friction.... another attempt

antares antares@euronet.nl
Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:00:48 +0200


---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment

On 26-aug-04, at 21:29, Ryan Sowers wrote:

> I don't buy it Richard, because as a player I don't have time once I=20=

> begin playing a note to think about sensitivity. What produces a=20
> certain velocity in my fingers is the mental intension I have the=20
> microsecond <G> before I play the note.
>  =A0
> The biggest factor to me in dynamics is a nice "accelleration curve"=20=

> from somewhat mellow and ppp to nasty and fff! If the voicing and=20
> regulation give a nice mp when I playing with moderate force, a=20
> soothing pp when I let up a bit, and a powerful forte when I lean into=20=

> it a bit I have a wonderful time playing.
>  =A0
> To me extra friction just makes me work harder. Its a distraction.

Well then here is another story  about friction (in case anybody out=20
there is interested) :
Once upon a time, I had to prepare two Yamaha C7's because a customer=20
wanted to choose between them.
One was very beautiful and the dealer wanted to keep it as a rental.
The other C7 was sososo and was definitely the lesser one.
So the dealer asked me whether it was possible to concentrate on the=20
lesser C7 and do nothing to the better C7.
I had about 1,5 hour.
So first I tuned it, then I gave it a huge anti-friction treatment (I=20
was quite green still about anti-friction, thinking that the easier the=20=

instrument would play, the faster the pianist would buy it), and I did=20=

a very speedy regulation just on the tender spots so to speak. There=20
was no time to voice it.
Then the customer came in, right on time.

He first started playing the beautiful C7 to which nothing had been=20
done, and he found that it sounded nice for sure, but that it was a bit=20=

heavy, which is typical for brand new instruments.
Then he tried the 'prepared' C7 and he simply could not believe the=20
difference! He also could not believe that he could play anything he=20
wanted on it including pieces he could not play that easy anymore, so=20
he said.
He had a lot of fun and was very excited, and I already felt very sure=20=

about the outcome and I leaned back in a very relaxed manner.
However, he was/is a very good pianist, so he decided to give the other=20=

C7 another try.
Again he said that the instrument was too heavy, but this time he kept=20=

playing it and after maybe 5 minutes he again switched to the 'racy'=20
one.
It was then that he said "wow! I can play anything on this one, but it=20=

is a dangerous instrument because it is too fast, and it also is too=20
brilliant!

So he bought the beautiful instrument with a lot of friction, and not=20
the 'easy' and brilliant one which had almost no friction left at all.

The lesson for me was :
1. The cheater will be cheated
2. An instrument with hardly any friction at all is perceived as=20
"slippery, untrustworthy, dangerous, and uncontrollable.

Who knows, maybe this story helps one to understand a little better=20
about normal friction versus hardly any friction?

Andr=E9 Oorebeek

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 2925 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/88/56/0b/97/attachment.bin

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--


This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC