[CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!

[David Ilvedson]

How do you clamp staple to the hammer?  C-clamps?   ;-]  Is it just the pressure of prongs going down the sides of the hammers?

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Daniel Gurnee <dgurnee@humboldt1.com>
To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>
Received: Fri, 08 Oct 2004 08:35:46 -0700
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!

>Humboldt State University has performed works requiring a Cimbalom type
>sound which I provided not with tacks but staples.  A light sound can be
>obtained using paper straples and a heavies sound with shop staples.  The
>staples are placed at the crown of the hammer crosswise and clamped to the
>sides.  The impact on playing keeps the staple in place and does no damage
>to the hammer.

>Daniel Gurnee, RPT retired from HSU




>on 10/8/04 4:15 AM, Victor Belanger at vbela@MIT.EDU wrote:

>> How ironic!
>> 
>> Next week I have to prep a piano for Lou Harrison's Symphony #3, and
>> in the score there are instructions of installing thumb tack in the
>> hammers.
>> At first I thought to myself "what kind of piece of s&%t  of a piano
>> can I put on stage" but then I looked at the score and it is somewhat
>> demanding.
>> It does not make me happy but, I chose an upright and I will take it
>> as it is and find out what needs to be done after. If I need to
>> change the hammers, then that is what I will need to do; sadly.
>> 
>> Anyone with other kind of experiences with thumbtack that could
>> recommend a few pointers.
>> 
>> Best.
>> 
>> Victor Belanger
>> MIT
>> 
>> ----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
>> From: John Minor <jminor@uiuc.edu>
>> To: caut <caut@ptg.org>
>> Received: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 10:55:11 -0500
>> Subject: [CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!
>> 
>>> Well, it finally happened. Every university technician fears
>>> that one day the following will happen in their school:
>> 
>>> A recently rebuilt Steinway B was used for a performance of
>>> Stravinsky's RAGTIME. The piece calls for cymbalum so, in it's
>>> place a piano had thumb tacks pushed into the hammer felt to
>>> imitate the sound. This was for a NEW MUSIC performance here
>>> at the University of Illinois.
>> 
>>> I wrote a nice email to the performing arts center director
>>> where the atrocity was committed and informed them the hammers
>>> would need to be replaced at a cost of $400 for the parts.
>>> Unfortunately, I failed to mention the 30 or so hours it could
>>> take to bore and hang the new set!
>> 
>>> The department directors spoke and the offenders were
>>> supposedly "spoken to" about the matter. Personally I'd rather
>>> have had the chance to talk to people face to face and ask,
>>> "What were you thinking?" There seems to be an attitude of
>>> "I'll do anything I darn well feel like doing" among many in
>>> our music department. Is that an isolated attitude?
>> 
>> 
>>> John Minor
>>> University of Illinois
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