<HTML 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>Light fixtures</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3059" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> <DIV>David:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I appreciate your positive message here, and I agree, and it's been my experience as well as a long time brass player (trombone); at the same time I would wish that major manufacturers might pay a bit more attention to what is happening among the bright stars out in the cosmic piano field. If only they would think a bit more laterally (improve the existing pianos) than vertically (create more levels of marketable objects), perhaps they'd sell more pianos. Perhaps not, but at least the piano industry as whole and pianists would be better served. Thanks for the observation.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><STRONG>"If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie)</STRONG></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 02/23/07 06:43:06 Central Standard Time, dporritt@mail.smu.edu writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <DIV> <STYLE type=text/css> .aolmailheader {font-size:8pt; color:black; font-family:Arial} a.aolmailheader:link {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:visited {color:magenta; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:active {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:hover {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal} </STYLE> <META content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)" name=Generator> <STYLE> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </STYLE> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:SmartTagType> <STYLE> st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } </STYLE> <STYLE>  </STYLE> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Paul:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This is the way of all the top instruments.  The top French horns, flutes, violins etc. are all made in very small shops.  The fact that we now have a few pianos being made this way is progress.  The best factory made instruments of any type will never approach the small shop output in quality.  It’s just that in our history this phenomenon has excluded pianos.  Now it doesn’t!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">dp<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <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="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">David M. Porritt</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A title=mailto:dporritt@smu.edu href="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu" alt="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu">dporritt@smu.edu</A></SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <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>PAULREVENKOJONES<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Friday, February 23, 2007 1:34 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Pianotech List<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: Long term pitch drop, was: Type O</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 color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ric, and all:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">One of real eye-openers from the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rochester</st1:place></st1:City> rebuilder's showcase was the amazing number of innovations possible with stunning results in most cases. But it also occurred to me, while I was there and since, that because of the economics of factory production (as a well as shareholder pressure from public companies) that in five years we'll be lucky to see any of the innovations adopted or brought into the mainstream. It's a conservative crowd, and understandable given the costs of production and the nature of the market. But isn't it too bad that we'll see most of the really deeply considered ideas expressed in only limited numbers from the onesy-twosy shops. But thanks to all of the people who did the thinking and making!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Paul<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><STRONG><B><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie)</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In a message dated 02/23/07 01:15:59 Central Standard Time, ricb@pianostemmer.no writes:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; PADDING-LEFT: 4pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN-LEFT: 3.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: blue 1.5pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I would think that if there is one thing the piano industry has itself <BR>proven over time is that the absolute best that can be built is not the <BR>result of a factory manufacturing situation.  The best factories have <BR>done about all then could possibly do to combine the idea some form of <BR>mass production with the idea of hand made-craftmanship. Inherent in <BR>this concept is the admission that the best artisans, if left to <BR>themselves would be able to produce a superior instrument then can be <BR>produced in a factory setting. Indeed, to some degree one can still pay <BR>for <<extra attention>> at some of the better factories. <BR><BR>Strikes me that it is entirely possible, if not highly probable, that <BR>the absolute best the industry has produced to date has come out of some <BR>small 1-2 man shop setting. <BR><BR>I dont like to use words like better or best or worse often... because <BR>so often they are used in contexts that have to do wi! th purely <BR>subjective things.  But the quantifiable exists to be sure.  Ron Overs <BR>piano in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rochester</st1:place></st1:City> for example.  The obvious care taken to just about <BR>every detail was indeed superiour to just about anything I have ever <BR>seen from anywhere. <BR><BR>Cheers <BR>RicB <BR><BR>   If you point of reference is the finest that the piano industry has <BR>   produced to date, I'll stick to my answer, Thank you very much! <BR><BR>   Frank <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>