<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] excessive pedaling?</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> On 3/17/05 8:56 AM, "Wimblees@aol.com" <W= imblees@aol.com> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE> My question is, has he gotten in a bad habit or is this "standard proc= edure"? I realize there is not much I can do about it, other than work = like a devil to get it right. But for my own curiosity, is he asking for the= moon on this?   </BLOCKQUOTE>I agree with those who have s= aid he is reasonable in his expectation, though I would argue that this does= not mean voicing every hair of every hammer. There are some fairly efficien= t procedures to get a good range of color. 1) First, as Mark Cramer mentioned, do sand that left edge. A quick rotatio= nal pass with a paddle will do it, but leaving a sharp edge is big, big trou= ble. When that edge hits a string, it shouts very loud and clear. Don’= t miss one. (Ask me how I know). 2) I’ll assume level strings, hammers square to strings (fitted). Spa= ce hammers meticulously  to strings. The real goal in spacing is to hav= e just enough felt to the left of the left string at rest so that, when the = pedal is half depressed, there is felt to hit the left string, and when full= y depressed, the left string will clear and the other strings will still be = in “un-grooved” felt (ie, they will be hit by hammer felt just t= o the right of the felt that hits the strings in rest position). So if there= aren’t grooves produced by  playing, mark the hammer with carbon= paper (carbon paper between hammers and strings) to be certain you can tell= exactly how to space the hammers. 3) Before proceeding, make doubly sure you have spaced the hammers (and adj= usted the una corda stop screw) as near perfectly as possible, by playing ea= ch note in turn with pedal fully depressed, muting the right two strings wit= h a rubber mute. Can you hear the left string? If so, space that hammer a we= e bit again. (It’s okay to have a very slight ghosting sound from the = left string – in fact, I like to adjust the stop to get just a ghostin= g sound for precision spacing, then turn the screw an eight to quarter turn = to get positive clearance for final position). Also take care to observe wha= t part of the hammer is hitting the left two strings when the pedal is fully= depressed – definitely make sure you have adjusted the stop so that t= he grooves or carbon paper lines aren’t hitting the left two strings. = This is fussy work, but needn’t take all that long, using a flange spa= cer. (Well, as long as there is adequate space between the flanges. Speaking= of which, when installing new shanks, take care to leave equal space before= tightening screws. It’ll save a lot of time later). 4) Now it’s a fairly simple procedure. Two needling sites: one just t= o the right of the two left strings, the other just to the left of all three= strings. The first gets a deeper treatment than the second. Exactly what tr= eatment will vary depending on taste and hammer variety, but a tool like Ste= inway folks use with 4 – 5 shallow needles close together is a good po= ssibility. Another is a single needle, operated with finesse.     When needling to the right of the string grooves (w= hich is where the hammer hits when the pedal is fully depressed), angle to t= he right, away from the grooves. When needling to the left of the string gro= oves (at half pedal position), angle a wee bit to the left, and don’t = go as deep. Be meticulous, and do exactly the same thing to each hammer (wit= h some adjustment in depth from bass to treble). And, of course, do a few sa= mples to decide what that exact same thing will be. 5) Now play each note, while moving the pedal up and down gradually. Mostly= you are listening for any “hot spots” you might have missed. Bu= t typically I find that, if I have done the necessary prep work (leveling, m= ating, spacing), and have been attentive enough while doing the una corda ne= edling, there sill be very little additional touch up do be done. BTW, the S= teinway folks (Eric at any rate) don’t teach needling the half pedal p= osition, at least in their more basic classes. But I think it is utterly ess= ential. Not as deep as full pedal position, but it has to be done or there w= ill be obvious unevenness when partial pedal is used.  I have certainly= had complaints which have led me to my current standard procedure.     As for 4 or 11 different sounds, well, whatever the= y want to teach and believe is just fine. A two position una corda voicing w= ill create a very nice gradation of tone, which will please the vast majorit= y in my experience. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico </BODY> </HTML>