea could be to >use >> Yamaha discPiano and make subjects listen to the same song with and >> without soft pedal and to compare the results. Anyway: the left pedal >in >> uprights produces no audible effect. Other opinions? >> >> Gregor
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