[CAUT] Steinway extra-bore-length

[David Love]

Are you suggesting then that when you press the needles in you are actually
feeling for the gaps between the fibers?  I agree that fewer insertions to
achieve the goal is better the more insertions and I suppose it could be
argued that generally the press method will result in fewer insertions.
Beyond that, however, I don't think I'm inclined to go for the mechanics of
fiber response to press versus stab as the reason.  I do think that it's
probably better for the less experienced to use the press method.  For
someone who has achieved a level of skill for hitting their mark and at the
desired depth I don't see any reason not to use the stab method.  I think we
may agree that generally speaking the press method will yield better results
with less damage but I'm not sure if we agree as to the reason.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred
Sturm
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 7:20 AM
To: College & University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway extra-bore-length

On Jun 3, 2010, at 10:54 PM, David Love wrote:

> With respect to the question of more or less tearing with a fast or  
> slow stroke all I can say is when I get a flue shot every year I  
> think there's a reason that they employ the stab rather than the  
> press method and I'm not sorry that they do.


	But that is in line with a stab cutting more readily. The quick stab

breaks the skin surface and some muscle underneath, and the needle  
penetrates. Press, and the skin indents and nerves are activated. The  
skin is a "solid" surface and needs to be cut to be penetrated.
	A hammer, OTOH, is a bunch of fibers with air space in between  
(unless it is ridiculously too densely pressed), and we want the  
needle to go in the space between fibers and spread them rather than  
cut them. That is what adds to the resilience, the bounce of the  
hammer. The fibers are (generally) stiffly joined in an array, and  
need to be loosened up, like a pair of jeans dried on the line. The  
less destructively we can do this, the better, or so I picture it -  
and experience seems to bear this out, both in longevity and tonal  
results.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
http://www.youtube.com/fredsturm