<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Commenting on Don's remarks, typically you get awfully close to blocking on a heavy touch/squeeze if you want good dynamic control on one of these. There is no letoff or check. The hammers are striking downwards, and are moving counter to a return spring. You need to be able to get enough momentum to overcome the spring tension. The front rail punching is all that stops the hammer being propelled from the keystroke of the player. Once the key bottoms out, the hammer flies free, and then bounces back. The closer you are to having the hammer touching the tone bar when the key bottoms out, the more control the player has, just like with a piano but more so (overcoming gravity is easier than overcoming a spring regulated strong enough to return against gravity).<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So a fine regulation will come as close as you can to blocking, and it's the tech's guess how heavy handed the player will be. People used to the average badly prepped instrument will tend to be heavy-handed (being used to "cyphers" - notes that don't speak when similar keystrokes are used), and that could be a problem. But a well-regulated celesta can really be a nice, expressive musical instrument. The one that was brought to Nashville was a case in point. If blocking is a problem, the solution is simple: add a fr punching or two (other regulation being good).<br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; 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; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><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><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br><div><div>On Jan 31, 2008, at 1:15 PM, Don Mannino wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; 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; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div lang="EN-US" vlink="purple" link="blue"><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">Eric,</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080"></font></span> </div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">I looked over a new Schiedmayer Celesta at the NAMM show a couple of weeks back. It was a beautiful sounding instrument with (if I remember right) 4 octaves range, but the action did not seem well regulated to me. I'm not too knowledgeable about these, but you could make many notes block if you pressed hard after playing. I don't think it was meant to be that way . . .</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080"></font></span> </div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">I could see inside, and the action seemed more complex than necessary, but I assumed that this is because of the arrangement of rather large tone bars in this big instrument.</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080"></font></span> </div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">The really, really nice tone is what stayed in my mind.</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080"></font></span> </div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">Sorry, I haven't seen a Yamaha celesta.</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080"></font></span> </div><div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="312331120-31012008"><font color="#000080">Don Mannino</font></span></div><br><div class="OutlookMessageHeader" lang="en-us" dir="ltr" align="left"><hr tabindex="-1"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>From:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">caut-bounces@ptg.org</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>[<a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</a>]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)<br><b>Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:59 AM<br><b>To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>College and University Technicians<br><b>Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>[CAUT] Celesta<br></font><br></div><div></div><div class="Section1"><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; ">Hi All,<o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; ">I’d be interested in hearing comments anyone might have in comparing a Schiedmayer celesta to the Yamaha celesta. I know the Yamaha has an action more like a piano action and therefore might be a bit more “pianist friendly” to play and more “technician friendly” to service. How does it stack up tonally?<o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; ">I’m a rather reluctant (but capable) caretaker for a couple of over-the-hill Schiedmayers and am just wondering…<o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; ">Eric<o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Book Antiqua" color="blue" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: 'Book Antiqua'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><st1:personname w:st="on"><font face="Informal Roman" color="red" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; ">Eric Wolfley</span></font></st1:personname><font face="Informal Roman" color="red"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; ">, RPT</span></font><font color="blue"><span style="color: blue; "><o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Informal Roman" color="red" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; ">Director of Piano Services</span></font><font color="blue"><span style="color: blue; "><o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Informal Roman" color="red" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; ">College-Conservatory of Music</span></font><font color="blue"><span style="color: blue; "><o:p></o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><font face="Informal Roman" color="red" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; ">University</span></font></st1:placetype><font face="Informal Roman" color="red"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Informal Roman'; "><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Cincinnati</st1:placename></span></font></st1:place><o:p></o:p></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; "><o:p> </o:p></span></font></div></div></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>