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<DIV><FONT size=2>The decision on how to voice down a hammer has to =
take into
consideration just where the hammer is hard. You can really divide =
the
voicing issue into two areas. Resilience and attack. If the =
hammer
lacks resilience, i.e. it is hard deeper into the hammer, then steaming =
won't
really address that. It will mask it by softening the outer =
layers, but it
won't take care of the problem. If the hammer is hard in the =
striking
area, i.e. if the attack needs to be attenuated, then steaming or crown =
needling
will be effective. To determine where you need to voice you have =
to
alternate between hard and soft blows. Harder blows will tell you =
more
about the deeper part of the hammer and its resilience, softer blows =
more about
the crown and the attack. You can have a resilient hammer with =
sharp
attack, a resilient hammer with soft attack, an unresilient hammer =
with
soft attack or an unresilient hammer with sharp attack. I =
personally think
that you need to address resiliency first and that there is usually an =
optimum
level of resiliency. Typically it is described as one which =
achieves
adequate power on a hard blow without the tone breaking =
up. There is
little benefit to an unresilient hammer and a notable loss of power with =
an
overly resilient or unsupported hammer. Once you achieve the =
proper level
of resiliency you can then turn your attention to the attack. Here =
there
is much more room for personal taste.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>David Love</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Wimblees@AOL.COM =
href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@AOL.COM</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> July 15, 2002 8:27 =
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: hammer =
softener?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a =
message dated
7/15/02 10:18:40 AM Central Daylight Time, <A
href="mailto:piano@charlesneuman.net">piano@charlesneuman.net</A> =
writes:
<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
TYPE="CITE">Has anybody used a liquid called "hammer softener"? =
Pianotek
sells it. I <BR>assume the responses will be that it's no substitute =
for
proper voicing <BR>techniques, but I'm curious if anybody has found =
an
appropriate use for <BR>the stuff. <BR><BR>Charles Neuman
<BR><BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>There are four ways to soften =
hammers.
<BR><BR>1. Use the product you mention. I have never used it, so I =
can't make
a comment on it. <BR>2. Use Downey Fabric Softener. Dilute it about 5 =
or 6 to
one, and it works great. The only problem is, it colors the hammers =
blue.
<BR>3. Use a damp cloth and a hammer iron. Roger Jolly explains this =
method. I
have used it several times with great success. I am going to use it on =
all the
practice rooms pianos. The nice things is, it is instantly reversable, =
by
ironing the hammers without the wet cloth. <BR>4. Needle like hell. It =
can be
effective, but it does damage the hammers. And it is hard on your arm =
muscles.
<BR><BR>I am not recommending any one of the four methods. However, I =
like
number 3. <BR><BR>Wim =
<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>