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<DIV>String Level <G></DIV>
<DIV>Joe Goss<BR><A
href="mailto:imatunr@srvinet.com">imatunr@srvinet.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.mothergoosetools.com">www.mothergoosetools.com</A></DI=
V>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Erwinspiano@aol.com
href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@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> Sunday, April 18, 2004 =
8:57
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: New topic: Lifting =
the
Strings</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> <FONT size=3><STRONG>Hi
Dave</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3><STRONG> Very well stated. I =
learned these
tricks from Norman Neblett in 1979 & was blown away. It adds such =
a
dimension of finesse to the sound. Simply lifting up on the wire at =
the
agraffe allows the traveling wave to flow thru so much more =
efficiently that
the sustain increases as the fundamental become more powerful. To =
prove it to
oneself listen carefully to 2 adjacent bass monochords. Then pull up =
on one
& straighten the bend ,then quickly listen to the 2 notes =
again. The
tone is suddenly fuller & fatter in the altered note & it's so =
simple.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3> I've got to get one of those level =
thing- a
-ma-jigs from Goss</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3><STRONG> Welcome back to the
state.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG> Dale
Erwin</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR>> Most techs I know are not really aware of all the =
treasures
we may find<BR>> when we delve into this subject.<BR>(lifting the
strings)<BR><BR>Hi everyone------this is perhaps the single easiest =
way to
become a hero to<BR>your serious clients: lift, level, and seat the
strings.<BR><BR>Here's my method:<BR>1. Start from the back---press =
down and
stretch the backscale string<BR>length---I use a piece of brass with a =
groove
notched in it. Use a moderate<BR>amount of pressure; you should see =
and feel a
nice deflection of the little<BR>string length.<BR><BR>2. Tap the =
strings
LIGHTLY down to the bridge pins, using brass or a hammer<BR>shank; tap =
in the
direction the strings go around the pin. Be a hero; reach<BR>in =
thru
those damn bass strings and tap every single one of the low
tenor<BR>strings. A hassle, but so worth it.<BR><BR>3. Put a =
string hook
on the string a couple of inches in front of the<BR>agraffe or capo =
bar and
pull up, with good pressure. Do this to every<BR>string on the
piano. Take breaks; this can be fatiguing and straining =
to<BR>your lower
back; treat yourself well.<BR><BR>Now the strings are seated and =
lifted.
Here comes the magic.<BR><BR>4. Level the strings. I use, now, a =
little
brass bubble gauge that Joe Goss<BR>of Mother Goose tools sells---it's =
the
total bomb, dudes. As Ric Baldassin<BR>says, it has =
exponentially
improved my ability to level the strings on a<BR>piano quickly and =
relatively
easily---and so satisfying, for somebody with<BR>ADD such as myself, =
to line
that little bubble up inside those
little<BR>lines...oooooh.<BR><BR>And.....voila. The tone gets =
deeper,
bigger, more sustain, more body, more<BR>"sing," more creamy.....a =
big, big
improvement. I've done that to many<BR>pianos, raised the pitch, =
tuned
it, and had the player sit and listen, then<BR>play. They =
sometimes look
at me with slight fear, like I'm some kind of<BR>wizard....how did I =
make it
that much better in that short of a time?<BR>And your legend
grows........<BR><BR>The sad reality is that hardly any piano =
technicians are
doing these<BR>simple-ass things that make a piano really come alive; =
doing
the above<BR>string protocol and spending an hour getting true =
resilience into
the<BR>hammers through the right kind of acupunctural needling is so
relatively<BR>simple, and it's almost NEVER done; I've been following
supposedly fabulous<BR>tuners for years, and have seen some of the =
most
egregious and sloppy work<BR>in the realm of tone and action =
maintenance that
you can imagine.<BR>Richard Davenport's work is flawless, and =
uniformly
excellent----the gold<BR>standard, or one of them. There's a handful =
more in
LA, but it's a big town.<BR>I'd love another talented, gifted,
disciplined, passionate musician/music<BR>lover as an =
apprentice. But
I'm a harsh, harsh critic. But loving and<BR>respectful. Most of the
time.<BR><BR>As Roger Jolly says, there's gold lying right on the =
street for
pianotechs<BR>who can operate at a high level of what Virgil Smith =
calls
"complete piano<BR>service." Now, back off the soapbox. =
<g><BR><BR>Be
well-----<BR>David Andersen<BR>Malibu, CA</FONT></DIV>
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