Ronsen Bacon felt

[RicB]

Hi Dale

Yes I do remember your D, and quite well.  I think you and I see piano 
sound in much the same light when it comes down to it and on the level 
of voicing we are discussing here, there is rarely any real sacrifice of 
one tonal aspect over another.... at least not beyond what is reasonable 
and possible in the real world.  My point was that even so, and indeed 
as this discussion illustrates, the best voicers still strive to get 
more of everything... more beauty and more power... more sustain and 
more raw attack.  Lets face it... when it comes right down to it we are 
never in a perfect state of bliss over an instrument... or if we do get 
there for a fleeting moment, it passes all to quickly.

I liked your comments refering to the <<cross over point>> below.  Thats 
the real beauty of fine voicing class concert level instruments.  That 
cross over point becomes actually quite large when you sit back and 
listen to the instrument played.  When we start learning voicing it 
seems, or it did to me at any rate, that that window of good tone was so 
very small... but listening to some of the pianos voiced by masters of 
the art these past 10 years or so.... sheeshhh... the palette of good 
tone is really quite large indeed.... yet at the same time narrow if you 
get my meaning.  An instrument must have brilliance of some sort, and it 
must have beauty of some sort.  But brilliance and beauty can be many 
things to many people really.  Perhaps its easier ofte times to describe 
what is not in the arena of good tone. 

In that perspective I often use the <<feel>> of the voice. I know thats 
a loaded concept... but regardless of the hows and whys... there is 
definitely a very real sensation of touch to tone.  Its a very valuable 
voicing tool IMB.  When one plays pianisimo... it must not only sound 
pianisimo, it must feel pianisimo.  And when one plays brilliant... it 
must feel powerful and dynamic with a huge array of vibrations zinging 
back into the fingers.  Nothing worse, despite what sound occurs, then a 
piano that feels soft when one plays firmly.

As far as voicing from soft hammers upwards. You know these past years 
I've been approaching the whole thing from the other direction. Mostly 
because I get the sensation that laqure imparts a bit of its own to the 
tone... and I've opted away from that for the time being.  That said... 
stiffer soundboard systems that perhaps are not quite as massive at the 
same time....(I assume you meant both ?? ) ...  Why do you suppose they 
faded from practice as you say ?  Is it a material based problem or 
simply by design ?  From the sounds of things tho... there are several 
over there pursuing that grail :)

Cheers
RicB


    Ric
       Ahhh yes, the sticky wicket of defining what "a  beautiful tone"
    really is
    on the Internet.
       However, just to be clearer, hopefully...  Anyway in my universe
    of tone,
    I wasn't suggesting sacrificing any  thing.  You heard my D in
    Ra-ch-ster in
    class.  (They all sounded dead  in the hall).
      I know what you are Saying, but the tone I'm describing  is
    probably closer
    to what you & David Andersen & others are referring  to when we
    say"Warm,clear tone."  
        There seems to be a cross over point in any  voicing situation
    where the
    sound is under or over the desired target level  of tonal clarity &
    power & at
    the point, we just about reach out  & touch it, but then pull back &
    re-evaluate, taking into  consideration play in time,(which is
    largely ignored in most
    tone building  protocols) acoustic environment & customer
    preference/yours.  
    When  coming at it from the less dense hammer side of things, play
    in time has
     enormous affect on building long term tonal benefits & has hugely  
    overlooked. The packing affect in the strike zone  felt occurs 
    rather rapidly in as
    the hammer ,under some hours of tuning & vigorous  playing, provides
    further
    clarity, power & sustain. You of course know  this.  
       However because the historical pendulum of felt  production,
    voicing &
    hammer making techniques have swung so far to  accommodate the
    instant On
    (glassy) sounds of stiffer soundboard systems  ,the fact that rich
    resonant sound was
    produced with waaay softer  hammers in comparison to todays hot,harder
    pressed felts .....has been lost  & forgotten.
      I hope I can contribute to the resurgence in what  musicians know
    as "The
    beautiful sound"
      Kindest regards
      Dale