tone and taste: was Fw: pianotech-digest V2001 #309

[David Love]

I think that we as technicians must be very careful to avoid presumption 
about what constitutes ideal tone.  There are at least as many tastes in 
tone as there are different kinds of pianos.  When I work with a customer, 
for example, replacing a set of hammers on an instrument where there are 
different options that will produce different types of tone, I always try to 
put on samples to allow them to hear differences and discuss what it is that 
they are hearing.  I am careful about imposing my own personal taste, though 
I definitely have one, on them.  Often when I explain and compare and 
contrast different types of sound that different hammers will produce, the 
customers will ultimately agree with me.  But sometimes they don't and the 
bottom line is that they will be playing the piano, not me.  I have had many 
customers, excellent musicians, who prefer the sound of a Yamaha (albeit a 
well voiced one) to that of a Steinway.  Some people like a sharp attack and 
others want to be able to get the tone to break up and distort at the fff 
end of the scale--they want that as part of their tonal palette.  Of course, 
if I am rebuilding a piano on spec with the idea of selling it, I will 
always make it according to my own taste--that situation is different.

David Love


>From: "Erwinpiano" <Erwinpiano@email.msn.com>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: Fw: pianotech-digest V2001 #309
>Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 19:56:57 -0800
>
>Re: Inadvertent pitch raise with SAT III Mark Wisner writes the following
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Mark Wisner
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 9:13 PM
>Subject: RE: pianotech-digest V2001 #309
>
>
>"Todays piano manufacturers have, well simply lost perspective... they
>continually explore the possibilities for making instruments more and more
>explosive in sound"
>
>If the above is true, it's only because that's what the folks buying pianos 
>want.  Manufacturers respond to market conditions and  it's up to us as 
>musicians and technicians to change the market if we think it needs 
>changing.
>
>I have to say that's only partly trust in my experience my farther was a 
>Yamaha dealer for more than twenty years. In the beginning the grands were 
>coming in nicely voiced and perhaps a little European sounding(who knows 
>what that means any more) mellowish. Sometimes people objected but when we 
>could convince them to try it and let it break in ,the sound would develop 
>in to a nice round but present sound and hold that tone for a considerable 
>period of time.  Others would not buy it and insist on instant sound or 
>they would buy the kawai which was a shade brighter at that time.
>
>  I have to confess that I have had  not one  client for many years who is 
>crying for the instant on sound. They want something different and that is 
>a full bodied sound with out the ear shattering power of the hard 
>hammer(Petrified felt) syndrome. In order to compete with the big corps. my 
>pianos have to be well prepared but it's the sound that sells, and I'm 
>finding great appreciation for the big fat present sound that musicians and 
>hearing dominate people are attracted to. Private rebuilders may in some 
>small way be creating a small but quiet revolution against the sound so 
>many of you are objecting to.
>    I find that many new pianos of all  makes are limited by the style of 
>hammer.  All  that design and engineering short circuited by concrete 
>hammers. What's wrong with that picture??????
>    If new manufactured pianos want to keep up with the private rebuilder 
>they should offer a special line of Well voiced pianos. There is market for 
>it and it's quite large Mark.
>
>   respectfully submitted
>  Dale Erwin

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