<!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 6.00.6000.16481" 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>  Hi Terry</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Actually I withheld that protocol because I was teaching it in PA at the MARC.  Now that's over........</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  It is easiest to explain that this method evolved over time. For example. I'd hang new hammers in a Steinway and I wouldn't like the sound in the killer octave.  I tried to voice things up out & still had a tone that was often weak & nasal especially with the shift pedal on.  My colleague & good/friend Bob Davis gave me my first clue on hammer strike lines 15 years ago when I was in trouble on a  Steinways D at the symphony.  I had replaced the dilapidated action, re engineered some things/raised the stack but the complaint was still the trebles weak.  That just really irritated me because old the CD from 1940s has a text book picture perfect compression crowned belly set up.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Bob said if you pull the hammers in the nasal tone decreases & the sustain gets better especially right around c 64.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  SO the method I used at that time, I have employed many times. since  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>   The piano is in tune the regulation is good.  The hammers are already hung in a straight line with a Nice tight let-off ..always 1 to 1.5 mm in the treble 2 ish in the bass.  The voicing is in the ballpark.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  The first thing one must learn is how to listen for the defects. Always when coming to Steinways depress the shift & listen to it as it clears the left string. Play chromatically up the scale starting at about E-5.  Listen for the very obvious change in sonority as you approach the C-6 area & higher. If the hammers are hung in as straight line the sound will usually become weak & dreadful. Great! You hunag a beautiful straight set of hammers & now Erwin is telling you they won't work.  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Yes & they won't. AMHIK</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    The lower notes around e-5 will sound strong & the sustain good but then this changes the further up one plays & is most noticeable starting at about A-5 thru F-6.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> With the key blocks in to locate the action Place masking tape right at  the front edge of the key frame. Put it down on the key bed. Now play C-64 & pull the action in & out with your right hand & with the shift pedal all the way on until you find the sweet spot where the nasal sound is gone of lessened as much as possible & the sustain improve.  Hey, you will think the piano just got a new soundboard.  Witht eh action pulled out & the tone where you want it mark the tape in front of the note you are teating. A mark for each note will produce a horse shoe shaped line. Measure how far the marks on the tape are from the front of the action.  This tells how far the hammers must be moved toward you.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    With ne hammers if you can Dry hang them samples first & listen great. Once you know the trick you can use sample hammers before you glue everything on to closely approximate the optimal position. With Jurgens new hammer puller this job is a snap.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    A side note.  If you are one who likes to bore your hammers long the problems will be much worse because of under centering. The hammers will hit further out away from the strike line. I have often surmised that Steinway standard hammer bores were often designed to under centered for this reason.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  I usually re hang note C-6 first it will be the hammers closest to the player.  I have hung that note a frighteningly 4 to 5 mm closer to the player to make it right but it does work. Fill in the hammer line using this one as a guide & then whistle a happy tune as your clients tell you what a genious you are today or zee peeanno neevah zounded zat guut.  whatever.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  When I visited Ray & at Ronsen I met a friend of his. An Israeli who had come over & worked in the steinway restoration dept between 1995 & 2000.  Ray told him what I was doing & when we spoke privately he said they employed this protocol on every Steinway rebuild..</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  In closing & IMO Every Steinway model as far as I know has this problem. Models A<B<C<D are  the worst but I've done this on L,Os etc as well.  Other makes can have this malady. Conovers (very fussy) Masons not as bad.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Have fun with this. Be a hero to your clients.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Oh the Symphony Steinway D when corrected.  I was told I don't know what you  di but it never sounded this good.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Regards</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Dale Erwin</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM></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> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dale Erwin wrote a while back about hanging grand hammers and ending up with a less-than-straight hammer line on some pianos to optimize tone for each note. Dale, would you care to detail your process for doing this.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell<BR>Farrell Piano</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A title=http://www.farrellpiano.com/ href="http://www.farrellpiano.com/">www.farrellpiano.com</A><BR><A title=mailto:terry@farrellpiano.com href="mailto:terry@farrellpiano.com">terry@farrellpiano.com</A></FONT></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Get a sneak peek of the all-new <A title="http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982" href="http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>