Fw: not a Steinway any more/ Improve with age

[Erwinpiano]

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 List

 If all good piano owners were to put ther pianos back in ther cases =
when they were finished practicing(Grin) I think you just might find as =
many good sounding 100 year old pianos as violins.

       Dale Erwin


----- Original Message -----=20
From: JStan40@AOL.COM=20
To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 5:08 PM
Subject: Re: not a Steinway any more


F
  arrell wrote:=20

  > "Hmmm.. I wonder about this statement.  I have heard pianos that=20
  > definantly improved with time. Not your heavily used instruments=20
  > that get just plane beat to smitherins... but Intruments that get=20
  > used a good deal, nicely as it were... and significantly (me=20
  > thinks anyways..) they all seemed to have a pretty optimal=20
  > environment." In the short term, yes, many variables. But take 100=20
  > hi-quality violins at  age 100 years and 100 hi-quality pianos at=20
  > age 100 years. Which group sounds/plays most like they did when=20
  > new - or better. I think the violins win. No?=20

  If thats true then we would have to ask ourselves why it is... and=20
  what immediatly comes to my mind is whether a piano can have=20
  anywhere near optimal climatic conditions combined with reasonably=20
  good maintanance over such a long time. Where as a violin may very=20
  easily have that kind of a life for so long a period.=20

  Its all probably moot anyways.  Who's going to provide those kind of=20
  conditions for a piano over so many years to find out... ? Talk=20
  about your time consuming experiment.=20

  Still.. its interesting to think about.=20

  - --=20
  Richard Brekne=20
  RPT, N.P.T.F.=20
  Bergen, Norway=20
  mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no=20


Terry, Richard and others who have responded to this thread,=20

I think it has been mentioned by one person that Stradivarius (and =
others,=20
notably Amati, Guarneri, etc.) instruments are not usually found today =
in=20
their original form......longer necks, increased angle of the neck, =
longer=20
fingerboards, higher bridges, etc., to conform to the changes in taste =
of the=20
violin sound in the time since the late 16th c.  A few museums have =
original=20
instruments, but they haven't been played regularly, either.  So are =
they=20
still Strads (or others)?  Everyone seems to agree that they are, at =
least=20
the marketplace tends to value them regardless of the later alterations=20
nearly universally made.=20

One other thing is worth pointing out, though perhaps it is obvious =
enough=20
that it didn't NEED pointing out.............and that is that the =
soundboard=20
on a piano is a stressed member of the entire structure.  By contrast, =
the=20
top and back of the violin has its shape by virtue of it having been =
carved=20
out of a much larger block of wood.  The stress placed on it by the =
string=20
tension and bridge/soundpost/bass bar transducer arrangement is much =
less=20
than that of a piano soundboard (obviously), and having its shape =
already=20
formed lends itself to....well....self-preservation (barring fire or =
accident=20
sufficient to prevent repair).=20

Just HAD to throw this into the mix.....sorry!=20

Stan Ryberg=20
Barrington IL=20
mailto:jstan40@aol.com=20

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