harmonic pedal

[Jon Page]

List,
Re:  http://pauillac.inria.fr/~ddr/piano/

For what it's worth, here is one last post on the subject.
Comments? 

Jon Page, Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 10:49:21 +0100
>From: Jan Kijlstra <kijlstra@worldaccess.nl>
>Reply-To: kijlstra@worldaccess.nl
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01C (Win95; U)
>To: rrhodes@foxtail.com
>CC: jpage@capecod.net, rouille@cnam.fr, brite@ksu.edu
>Subject: harmonic pedal
>
>Dear Robbie
>
>As you  might remember, I did ask Renner for information regarding
>the "mechanisme harmonique".
>
>They were so kind to send me a copy of the patent.
>
>They wrote on it: "Renner has manufactured the parts, but was not 
>involved after that".
>
>Since the patent is dated in june 198, and after building a prototype
>Renner has not been active on the subject, And also because this new
>mechanisme seemes to be "a sleeping beauty" totally unknown, it's my
>guess that the advantages of the mechanic pedal are not very big.
>
>Not so strange: the old style piano is slowly fading away, mainly due
>to a lower level of education in general, as well as by the electronical
>replacements. Introducing a new technic in a shrinking market is always
>difficult, espescially if this new technic would cost a lot of work and
>money, and make the instrument more expensive and needing more attention
>to keep in good working condition. (the mechanic pedal forces a player
>to study a lot, a huge lot of printed music would have to be renewed, a
>technician will need more time).
>
>So I think the piano-world did not accept this invention. Since there
>at least is one piano with this mechanism available, and since inventors
>(as they always "have to") will not accept that their invention is not
>a small miracle at least, the concert in Paris last March was just a
>new trial to promote the mechanism.
>
>This explains also the rather "fairy" text of the announcement: "At the
>17th of March you will de discovering, for the first time in the world,
>an unknowm piano sound".
>
>Since Renner did fax me a set of 20 pages, and knowing what I do know
>now, I will not spend much time in translating a lot. However, I will
>scan the patent drawings, and send them to you, together with a short
>comment on the working of these mechanism.
>
>Bye, Jan
>
Jon Page wrote:
> 
> Jan,
> My first impression of the mechanism was of
> a never ending nightmare for regulation (adjustment).
> The release device seemed to have a contact point
> which would be highly erosive on the felt.
> 
> As was mentioned before, this sustain effect could be
> better delivered by the use of a second piano using
> the sustain pedal to achieve the sympathetic vibration.
> 
> May I send a copy of your post to the piano technician's
> list?   I posted the webpage twice to the list and never
> got any comments. That tells you what kind of interest
> there is in it.  Thanks you for your time and effort on this.
> Jon Page
> ~~~~~~~~
>>Dear Jon
>>Of course you may use my text. I'm the kind of Net-user that believes
>>in free flow of information. So anything I do publish on the net is free
>>of rights, and may be used (unless otherwise mentioned).
>>Jan Kijlstra