To Step in It

[Joseph Alkana]

At 06:02 PM 3/30/97 -0800, you wrote:
>List:  Last week I had one of those service calls that I did everything
>wrong!
>And don't forget my question.  Could the piano have sounded much sweeter at
>38cents flat without all those high harmonic overtones?
>
>Carol Beigel
>


Carol,
I really enjoyed your story, in fact I shared it with my wife because there
have been times that I, too, wound up in the same type of situation. Sharing
your thoughts was very enlightening for her.

I cannot speak scientifically  about those higher harmonics being so much
more prevalent at pitch, but I do believe they are much more piercing to the
ear when you start socking in those unisons. ( Thank God I now wear
earplugs!) Listening to a piano of that type (Korean, high tension scale,
possible laminate soundboard) right after tuning always seems to make a
strong case for voicing. I now call the customer in by the piano to
demonstrate a voiced hammer so that comparisons can be made. Also the "nasty
sound" now coming out of the piano is reviewed with the customer and
explained as best as possible, along with possible remedies.
Steve Brady and Susan Willanger  demonstrated a technique of hammer steaming
at a PTG chapter meeting here in Seattle. The effect of the voicing was
about as dramatic as anything I've seen demonstrated yet on a piano. For me
and my customers, this is now the best option to start with in any remedial
action regarding voicing of those Asian pianos.

I now have "steamed"  about 50 pianos in the manner they demonstrated with
generally good reception from my clients. On three occassions I had a
complaint that the volume was attenuated to some degree. Students of one
teacher client were saying the the piano sounded like it had a rag stuffed
in the piano. These complaints, however, were completely stopped after a
small amount of time had gone by. Either people got used to the sound or
else the sound changed slightly back to a crisper, clearer tone. I hesitate
to say brighter, because that was the tone quality we were trying to
eliminate. Now,  when I voice with steam, I really pound the hammers into a
voicing block to put back a slight edge to the tone just before I quit
working. That has made a real difference  in the first perceptions of the
voicing.

Thanks again for sharing your story with us.

Joseph Alkana RPT