<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN>W<SPAN class=280343818-02122003>im,</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>I recall trying the "playing-in" = approach on a new, but "not alive" D in a local hall several years = ago.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>We sent students over daily to = bang out octaves from bottom to top. Other than tendonitis, the effects = (IMHO) were marginal. </SPAN><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>Or let me put it = another way, the contributions of "playing-in" towards (everyone's) performance expectations, were small, if any.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>After several moderate = hammer-filings, and 4 days of careful prep, I finally caved in and let Trevor Nelson, RPT = (Boulder, co.) treat 'everything that moved' for friction, albeit within = current factory practice. </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>"Almost there,.. but not quite," I = applied two tiny drops of acetone/keytop solution to every hammer crown, lightly = filed, then needled "string-by-string."</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>THE GIANT AWOKE!</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>Yes, the piano is lovely, even 3 = 1/2 years later.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>And BTW, I don't disagree that = there are benefits of "playing in." These however are fairly predictable and = specific, and sometimes, you just know, that's NOT what's going to get the job done.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>The irony of this tale (as those = who remember it will recall) is that people who heard/played this instrument = "before," now say it's sure lovely now that it's "played-in!"  ;>)</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>Mark Cramer,</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003>Brandon University</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=280343818-02122003> </SPAN>----- Original = Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Wimblees@aol.com href="mailto:Wimblees@aol.com">Wimblees@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, December 01, = 2003 4:19 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> It's Alive!!!!</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Well, actually, it's dead. At least that is what Olga Kern told = me last week. She was here to give a recital. I prepped our new D, and put = it in the middle of the stage. At 6:30 I stopped by to see if there was = anything she needed. She said, "This piano is dead." I said it was only a = year old, and had probably only been played about a dozen times. She said, it = sounded like it. I should have kept my mouth shut, but I offered her our 14 = year D, which was sittting off stage. After playing just 3 chords, she said = she wanted to play the recital on that piano, but only after warming up = on it. I had 15 minutes to tune it before the doors opened. Unfortunately, by = the end of the fist half, there were several notes that didn't make it. = </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But that is not what I'm here to complain about. Olga was not = the first pianist to complain about the new piano. Last March Misha Dichter = had the same complaint. (but at least he gave me 2 hours to prep the older = piano). My question is, how do I put more "life" into a new piano? As I = said, the piano only comes out of it's hiding place for special occasions. = (No, sun down is not a special occasion here in Alabama, especially not on = Sundays.) Since we got the piano in August of last year, there have been about = 12 performances on it. The piano is voiced, regulated, etc., so I = don't quite understand when a performer says there is no life in the = piano. Not even our piano faculty agrees with that, although they do think the = piano is a little stiffer than the older one. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any advice will be greatly appreciated. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim</DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Willem Blees, = RPT<BR>Piano tuner/technician<BR>School of Music<BR>University of Alabama<BR></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>