<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Jim,<DIV> I'll respond as the "major in piano performance" you requested (MM in piano performance, 1979, so long ago, but still pursuing the piano as a performer with as much passion as ever). My take is "Vive la difference!" I think that the brand issue is of much lesser importance than other considerations, and that the most important thing is that the serious piano student be exposed to well-prepped, well-voiced "hard-pressed" hammers as well as lacquered. I think there is a considerable difference in the tonal subtleties available in a well-needled hard-pressed hammer compared to a well-voiced lacquered hammer, and that in developing the pianistic art, one should work at both.</DIV><DIV> The argument that, because virtually all concert halls feature the D, pianists should practice on Steinways is a pretty weak one IMO. I've got a lot of Steinway grands, and they vary all over the place, from dull to bright, from light to Mack trucks, from blooming to pinched. Hammers from Ronson, Renner, Tokiwa, Abel, and Steinway. What does the brand matter in this context? I guess you could argue that I am giving my students a taste of the real world <g>, though it is more a matter of what I can get around to while trying to keep overall function and pitch within parameters. But our locked practice rooms include Yamaha, Kawai and Mason BB as well as Steinway, and often the Yamahas and Mason get preference (the Kawai is a small loaner, and less often in decent tune as a result, so it tends to get used least).</DIV><DIV> One of my favorite things to do at conventions is to play on all the exhibit pianos. There is such a range of excellence, with all sorts of different approaches to sound, power, touch, etc. It is a revelation to me both as a technician and as a pianist to play on such a variety of well-prepped instruments. BTW, the Steinways in the exhibit hall are usually pretty low on the totem pole, I think because they just pull in an instrument off the local dealer's floor and tune it, while the other exhibitors choose carefully and do meticulous prep.</DIV><DIV> All S&S? No thanks. Same argument as others, particularly not wanting to be tied into the uprights. <DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV><DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV><DIV> </DIV> </DIV> <DIV><DIV>On Mar 30, 2006, at 12:39 PM, Jim Busby wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><DIV class="Section1">List,<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>I’ve noticed that several of you have practice rooms “locked” or reserved for piano performance majors. Many reserve Steinways for those rooms, but isn’t a diversity of brands better? We currently have 6 of these rooms and have the following breakdown;<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>2 Steinway Ms<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P>1 Yamaha C3<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P>1 M&H A<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P>1 Kawai GS-40<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P>1 <ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Baldwin</ST1:PLACE> L<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>All these kept as optimal as possible.<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>Any arguments for going all S&S? I’d especially like to hear from those of you who majored in piano performance.<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>Thanks.<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </O:P>Jim Busby BYU<O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></DIV></O:SMARTTAGTYPE> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>