Prepared Piano

Avery Todd ATodd@UH.EDU
Thu, 18 Apr 1996 08:19:27 -0500


>On Wed, 17 Apr 1996, Joseph Vitti wrote:

>>I have lots of trouble convincing the piano faculty here that preparing
>>our >>new Steinway Ds (plucking, using stickers on the dampers and
>>strings, using
>>chisels on strings etc.) will cause them to deteriorate. Does anyone else
>>have this problem and is there anything in writing I can use to convince
>>them that it would be better to use a piano designated for prepared use?
>
>From Jim Coleman (formerly of ASU Tempe,AZ)
>
>Joseph,  we used an unfortunate event to dramatize the need for a special
>piano to be used for inside playing and prepared piano work.
>
>The piano faculty and I made up a set of guidelines for piano preparation
>for the future.

Jim,
   Is there any way you (or anyone else who has done this) could post those
guidelines on the list? So far I've had very little request for this
(prepared pianos), but we have a strong composition department and I
anticipate more of
it in the future.
   A few days ago a student placed some small glass rods on the strings for
a composition recital (with my permission). No problem, except that the
next morning when I came in to check the piano two of the rods were still
on the strings. They were easily removed, but......
   Any information in the way of the above mentioned guidelines would be
appreciated by all of us.
   Thanks.

Avery

_____________________________________
Avery Todd, RPT
Moore's School of Music
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-4893
atodd@uh.edu
_____________________________________





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