<html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> It would be nice to turn this to a positive note since I think something important can be gleaned from this discussion about how to approach voicing generally without engaging in low level personal attacks and then hiding behind "I'm just expressing my personal opinion".  The primary reason I'm dubious of anyone who claims to know my voicing "style" is that I have no absolute voicing style.  I don't walk into a customer's house and insist that I know how their piano should sound.  My approach is to simply ask people if they are happy with the way their piano sounds.  I don't try to make every Steinway sound the same.  I will use different techniques depending on the situation.  I don't approach every piano with a single goal in mind.  That is my style.  If people are happy with the sound of their piano, I smooth it out and leave well enough alone.  If they are not, I engage them in a discussion about tone, find out what they like or don't like, demonstrate what we might hear with certain sample notes, maybe sample some different hammers, until I have a clear picture of what they want.  It takes time and I take the time.  Tastes will vary quite a bit.  Some will like it very bright, even strident.  Others will like it very dark with no hint of stridency at even the highest levels of playing.  I have made arguments to take pianos both ways, brighter and darker.  In the end, however, I always defer.  It's their piano.  When asked my own personal tastes I tell them that I prefer pianos slightly darker (not mushy) but slightly dark and warm rather than bright and percussive.  I don't happen to care for stridency and I'm not overly impressed by power, but that's just my taste.  Maybe after listening to pianos all day I prefer something warm and fuzzy.  But I always state that as my personal preference and emphasize that there is no right or wrong when it comes to the overall level they prefer.  Ultimately, it is their choice.  Whatever level they choose I will say that I think it should be balanced from bottom to top and transition smoothly through the sections.  That is the overriding goal.  The bottom line with tone is expectation.  When you play a note, it should give you the sound that you anticipate getting, whatever that is.   Concert pianos offer other challenges.  To carry a large hall the tone must put more emphasis on power.  Voicing in these cases is done for the hall, not for the bench and the tonal results between the hall and bench might be quite different.  I've heard (and prepped) many pianos that sounded very good in the hall but not nearly as good at the bench (including some prepped by C&A techs).  Most of those pianos I would not want in my living room (sounding as they do for the hall), nor would most of my customers.  Moving out 30 rows does wonders to smooth the rough edges and sometimes those compromises are necessary.  Smaller halls with lively acoustics may not require the same emphasis on power preparation and the experience at the bench may to a much greater degree match the experience in the hall.  As a side note, with lacquered hammers you are often stuck with using the una corda pedal in a single position--it's either on or off--because of the difficulty in getting every little lacquer crystal in every position that might cause an unwanted zing.  That limits the range of the palette that can otherwise be achieved by subtle manipulation of the una corda in different positions.  Only with an unlacquered hammer do you really have the ability to explore the wider range of colors by striking the strings on various parts of the hammer surface without unwanted surprises.     The reputation I have built for voicing over many years is based on attention to customers' own particular tastes combined with the skills to get it there and a lack of pretension that I know better what they should want.  I prefer not to have that reputation sullied by someone who either can't find a more positive way to express themselves and who clearly has some personal ax to grind.  Those who prefer to take a more conservative approach by not venturing beyond the manufacturer's recommendations for voicing, hammer selection, or design for that matter, are well within their right to do that.  I simply think that approach can be self defeating at times and I wouldn't always recommend it.  Staying open minded to varying tonal tastes and the means necessary to achieve those goals as well as discovering the aesthetic balance within those choices can be a challenge, but in terms of customer satisfaction it is worth it in the long run.      David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com     </div> </body> </html>