David- No, my comments are not directly linked. To clarify: 1) Many of the soundboard construction and design ideas often discussed on this list: crowned radial ribs, treble fish, large cut-off bars, free floating bass ends of soundboards, "warm-pressed" hammers, careful inertial calculations and controlled action ratios, carefully calculated string scales, etc. are being adopted by Asian manufacturers, Samick, Young Chang, Hailun and Rittmueller (Pearl River!). Tonal qualities are as you would expect: generally smooth and warm, very touch responsive. I have no idea what concertizing pianists think of these pianos, or if they have even tried them. 2) General observation: If I remember correctly, neuroscientist Elkhonon Goldberg wrote that the human frontal lobes are capable of sustaining about three, maybe four new concepts simultaneously. My self-observation confirms this. We probably all live mostly by our prejudices. How many factors are involved in making, playing, evaluating and selecting a piano? What are all the reasons why people like pianos? The "reasons" are not largely rational, but are largely governed by habit, convenience and "tradition," not to mention the best safe choice we can make in the circumstance and worrying what other people will think of us. People under stress become superstitious (think of baseball players coming to bat). Concert artists are under tremendous stress. Whatever they can do to relieve the stress and perform well is their best choice in the circumstance. As piano technicians we will not ever entirely understand why they do what they do. We may be disappointed in their choices, or confounded by them. If we can make them happy, reduce their anxiety and help them perform, that is our job as technicians. As performers, they are always right. Department heads live with a different kinds of stresses. I'm glad I don't have their jobs, and will say no more on that. 3) Finally I am suggesting that since none of us have been chosen to control the world, or even the piano industry, we might all do well to rehearse our personal versions of the serenity prayer. 4) Since I am a reviewer, not a soundboard builder, it's easy for me to say all this. Remember the conversation I was responding to...it was getting kinda hot there. 5) I love all you guys. Sorta. Sorry if I'm wasting your time. Ed S. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos at comcast.net> To: <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 3:57 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lacquered hammers >I just want to make sure I'm understanding your point before and if I > comment. Are you saying that the current state-of-the-art expectations by > the world's best concertizing pianists are governed by or reflected in the > manufacturing practices of the Samick plant in Indonesia and further that > it's largely the placebo effect that dictates how these same pianists make > esthetic decisions about what tonal output captures and expresses the > music > that they choose to interpret? > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ed > Sutton > Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 12:20 PM > To: caut at ptg.org > 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 >> >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC