At 08:29 -0500 31/12/08, Marcel Carey wrote: >I'll risk my 2¢ here. I don't think it's only Êan impression of more >power that you get with voicing. I think that proper hammer voicing >can really increase the amount of energy that goes into the string >and soundboard system. Here is My reasoning... I won't speculate as to the reasons, much though I'd like to understand them, but I agree that it is not simply an aural illusion. Sustain can be measured in seconds from measured blow to silence, so it's easy enough to put any fantasies to rest. In the case I mentioned there was most definitely a considerable increase. There are also pianos, usually very good ones, which exhibit a swell in the volume just after the attack and then a smooth decay. I'd like to know what happens here as well, and there are rather rare pianos which exhibit a marked swell if the dampers are lifted after a held chord is played. At 19:31 -0800 30/12/08, David Ilvedson wrote: >A little more explanation of what you did...? Nothing very different from what I normally do. We all have our own special ways of toning and a lot too much mystique is built up about the technique of toning. Anyone can jab needles into hammers but not everyone can hear, as a recent thread has demonstrated. In toning one needs to be able to identify and focus on any part of the tonal spectrum in isolation or in combination. I always use a single needle and most of the groundwork is done with a stabbing action with the hammer heads supported on a little rosewood tray. As the work progresses I also use a squeezing or pushing action, which I use exclusively for the una corda toning. As to the crown, I work with a fine 3M Fre-cut 618 paper and a polished steel rod. I never jab needle into the crown. JD
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