<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1 =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD><TITLE>Message</TITLE>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873" name=GENERATOR><!--[if !mso]>
<STYLE>v\:* {
        BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML)
}
o\:* {
        BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML)
}
w\:* {
        BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML)
}
.shape {
        BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML)
}
</STYLE>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType name="City"
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType
name="place"
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><!--[if !mso]>
<STYLE>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</STYLE>
<![endif]-->
<STYLE>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
        {font-family:Tahoma;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:"MS Sans Serif";
        panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
        {margin:0in;
        margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
        {color:blue;
        text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
        {color:purple;
        text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:Arial;
        color:navy;}
@page Section1
        {size:8.5in 11.0in;
        margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
        {page:Section1;}
-->
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Hi John,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What do you mean by deflect the string? What do you
actually do to the string. I'm trying to visualize this. Are we poking the
string with a hammer shank? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Marshall</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=john@formsmapiano.com href="mailto:john@formsmapiano.com">John M.
Formsma</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:25
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: More on hearing
protection</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Geoff,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I just learned a new
thing to allow one to tune a piano at pianissimo levels. *(Courtesy of Leonard
Gustafson, RPT, of the Memphis PTG chapter, who picked it up from a Steinway
tech doing a technical at one of our chapter
meetings.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Anyway, you use a
vertical hammer shank (or something similar) to slightly deflect the string
after it’s tuned. The idea is that a hard test blow will show any string
movement (from deflection by the hammer). A deflection by a hammer shank will
also do this, but at a greater level than the severest test blow ever could. I
used this yesterday on the four pianos I tuned (2 verts & 2 grands), and
it worked very well, although it’s slow at first b/c it’s a new skill. I gave
one string ten whacks as hard as I could, and nothing moved in the slightest.
I also did a few hard blows in various sections to ensure that it works
everywhere. I’m very glad to know of this as my playing/test blow elbow has
been sore lately.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The only downside I
can see is that it might take a bit longer at first. (Leonard tunes in 45min
to 1 hour, so it hasn’t slowed him down.) The positives are that we won’t have
hearing loss from hard test blows, and body damage is also greatly reduced.
I’ll gladly trade test blows for a few more years of hearing and less
pain.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">John
Formsma<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Geoff Sykes<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Thursday, June 08, 2006 2:00
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Pianotech@Ptg.
Org<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> More on hearing
protection</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">With the "Noise-Induced
Hearing Loss, Part 2" article in the Q&A section of The Journal, I'd
like to hear from some fellow tech's who have tried the Zem earplugs, by
Sensgard. They're ugly, but the technology is such a different approach than
just a simple "plug" that perhaps they could be very useful. I have been using
32db foam Hearos, but I find that while the foam is comfortable I get a lot of
attenuation variation from one set to the next, and they're not that flat in
response. I also have a pair of </SPAN></FONT><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'MS Sans Serif'">Etymotic</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> High
Fidelity Earplugs, (identical to the Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters), which
work great. My only complaints are that they're not that long term
comfortable and that since the frequency response is much flatter, the
attenuation, (rated at 20db), is perhaps a little too much. Zem claims
32db reduction. </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">-- Geoff
Sykes</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">-- Assoc. <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los
Angeles</st1:place></st1:City></SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>