<!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 6.00.6000.16640" 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>I want you all to know of the seminar I will be teaching, "The Early Steinway Grand, 1856-1886," at Klavierhaus in NYC Saturday May 24.  The NYC Piano Technicians Guild Chapter and it's president, Arlan Harris are hosting the event along with Klavierhaus.  The seminar begins at 10 AM and ends....well, in time for me to catch Jet Blue back home to southern California Saturday night...  Registration - $45 - contact Arlan Harris (see attached flyer).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The story of Steinway's first 30 years of piano design and building is not well-known, even with several good Steinway company histories available.  Good information is still hard to come by on how to approach these unusual, often jointed-rim, Steinway grands.  Much debate exists as to whether the company was at all inventive, or mostly derivative.  (Have you heard of the "Patent Resonator?")  I think that I have something to say about that, even though much comparative research is yet to be done.  And a great amount of rebuilding of these early instruments in now taking place; we'd like our years of research on this subject to do some good - before all the important examples of early Steinways are lost to history, unable to be documented.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Earlier in the week Larry Buck, David Stanwood and I plan to photo-document the Monitor Grand (6'8") at the William Seward House in Auburn, NY (Monday) - this is a rare example of the CF Theodore Steinway English action with a "balance spring."  Next I'll give a chapter program in Boston - "Discovering the First Modern Steinway Grand" - on Tuesday the 20th.  Hopefully I'll get some time at the Wagner Steinway Archives later in the week to continue my research.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you're in California, plan on an Early Steinway Grand Seminar at Dale Erwin's shop in Modesto August 2.  More later on that!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Feel free to check out <A href="http://www.periodpianos.org">www.periodpianos.org</A> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you're within range of the Boston and/or NYC chapters I'd love to have you join us!  If you're not, tell someone who is about the events, and encourage your chapter or retailer to arrange for an "Early Steinway Grand" seminar in your area, and at the same time we might be able to document an early Steinway nearby.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.periodpianos.org">www.periodpianos.org</A></DIV> <DIV><A href="mailto:bdshull@aol.com">bdshull@aol.com</A></DIV> <DIV>cell 951 544-0121</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </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">Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? <A title="http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001" href="http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001" target="_blank">Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>