Concert Prep - what is it and WHERE IS IT?

[Susan Kline]

At 03:51 PM 10/13/2000 +0200, Brian wrote:
>So, the piano in question is a S&S C, it has (for me) a very shallow touch
>(seems to be at under 8mm though didnt measure acurately and tight key
>bushings, dusty, damper regulation problems etc.
>
>In an article that Susan Kline wrote recentlly she said that she spent her
>own time working on a Baldwin, getting results that she used later. I'm not
>saying I'll do that but given the time - what amount of time should I look
>at? what should I work on? do I try and re-regulate the piano to specs I
>have from that Steinway book which has blow at 1 7/8" (47mm) and touch at
>9.5mm or as "it works", leave it?

Hi, Brian

I think it has to be a labor of love, or possibly it can be turned into a
labor of love, if you work at relating to the management. If the time
constraint is the only thing getting you down, you might see if the folks
in charge would be willing to let you work on the piano at your own pace.
In order to do this, it may be necessary to tactfully inform them of its
poor condition, in a way that they don't feel blamed or stupid, and
show them that you can improve it without giving them "sticker shock."
(This is the hard part ...)

I'm lucky in my work situation on several of these pianos. The people in
charge have gradually realized that I am doing them a favor, and as the
people coming in to play the pianos started giving them favorable
comments, management starting paying a little attention to what I suggested,
especially since I left the fees low. I believe that one has to weigh
the low possible budget against the freedom to work as one chooses. If
the results please you, go ahead. If it's just a chore ... life's too
short.

"Get them to pay through the wazoo" seems to be the attitude
in larger West Coast USA cities, and it would never suit me. Work
conditions seem worse there, and expectations higher. In my little
places, visitors are almost always surprised that the pianos are good,
because they expect the worst. Another good point of the "hinterland"
is that you don't have to book a month ahead to get a couple of
hours at a piano.

For me the pleasure of it comes from turning the piano's
condition around, (DECISIVELY) and then hearing some
really good pianist make it sound fabulous. The decisive
turnaround is only possible if the initial condition of the
piano is poor, but its potential is good. Sadly, there seem
to be lots of pianos like this out there.

Of course, learning is always gratifying, as well. If I had worked
on enough 9 foot pianos that all this was routine, I would naturally
start to charge more, because the "voyage of discovery" would
be less exciting.

If you find that the shallow dip makes the blow too short and/or the
letoff and aftertouch problematic, then a quick fix would be to pull
out a few FR punchings, which you can do without even removing the
stack from the keys. Personally, if you haven't bid and sold them
a full regulation, in your place I would tend to get the dip to
where the rest of it feels good, rather than all the way to the
deeper S&S spec (unless it needs it.)

In situations like this, I try to work on what will make the greatest
difference, and then, on future tunings, gradually spend a little time
on the other things.

The "dusty" is easily fixed. The first visit, even if there's a little
too much to do, you can take a barely damp towel and wipe down the outer
case (drying it as you go), then wipe a little of the dust off the
plate and damper heads. I like to take a minute or two and use a black
marker pen on gouges and scratches, wiping it with the towel
afterwards, so people won't get black on their hands. Also, I won't
tolerate a rickety or noisy bench. I replace missing rubber buttons
(the 2-glue trick is good for keeping them in.) It's just not that
hard to fix these details. All this stuff adds up. People just
approach the piano differently when it looks cared for.

Regards,

Susan (guess I'd better don that flamesuit ...)