performance piano - student psychopathology 101

[David Love]

I've found that a couple of deep stitches in the 1:30 to 3:00 (and 9:00 to
10:30) with a single glover's needle can open that area of the hammer in
preparation for needling closer to the strike point.  But no more than two
or three single stitches on either side.   Once the shoulder shows some
squeeze, then its time to release tension nearer to the crown.  A single
sharp penetrating parallel to the moulding off the strike point will
release tension without having to pulverize the shoulder or risk cutting
the fibers so that the hammer will start to tear.  I don't prefer to needle
deep into the crown of a Yamaha, Renner or Abel hammer because I find it
just kills them too much.  I do find that using a tool with three sharps
and entering at a point very close to the crown but with the needles
pointing outward toward the shoulder will release tension from the outer
layers of felt and warm up the tone considerably without killing it. 
Imagine a round circle under the strike point.  Starting at 10:30 and 1:30
with a triple needle, needle toward the strike point (with the needles
pointing away from the strike point) keeping the angle of the needles
tangent to the circle.  Penetrate the felt from 1-4 mm.  Stop before you
get to the strike point.  You can then either sugar coat the strike point,
or, as I prefer, take the triple needle and separate some of the layers of
felt in by needling across the strike point (needles perpendicular to the
core, parallel to the shank).  Separate only 1 mm or less to begin with. 
Set the felt with a small hammer and test.   For me, this produces a sound
that maintains power at the upper end, but gives the greatest range of
color in between without compromising sustain.  

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: Kent Swafford <kswafford@earthlink.net>
> To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: 9/17/2003 3:02:49 PM
> Subject: Re: performance piano - student psychopathology 101
>
> Ed, you're probably right, but there _is_ an identifiable mechanism by  
> which glover's needles might damage hammer felt, and that is that they  
> have sharp corners that appear to be sharp enough to slice fibers  
> rather than simply spread fibers as regular sewing needles do. I still  
> think glover's needles probably have no place in piano hammers.
>
> Kent
>
>
> On Wednesday, September 17, 2003, at 04:37  PM, A440A@aol.com wrote:
>
> > Kent writes:
> >
> > << I'd go farther. Glovers needles don't exacerbate the problem; they
> > _cause_ the problem in the first place.
> >
> > Trash the glover's needles, stick with some good "sharps", and I bet
> > hammers won't split. >>
> >
> > Greetings,
> >    I have seen hammers split before, and it didn't seem to be because  
> > of any
> > particular type of needle, but rather, how they were applied.
> >    When a voicer continues softening a really hard hammer by needling  
> > on
> > either side of the crown,  they can cut enough fiber to allow the  
> > compression
> > under the strike point to pull the hammer apart.  I did this once,  
> > myself.  If the
> > hammer is that compressed, it is necesary to release some of the  
> > compression
> > under the strike point as well as softening shoulders.
> >     After the shoulders are somewhat relaxed, and no apparent change  
> > of tone
> > is forthcoming, it is time to drive a couple or three deep needles  
> > into the
> > crown,all  the way to the core.  Trying to get a mellow sound out of  
> > really hard
> > hammers without this will usually lead the acupuncturist to destroy the
> > continuity of the felt on the sides.  Once this is done,  the  
> > compression will
> > resolve itself in this localized area on either side of the strike  
> > point by
> > pulling the hammer apart.
> >    On the other hand, ignoring the shoulders and just needling the  
> > crown will
> > also destroy the hammer, in a hurry.  Getting a gradual change of  
> > density
> > means working almost all of the felt.
> >     Renner hammers don't seem to suffer quite so much from this, but I  
> > have
> > noticed Yamaha hammers, as well as some of the other Asian imports  
> > will.
> >    Don't be afraid to go for the heart, that is where the tone is most  
> > easily
> > manipulated.
> >
> >
> >
> > Ed Foote RPT
> > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/
> > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
> >  <A  
> > HREF="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/399/ 
> > six_degrees_of_tonality.html">
> > MP3.com: Six Degrees of Tonality</A>
> > _______________________________________________
> > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
>
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