Steinway hammers

[Ed Guerra]

That is a good answer Willem.  

Ed Guerra 


At 07:51 PM 6/5/98 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 98-06-05 18:37:32 EDT, you write:
>
>>Hi !
>>
>>I recently signed onto your list and am extremely impressed with some of the
>>technical discussions - I never realized piano technology was such an art!
>>
>>I have one question for which an answer will make me forever indebted to you
>>folks.....
>>
>>I have a new "B".  At this point, I am having this instrument tuned every 2
>>months.  Is it "normal" to also need a full voicing that frequently?  In
>>order
>>to get one "voice", my technician had to extensively voice 80 of the 88
>>hammers to match a few odd-balls.  The resulting sound was extremely
muffled,
>>but evenly voiced.  He told me that the hardening agent was very unevenly
>>applied to the hammers at the factory.  I am a trained pianist, and I can
>>attest to the fact that he truly did a remarkable job in voicing --
something
>>the dealer tech, even after two attempts, could not do !  (I am hanging
on to
>>this new tech!)  I understand the cold-press/hot-press difference and that
>>Steinway hammers are more variable than most, but is the variance I have
>>described excessive/typical/acceptable from a new "B" ?  I am considering
>>having the hammers replaced because since the last voicing, I have driven
the
>>piano only about 20 hours (with "elevator music"), and the odd-balls are
>>already prominently sticking out of the aural terrain.
>>
>>Thank you.
>>
>>
>
>
>
>Voicing is something that is done on an "as needed" basis, depending on the
>amount of use a piano gets, or the desires of the player.  If you are the
only
>one who plays the piano, there should not be a need to constantly voice the
>whole piano.  You have to tell the technician what sound you like, and what
>you don't like, and then it is the technicains job to try to voice only those
>hammers that stick out. If you leave the decision to the technician, then the
>piano will sound like he wants it to sound, not the way you want it to
sound. 
>
>Communication is the key here. I would suggest you become an active
>participant in the voicing proceedure. Tell the tech which notes stand out,
>and ask him to voice that hammer to match the ones around it. 
>
>If there is a problem that seems to come back after a short time, tell the
>tech about it. 
>
>Willem Bees RPT
>St. louis
>
Ed Guerra
edguerra@mail.utexas.edu
Austin, TX