Piano Religion ... was Pitchlock

[Dave McKibben]

Allen:
If you do wear the cool hats, how will we know if you ' are ' or ' are not
' ???
It would be so confusing :-)

Dave McKibben

> [Original Message]
> From: Alan Barnard <tune4u@earthlink.net>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 6/19/2005 8:26:41 PM
> Subject: Piano Religion ... was Pitchlock
>
> Just returned from KC and was interested in the comments below. I was in
> classes and conversations with some of our most experienced
> rebuilders/voicers/concert prep types, etc., and wish to comment on an
> observation. I mean this to be light--and certainly not offensive--but not
> quite tongue-in-cheek, either, because there is a serious side to it ...
>
> One person taught: ABSOLUTELY, always seat the strings on the bridge
(light
> taps, rubbing, pushing with material softer than string steel, etc.).
> Another said: ABSOLUTELY, always give all the bridge pins a judicious tap
> or two before you even think about tuning or voicing. Ron says: No way to
> either procedure, and I think others agree with him.
>
> One said: NEVER EVER "cross stitch" voice under the strike point. Another
> said: BY ALL MEANS, needle this felt. Some said: Use steam, use pliers,
use
> alcohol/water. Others: NO NO NO NEVER. One said he only uses lacquer,
> another said he never uses lacquer (takes too long to dry and much too
long
> to stabilize), always use plastic/acetone. Most people say: NEVER deep
> needle the strike point and rarely sugar it. One said, basically, Have at
> it! and proceeded to demonstrate it on a new hammer in a new Kawai
> grand--deeply, aggressively and vigorously, too!
>
> I spent 3 hours with Virgil Smith, a treat. Very interesting and a
> delightful person. Some think he's something of a mystic in his approaches
> to tuning, and don't subscribe to them. 
>
> Anyway, I used to think our business was about 1/2 art and 1/2 science;
but
> no more. I am now convinced it's about 1/3 art, 1/3 science, and 1/3
> religion! 
>
> By the latter, I mean that people practice what they BELIEVE to be true
art
> and what they believe to be true science; what they have faith in because
> of their own experience and their faith in the people they learned it
from.
> Others--of different piano religions--believe other things, often
radically
> contrary. 
>
> And there is NOT -- as our Internet discussion about "where the flatness
> goes" proved -- a sufficient body of scientific study, or even collected
> empirical data, to prove or disprove anybody's piano religion. 
>
> Nor is there anything approaching artistic consensus on many, many topics
> that are really quite important. So we have little that can be described
as
> uncontested orthodoxy in piano belief--with the possible exception that
> soaking a piano in a pond is generally agreed to be a bad idea unless the
> words "Winter & Sons" appear on the fallboard.
>
> I find this fascinating. People trying to learn the craft over many years,
> have surely been frustrated that the path to enlightenment has so many
> forks in it!
>
> The saddest thing is that sometimes, as among all religions, hard feelings
> are often harrowed up and much bitterness has arisen, over the years,
> between people who should be friends and collegeaues.
>
> BTW, Scott would disagree with some of the Pitch-Lock comments that have
> been posted lately. For one thing, they would tell you to fix the
> string/bridge problems, etc., and only use the clips to fix bad string
> matching, mysterious falseness, and other nasties that won't go away after
> all else is tried. 
>
> Alan Barnard
> Salem, Missouri
>
> P.S.B.S. If nominated, I will not run for Piano Pope; if elected, I will
> not serve. I would, however, wear the cool hats.
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net>
> > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Date: 06/18/2005 10:17:50 PM
> > Subject: Re: Pitchlock
> >
> >
> > > Has anyone had experience with the pitchlock devices.  It sounds like 
> > > something that would help with some wild bass strings, and maybe even 
> > > some false beating treble strings.  However the startup cost is
pretty 
> > > hefty.  Not bad if it does what it says, but I thought I might
inquire 
> > > from the list first.
> > > Any thoughts??
> > >  
> > > Ed Carwithen
> > > John Day, OR
> >
> >
> > No experience, but coupling a flagpoling bridge pin to another pin 
> > by a pitchlock staple pretty much has to limit the flagpoling that 
> > causes the false beat. Short of actually fixing it, this is likely a 
> > quick, non destructive alternative. WAY better than seating either 
> > strings or pins.
> >
> > My call
> >
> > Ron N
> > _______________________________________________
> > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>