<!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> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=windows-1250"> <TITLE>Message</TITLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873" name=GENERATOR><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><o:SmartTagType name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=white> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>No, it's much worse when you get old......................  So are you "rubbing the string"?  I did that on a 6'4 Petrof which is normally quite stable, and had all kinds of stability problems. Maybe I got carried away........</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>les bartlett</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>houston</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left> </DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of John M. Formsma Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:42 PM To: 'Pianotech List' Subject: RE: More on hearing protection </DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marshall</st1:place></st1:City>,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Yes, so to speak. Gentle pressure, not a jab. You just want to see if the string moves (i.e., pitch changes), which is the purpose of a hard blow. However, the shank can deflect more than a test blow will; hence the effectiveness. Not that you need to be moving the string very far, but it’s more effective than smacking the heck out of the string without the damaging and/or painful effects of a hard blow. In other words, you’ll get more deflection with the shank than a hard blow.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Funny on me. After I posted this, I started thinking, hmmm…seems like this has come up on the list before. So I did a search, and found that yours truly mentioned this back in November 1999. Aaggh! How embarrasking! I remember the class now…my first convention, Steinway all-day, John Patton session. I’m only 35, so I can’t claim this as a senior moment. Is this what it’s like when you get old???  ;-)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> John Formsma <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </DIV> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of pianotune05 Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:19 PM To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Pianotech List</st1:PersonName> Subject: Re: More on hearing protection<o:p></o:p></DIV> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> Hi John,<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> 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?  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marshall</st1:place></st1:City><o:p></o:p></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN: 5pt 0in 5pt 3.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: black 1.5pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> <DIV> ----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV style="font-color: black"> From: <A title=john@formsmapiano.com href="mailto:john@formsmapiano.com">John M. Formsma</A> <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> To: <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:25 PM<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Subject: RE: More on hearing protection<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> <o:p> </o:p></DIV> Geoff,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> 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> <o:p> </o:p> 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> <o:p> </o:p> 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> <o:p> </o:p> John Formsma<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </DIV> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Geoff Sykes Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 2:00 AM To: Pianotech@Ptg. Org Subject: More on hearing protection<o:p></o:p></DIV> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> 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 Etymotic 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. <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> -- Geoff Sykes<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> -- Assoc. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:City></st1:place><o:p></o:p></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/358 - Release Date: 06/07/2006 </BODY></HTML> -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/358 - Release Date: 06/07/2006