[CAUT] Fwd: Steinway sound-Hammer weights

[Fred Sturm]

On Mar 3, 2011, at 9:49 AM, David Love wrote:

> I find that with the professional pianists that I work with (and  
> there are
> quite a few) brighter is rarely the choice for their practice  
> pianos.  Most
> want a pretty round and warm sound, clear and not muffled, but not  
> what I
> would consider bright.


	Thanks for the response. I am not really talking about bright overall  
as a consistent expectation/desire, but about having an available  
tonal spectrum that continues to rise in the top end of the force  
applied. The brilliance of a concerto instrument is rarely a good  
choice for a practice or studio instrument. But, OTOH, when you go  
"too dark" or "muffled," and lack range of color, that is  
unacceptable. Clarity and range seems to be the top priority, with  
overall color negotiable, as long as the hammer "continues to  
rise" (as the Germans put it). I do not see that happening with too  
soft a hammer in a modern parameter instrument, in any instance I have  
had personal contact with. Practically speaking, I'd rather start a  
little hard and needle down than guess wrong on the low side. (Though  
I do work with a lot of Steinway hammers with the expectation of  
lacquer, and that is another side of the coin - certainly different  
from installing soft hammers with the expectation of not lacquering)
	In any case, one thing I would be very interested in is experience  
with a concert instrument in a reasonably large hall (200+ seats),  
whether there is anyone who has put on soft hammers in that situation  
and found that they were accepted by the performers. What I have heard  
from colleagues and gathered from my own experience is that invariably  
significant hardener has needed to be added to produce acceptable  
results.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
"We either make ourselves happy
or miserable. The amount of work is
the same." - Carlos Casteneda

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