<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.5730.11" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>  <STRONG><EM>Ric</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>   Ahhh yes, the sticky wicket of defining what "a beautiful tone" really is on the Internet. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>   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).</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  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."  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    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.  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>   However because the historical pendulum of felt production, voicing & hammer making techniques have swung so far to accommodate the <U>instant On</U> (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.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  I hope I can contribute to the resurgence in what musicians know as "The beautiful sound"</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Kindest regards</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Dale</EM></STRONG></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the tendancy for many to <BR>opt for the beautiful at the expense of power and brightness can cost <BR>you big time.  I remember a story David A wrote a couple years back <BR>about a piano he'd just voiced and a pianist coming in accusing him of <BR><<killing the piano>>.<BR><BR>Its a hard call to be sure.  The three voicing teachers I've had the <BR>fortune to spend time with have all drilled in the same lesson.  Make it <BR>beautiful... but make it powerful as well.  Clear as day, I know... <BR>:).... But the discussion about hammer felts and voicing preferences <BR>does, clear as day, illustrate the bredth of the problem in front of the <BR>voicer.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR>RicB</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>