Voicing needles?

[David Love]

I don't care for that approach.  While it will tone down the attack on a
hard hammer, I don't think it's really how those hammer were meant to be
treated.  The problem with tensioned hammers is often that the shoulders
have no give, not that the hammers are too hard under the crown.  They
should be relatively hard there.  First you need to needle the hammer from
10 - 11:30 and 12:30 - 2:00 and create a softer area there.  That might take
several stitches on each side-maybe more than several depending on the
hammer.  After that there should be an inverted triangle that doesn't get
needled directly except for maybe 2-3 mm at the surface.  After you soften
the shoulders, you can insert a needle very close to the strike point and
pointed slightly away from the tip of the molding to release some tension
from the crown but only after you have created a cushion in the shoulders so
that the tension from the crown has somewhere to go.  That type of voicing
will be much more stable, will produce a similar tone at all levels of
playing and also will not sound crappy and distorted when you play a forte,
which a hard shoulder softer crown will.  Lacquered hammers are a different
story and some hammers just don't respond to anything.  They should be
thrown out.  

 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net
www.davidlovepianos.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of PAULREVENKOJONES
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 1:14 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Voicing needles?

 

Ed:

 

I've found their greatest utility to be in stitching from the side of the
hammer at or just above the wood molding. A single needle all the way
through at various positions in a straight line up from the tip of the
molding can do wonders. But with care! A stitch at a time. 

 

Paul

 

 

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