<!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 6.00.2900.2769" 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=rol=
e_document
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 11/27/2005 8:30:01 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
Erwinspiano writes:</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> Hi Don</DIV>
<DIV> Excellent thoughts & experiences. I too remember
standing around My Dads Yamaha dealership ,both of us scoffing about =
the
idea that a pianist could change the tone of the piano.. Hey I was young. =
And
wrong. I've had the experience many times.</DIV>
<DIV> Once upon a time (grin) two sisters came to play a Steinwa=
y M
for sale. the first played mechanical Bach & I couldn't beleive this p=
iano
could sound that ugly,harsh & strident. Then up steps hers sis playing=
some fluid articulate piece with a touch to match & the piano melted l=
ike
butter. Amazing.</DIV>
<DIV> I will comment that In My opinion the more precisely the
piano is regulated & coupled with a fine voicing evens the playing fie=
ld a
bit & allows more pianisit an oppurtunity to create a beautiful s=
ound
via larger tonal resources.</DIV>
<DIV> BTW The glue collar is not one I'd given much thought about</D=
IV>
<DIV> Well done</DIV>
<DIV> Dale Erwin</DIV> <BR>-----Original
Message-----<BR>From: Don Mannino <donmannino@comcast.net><BR>To:
Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org><BR>Sent: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 10:07:19
-0800<BR>Subject: Re: Tone Production by the Pianist<BR><BR>
<STYLE>
.AOLPlainTextBody {
margin: 0px;
font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;
font-size: 12px;
color: #000;
background-color: #fff;
}
.AOLPlainTextBody pre {
font-size: 9pt;
}
.AOLInlineAttachment {
margin: 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader {
border-bottom: 2px solid #E9EAEB;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .Title {
font: 11px Tahoma;
font-weight: bold;
color: #666666;
background: #E9EAEB;
padding: 3px 0px 1px 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel {
font: 11px Tahoma;
font-weight: bold;
color: #666666;
padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue {
font: 11px Tahoma;
color: #333333;
}
</STYLE>
<DIV class=AOLPlainTextBody
id=AOLMsgPart_0_32d9ab3d-0cb8-43ba-810a-e1ea8e40b78d>At 08:24 AM 11/25/2=
005,
you wrote: <BR> <BR>>John Dorr asked: " <BR>>In your
experience and philosophy can different pianists create
different <BR>>tones on the same piano, at the same volume (veloci=
ty
of the hammer striking <BR>>the strings) with different touch
techniques? <BR> <BR>John, <BR> <BR>This is an interes=
ting
topic to me, as I have experienced this effect very decisively under diffe=
rent
circumstances. When I was in college studying music I used to feel that to=
ne
could not be changed by how one played, but over time I have come to the
opposite conclusion. <BR> <BR>The first effective demonstration =
was
at a piano competition, on piano selection day. All of the piano technicia=
ns
nervously sit in the audience while the competitors move from piano to pia=
no
and decide in the space of 20 - 30 minutes which piano to use. So in a sho=
rt
time I could hear multiple pianists play the same 5 pianos, and wow do the=
pianos sound different with different pianists! The effect is not at all
subtle - a particular piano can sound horrible with one player, then the n=
ext
player will make it sound wonderful. <BR> <BR>Some of this is no=
t
simply how each key is pressed. How the pedal is used, how the notes are
connected for legato play, and how chords are voiced all make a tremendous=
difference in the tone, and are all simple to explain. There are more
differences in the overall tone quality, though, that comes from the playi=
ng
of the key itself. One pianist can make a very fine piano sound thin and h=
arsh
and short toned, while the next can make it sound warm and lush and
singing. <BR> <BR>Another demonstration was done at the Kawai
laboratory which was more scientific. A concert grand was set up in the
anechoic chamber with a mechanical playing device. The piano was digitally=
recorded at a variety of volume level with a machine playing the key. The
machine produced a very hard, unyielding blow on the key, from soft to
loud. <BR> <BR>Next a pianist sat at the same piano in the same
room, and played the same note at varying loudness levels. This was also
recorded. <BR> <BR>The resulting recorded notes were then matche=
d up
for precise volume levels and compared. The two different tones sounded li=
ke
different pianos, and their spectrum display (actually a "waterfall" style=
display showing the sound across a range of frequencies and over time to s=
how
the decay) was clearly different. <BR> <BR>When tuning you will =
find
this happening, especially in the mid to upper treble. When measuring a pi=
ano
using Cybertuner, for instance, it is sometimes possible to find a particu=
lar
style of key playing that produces a clearer tone with better sustain. I c=
an't
describe how the keystroke is done, exactly, but it is firm without being
hard. And it changes with different pianos. <BR> <BR>The best
explanation I have for why there are differences comes from seeing how ham=
mer
shanks flex and hammer heads vibrate on the way up to the string in slow
motion films (those of you who have seen my Kawai action seminar know what=
I'm
talking about). Given that a particular hammer velocity should produce a g=
iven
volume level from the piano, how the hammer is accelerated to that velocit=
y
will affect the shank flex and hammer head vibration, and therefore the to=
ne
will be different. A pliable touch will accelerate the hammer slowly at fi=
rst,
reaching the target velocity just at letoff. A hard and unyielding touch w=
ill
accelerate the hammer more suddenly, causing more shank flex and more head=
vibration, which will affect the tone because of the way the hammer head i=
s
moving as it hits the string. <BR> <BR>Another side of the tone
picture is the contribution of various other noises in the action to the t=
one.
The thump of the key at the bottom definitely contributes to the tone qual=
ity,
for instance. The vibration of the hammer head after impact produces a
definite knock that we perceive as part of the piano tone (and this is
affected by the shank stiffness near the hammer head along with the glue
collar size, as well as hammer rail design, etc.). A pianist who plays har=
d
but not deep will create different noise in a particular action, so the to=
ne
will be perceived as different. <BR> <BR>Action centers have a g=
reat
affect on tone - and when considering the hammer head movement towards the=
string, one can understand why. But more than simply loose or tight, the
hardness of the bushing and the flex of the hammer flange at the birds-eye=
affect how controlled the hammer is and any side-to-side vibration of the
head. <BR> <BR>So, piano tone production is horribly complex in =
it's
makeup, and one can get lost trying to take into account everything that g=
oes
into it. All of these factors do contribute very strongly to not only the =
type
of tone produced by each pianist, but also how each pianist can have a
particular style of action (including centers, keys, key punchings, shank
stiffness, hammer weight and hardness, etc. etc. etc.) that will work best=
for
their style of play. Piano teachers tend to become especially sensitive to=
this, as they hear many different students on the same piano making differ=
ent
tone. They may not be able to defend the idea conceptually, but they will
relate it experientially with great conviction! <BR> <BR>I think=
I
sense a new PTG seminar in the works here. I'll give this more thought . .=
. <BR> <BR>Don Mannino RPT <BR></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></=
DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>