<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff"> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Hello Barbara, Dale, Richard, dear = audience !</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Very interesting discussion I read = that ping pong match with much interest ! here are a few comments :</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Lacquer gives power indeed, as = felt by the strong tinkling of the key under the finger, but this power is the same = at low volume and at high volume, so I prefer the one that is more naturally articulated and that evolve with the strength of the tone.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Indeed the last years Renner = hammers have sometime not a lot of tension build in, when making the deep needling we = add tension because the center dense felt is unstructured, the hammer grows = and the outer core get more tense. </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Then If a hammer is not dense = enough inside we have some problems to get the deepness of tone that some pianos ask for.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>So we can have a hammer that have = a lot of tension, a very rich rebound and a lively tone at all levels, but still = miss some basic power for sustaining tone and carry the timbre at forte = levels.  Battery needling gives that, densifing the bottom of the shoulder and = the felt under the strike point, but  it does not add lot of tension, so it = is of course better to begin with a hammer having enough.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Renner is now using = a more controlled hammer press so the tension within the hammers is more = pronounced and voicing is more creative, and the rules apply much better than when some = part of the set where too hard and some not enough. The felt quality indeed is = the big parameter in that. </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Now, I have not a lot of = experience using high tension low or medium density hammers, but I guess the tone = can be very nice and exactly appropriate for the kind of older American = pianos  tone I've heard, that is a kind of sophisticated tone, a little = too policed for my culture may be. I believe it is not a good idea to = add lacquer to create more power then, and that possibly one can try usual = processes before  that move. </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Keeping the fiber in its natural = state is leaving the possibility to be more creative with the tone, and it is = easier to maintain after that.. </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>The taste of the pianist is not in = those nuances most often, not to speak of the medium level amator or the = beginner. Grey market Japanese pianos with densified hammers are sold daily, even = nice pianos that have a very inharmonic tone like Bechstein are sometime = seen here with a refelting job made more brilliant with the use of plastic.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>When speaking of tone volume and = brilliance are not power, power drives the fundamental mostly, and the fundamental = drives the higher partials differently depending of the force the note is played. It is easier to check power of the  bass, and the = medium notes, with a strong but cool finger like for tuning, listening the way = the fundamental hold and feeling the power within the key.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Volume, or energy is the = strength of the immediate tone while power is more the concentration of tone that = allow the carry and the sustain.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004> Brilliance is driven by the shape, and condition of the highest part of the = hammer, including the cushion</SPAN><SPAN class=544532519-08052004> .</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>I am sure better definitions are = possible, and I'll be pleased to read them.</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Have a nice Sunday !</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004>Isaac Mega Oleg</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN><SPAN class=544532519-08052004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=544532519-08052004> </SPAN><FONT face=Arial size=3>></FONT></DIV> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>