?? Voice ??

[Barbara Richmond]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 4:48 AM
Subject: Re: ?? Voice ??


> Barbara Richmond wrote:
>
> >Joe,
> >
> >Ok, I'll be brave.  Pliers (vise grips) were sort of popular some years
> >back, but it seems they are politically incorrect these days.  I learned
to
> >use them to soften up really hard shoulders (not lacquered ones!) to make
> >needling possible where sustain was lacking.  Using vise-grips would
cause
> >cupping on the shoulder and then next, one would needle enough to remove
the
> >cupping.  Worked great to open up the sound on certain pianos.  I won't
> >mention any names, but I learned it from factory tech reps--so somebody
> >thought it was OK back then.  ;-)   Aw heck, things go in and out of
> >fashion, except perhaps for orange shag carpeting and flocked wallpaper.
> >
> >
> >
> I think we are talking about two different levels of voicing here.  You
> have your <<standard do what it takes to make a so and so piano
> useable>> type of job... and you have your <<critical concert top level
> for the most discerning of pianists>>  type of situation.

Well, you may be talking about two different levels of voicing here, I was
just talking about Joe's question about the use of pliers (and in this case,
using pliers reduced the incidence of broken needles).  Of course different
methods are used in different situations--that's why we have so many tricks
in our bags.  Heck, I've only been in the business since 1982 [so I'm just a
babe :-) ], but my experience has proven to me that there isn't a
one-method-that-fits-all.  In my world a great deal of voicing gets done
besides that on the concert stage or recording studio.


> For the later we are not just talking about getting them soft enough...
> or insuring a bit of sustain.   It should be entirely unnecessary to
> have to resort to any draconian measures for these kinds of jobs.
> Whether you are using soft hammers that require hardener to achieve any
> semblance of tone, or tensioned hammers that need needling to bring out
> the tone.

Aw, Ric, I hate it when we enter the realm of "shoulds."  ;-)  It would be
wonderful if the piano world was perfect and we all had great hammers to
work with.  I was just talking about what worked for certain pianos here in
reality.  And actually, after these pianos were "opened" up they WERE great
pianos to work with (and play!).  In fact, it was precisely this method, or
I should say, its results that drew attention to my work and ability to
voice so that a university called me up and offered me a position.  Yes,
just like that!  I'll admit, some of these pianos were only in studios at a
university, not a concert hall, but very capable pianists were playing on
them.

I guess I could shock you further to tell you about working on a Steinway B
in at a faculty member's home.  Of all the Bs I worked on, it had the most
beautiful sound [my opinion--and I've got a good one  ;-) ].  Unfortunately,
the owner, one of my pickiest clients, suffered from tinnitus and she wanted
me to take it down a notch.  I scheduled a whole morning to do the work.
Got there, loaded the needles into the voicing tool and started
stabbing.........nothing........dang!  After 15 minutes of notta, I got out
some hammer softening solution.  2 or 3 drops on each hammer and five
minutes later the piano was done.  She was ecstatic, said the piano was
perfect. My disappointment was that I finished so fast--I was planning on
making a bunch of money that morning!

No, I'm not suggesting that folks go out and drench Steinway B hammers (or
any other hammer for that matter) with hammer softening solution.  A little
dab worked in this case.  Sandpaper and needles are always first, but the
trick is to know when to use the tricks!

My passion for "all things voicing" got a jump start very early in my
career.  One of the very first pianos I went out to tune was a Baldwin
Acrosonic.  The owner asked me if I could make it less bright.  And though I
had a vague idea, I really didn't know what do.  After that experience, I
promised myself that I was NEVER going to be in that situation again.

Cheers to you!

Barbara (you said you'd like that voiced?) Richmond