[CAUT] Lacquered hammers

[Ed Sutton]

I recall a press release that said 30%...3% shy of one-third.
Ed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laurence Libin" <lelibin at optonline.net>
To: "Ed Sutton" <ed440 at mindspring.com>; <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 3:24 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lacquered hammers


> Does Samick literally own one-third of Steinway? I didn't realize they'd 
> increased their share that much.
> Laurence
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ed Sutton" <ed440 at mindspring.com>
> To: <caut at ptg.org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 3:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lacquered hammers
>
>
>> Each year at NAMM I discover how much the world is not what it would be 
>> if I were in charge.
>> Gradually I am learning that it is what it is, and that I need to respect 
>> that what exists is at least able to exist.
>>
>> People (including people in power at colleges) say many ignorant things 
>> about pianos, but years ago I realized that if everybody dumber than me 
>> got as smart as me, I'd be at the bottom percentile, not a thought that 
>> pleases me. People mostly repeat what they were told, so change is 
>> usually slow and capricious.
>>
>> Meanwhile, if you want to see pianos made according to more current 
>> technology, go to Indonesia and visit the Samick plant. They are already 
>> making bellies and cases (now called "tone bodies") for increasingly 
>> prestigious-named companies (who are rather secretive about it...wonder 
>> why?). And they own one third of Steinway.
>>
>> By the way, placebos do work, by reducing the stress hormones in the 
>> brain. What makes a placebo work better? Bigger, more colorful, more 
>> expensive, used by somebody famous, just plain belief, everybody knows 
>> it's good. These are from double-blind tests of sugar pills. Do you 
>> suppose it doesn't apply to pianists, piano dealers, and piano 
>> technicians? Truth is our brains can't keep up, and we got no choice but 
>> to keep huffing or drop out.
>>
>> Let me know when the world is fixed.
>> Meanwhile, let me know if I'm being human, more or less.
>>
>> Ed Sutton
>>
>>
>>> If nobody wants to play it, it  won't get played, period. It will be a 
>>> failure, period. No matter how  much of your life's blood you have given 
>>> to make it the best it can be  (in your opinion).
>>> Dragging the state of the art back to the stone age? Well, the state  of 
>>> the art has to please the state of the art. Meaning the modern  piano 
>>> has to please the modern pianist, and the concert piano has to  please 
>>> its wide range of users. If the "state of the art" of piano  redesign is 
>>> capable of doing that, it will be a resounding success. If  not, not.
>>> Are there examples of redesigned concert pianos that have met with 
>>> consensus success at their institutions? If so, those are the 
>>> instruments to examine to discover what portions of redesign are most 
>>> fruitful. (Redesign for the individual is a completely different 
>>> animal).
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Fred Sturm
>>> fssturm at unm.edu
>>> "Since everything is in our heads, we had better not lose them." Coco 
>>> Chanel
>>>
>>
>