<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> Paul:<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Get Alan Eder’s video of how to prepare a piano. It’s good, comprehensive and should be in every university’s library.  We have a resident ensemble that only does contemporary music and naturally they prepare pianos a lot.  I’ve never had any real damage in the 21 years I’ve been here.  This can be done carefully, without damage and expands the range of piano music.  When we disparage this it makes us sound like fuddy-duddies who are out of touch with life in the 21st century.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> dp <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> David M. Porritt<o:p></o:p> <a href="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu">dporritt@smu.edu</a><o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T Williams Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 9:09 AM To: College and University Technicians Subject: Re: [CAUT] Agraffes and dampers<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> Welcome Joe, The "prepared piano" as they call it here at UNL is a pain in the @$$^$%#.!!  Students not only put stickers on the damper heads, but also Sharpie pens and chalk marks, even on the strings, pluck with oiley fingers, quarters, paperclips, staples, screwdrivers, and try anything to get "the right sound"! This gives you lots of practice removing objects from the soundboard and action and keybed!  Unless you're able to teach the instructors on removal of foreign "stuffs" and insist they pass the info to the students, you're out of luck on them not damaging things. Strings and agraffes also get quite a bit of damage as well. Think of it as additional job security..... Personally, I'd like to put a nice tight hitchpin loop around the neck of whoever invented this "music"! 2.  Your second question sounds similar to capo problems in grands.  Perhaps, ( and the more experienced CAUT members will add to this) the agraffes have a termination point problem, either very sharp or quite flat.  It could also be weak string problem or very high tension design problem in Petrofs.  I'm not familiar enough on the tension scale of these pianos, but you might want to look that up as well. Just a couple of thoughts.... Best, Paul <o:p></o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td width="40%" valign=top style='width:40.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> Joe Wiencek <jwpiano@earthlink.net> Sent by: caut-bounces@ptg.org <o:p></o:p> 05/15/2007 07:55 AM <o:p></o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor=white style='background:white;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> Please respond to College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p></o:p> </td> <td width="59%" valign=top style='width:59.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> To<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> caut@ptg.org <o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> cc<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <o:p> </o:p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> Subject<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> [CAUT] Agraffes and dampers<o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p> </o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <o:p> </o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <o:p> </o:p> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> <tt>Hello list,</tt> <tt>This is my first posting to the CAUT list.  I have two questions</tt> <tt>1:  How do you keep dampers free from damage when modern music requires </tt> <tt>playing the strings with fingers and the performers paste the damper </tt> <tt>heads with colored stickers, then remove them and tearing felt, etc. </tt> <tt>This is at NYU, but my own experience in music school tells me it must </tt> <tt>be all over.</tt> <tt>2:  A  Petrof P131 upright with agraffes to the top has broken every  </tt> <tt>string from E6-E7.  The break is at the edge of the bearing before </tt> <tt>entering the agraffe on the speaking side. Any ideas?</tt> <tt>Thanks,</tt> <tt>Joe Wiencek</tt> <tt>jwpiano@earthlink.net</tt> <tt>tel: 551 358 4006</tt> <o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>