<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1226" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV>André,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I for one enjoy very much your posts on hammers. I agree with you that some = hammers are all but impossible to produce a good tone with. And some pianos also = have the same problem. I just wish I could get all your experience in a can = or something quick...;-)  But I really enjoy getting more knowledge a = day at a time. It's a nice long road to great voicing. And sometimes the piano = itself is limited and by trying to make it sound as it won't, a few otherwise good = sets of hammers are ruined.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Please keep on sharing your experiences.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Marcel Carey, RPT</DIV> <DIV>Sherbrooke QC</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left>-----Original Message----- From: = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of = antares Sent: 21 février, 2004 06:51 To: Kevin E. Ramsey; Pianotech Subject: Re: Voicing up Shigeru Kawai SK3 </DIV> On 21-feb-04, at 2:24, Kevin E. Ramsey = wrote: <?bigger> <BLOCKQUOTE><?fontfamily><?param Arial>I was worried that someone who = wasn't highly trained got to your piano and did something which could = probably be undone by a qualified technician, and when I saw the comment on = changing hammers, I felt I had to jump in and bring a stop to such rubbish. I = don't think you can even get Shigeru hammers for a small section, without replacing the whole set. You certainly wouldn't want any other kind = on that piano.<?/fontfamily>  <?fontfamily><?param Arial>I hope that = I've helped, at least I've stopped something bad from happening. Please = feel free to write back after this is resolved, perhaps I can learn something = here also.<?/fontfamily>  </BLOCKQUOTE><?/bigger> <BLOCKQUOTE> <?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?bigger>Yours,<?/bigger><?/fontfamily> <?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?bigger>Kevin E. Ramsey = R.P.T.<?/bigger><?/fontfamily> </BLOCKQUOTE><?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?x-tad-bigger> Hi Kevin, From the information from the owner of the Kawai grand, we = could deduct that, although there may be some voicing problems, the = instrument basically is beautiful and that it will be alright after treatment. = The warning sign are flashing, so something will have to be = done. Indeed, a hammer change would be drastic and premature, especially if a well = trained technician has worked before on this instrument. On the other hand, = why be so afraid of a hammer change? I do nothing but hammer changes, and = have done so for many years, on old instruments, but also on new instruments. The new instruments had for instance been voiced too = much in the factory and could not be helped anymore. I have also = encountered quite a number of new concert grands (and especially Steinways !) which had = big trouble already right from the start, and why? because of over filing, = over needling and over doping. A hammer change is/was often the only = answer but this answer always came to light after a year or so.. I remember = for instance this guy at Bösendorfer who had been filing and voicing and = filing and voicing his concert hammers all day long, so to speak. At the = end of the day, he came to the embarrassing conclusion that he had gone too = far. The next day he happily did a new hammer filing and started the process = all over again. That instrument has been sold of course but was in need of new = hammers right from the start. Somebody bought it and it could have been yours. here a quote from the = owner: <?/x-tad-bigger><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?x-tad-smaller>Actually, the piano was very harsh when coming from Japan. A french Master Piano = Artisan has prepared the piano and I've tried it before ordering. I've well = noticed the need to give more power to these notes to get more balanced sound, = and I've considered this a minor problem. The MPA told me to play the = piano for 6 months and he will improve thisduring the visit at my house (MPAs are = licensed by Kawai to service = Shigeru's). <?/x-tad-smaller><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?x-tad-smaller> <?/x-tad-smaller><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?p= aram Arial><?x-tad-bigger>This is a very clear case to me as I have encountered it many times : = Basically the instrument is fine, but indeed, it = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>might<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger= > be possible that a technician in Japan had just a bad night or a cold, = and thus had some trouble with the area described, and over-needled it - = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>slightly<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-big= ger> (why not? is he/she a saint?). Then the instrument was put in a crate = and into a container and loaded on the deck of a ship, and so the long journey = started to Europe, or where ever. - (There was this moment when this = very respected voicing technician in Japan told me that 'tomorrow he could = not be there to give me instructions, because he had to prepare some concert instruments for a selection by a famous pianist. I immediately = jumped up and asked him whether it would be possible to listen to his work after = the pianist had been gone again. And so it happened that the next day he = took me to a small hall within the factory, I had not seen before. 10 = concert instruments had been prepared and my instructor asked me to pick out = the nicest ones. Within a few minutes I had made my choice and told him = that there were two I liked very much because they were very rich in tone = and very even. It was a lucky moment because these two instruments were the = ones = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>he<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger> = had prepared himself. I then asked him why it was that not all concert = grands were just as beautiful, to which he answered that "not every = technician has the same qualities and that to some he would give a 7 (on a scale of 1 = to 10) and others a 9. "They are people, and all people are different".) - It is well known, that a journey in a container may cause = some problems with the product, due to temperature and humidity changes. = For that reason, all instruments, 'normally' speaking, undergo a check on = arrival. This check is usually not done in the shop, but in the place of = transhipment where the products will be stored temporarily. Of course I don't know = anything about your technical background (so forgive me if this is old hat to = you), but let me tell you that often this technical brush up is a bitter laugh, = and the work minutes are counted, literally, out of commercial = consideration. The next place where the instrument goes to is the piano shop. I = have travelled very much, and I am always interested in the local piano = shops where ever my journey takes me (sounds familiar?). Most often, <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>almost<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigge= r> = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>all<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-b= igger> instruments in any shop, anywhere, are in soso shape. They are always = out of tune, and always need regulation and voicing. Why? That is because = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>1.<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigge= r> <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>often = -<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger> the shop owners don't have the technical knowledge = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>2.<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigge= r> <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>often = -<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger> the shop owners don't have experienced technicians (because they, the = techs, work for themselves) = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>3.<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigge= r> <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>often = -<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger> the shop owners don't = <?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>want<?/x-tad-bigger><?x-tad-bigger>= to invest extra money and hold the importer responsible for technical complaints. The importer always grumbles and first tells the shop = owner to fix the problem himself, and when this has no result (or, when it - = usually - gets worse) and the customer keeps complaining, a trained tech will = come by to fix the problem. This all costs extra money which nobody wants to = pay. <?/x-tad-bigger><?/fontfamily><?x-tad-bigger>   <?/x= -tad-bigger><?fontfamily><?param Arial><?x-tad-bigger>Factory technicians are not holy, you know. I have been in quite a number = of factories and was often amazed at the way their instruments left the factory. In my opinion, the finest instrument is an instrument that = has a higher and recognizable quality from the start and as we know, maybe = oneout of ten is uniquely beautiful. Usually, such a fine instrument has = already been selected in the factory for special occasions. There were for = instance the fine Yamaha CFFIII-S grands, specially selected for Mr. S. Richter on = which he played his concerts all over the world, accompanied by the finest = technicians. If we encounter a 'diamond' piano, even a bad technician may have = success with it. The other ones, the ones with 'some problems' ask for more = refinement. The tech servicing these more difficult instruments, has = to be very awake and sharp and of course highly experienced from the start. Coming back to changing hammers : I have now = described in detail several circumstances that could lead to a premature hammer = change on a fairly new instrument. If we have experience in doing hammer = changes and we have done so for many years, we go from level to level, year after = year, just as everyone else who gets more and more experience in his/her = field. In a factory this goes of course much faster because it is a daily routine. = If we trust the voicing technician in the factory, can we not also trust the = highly experienced and factory trained technician in the field? Of course = we can. If an experienced technician, indeed, not only has technical = qualities but also has an artistic disposition, we should be assured that a = hammer change on such a fine instrument (and any hammer change) will be = brought to a good musical end. They are just rare, that's = all. <?/x-tad-bigger><?/fontfamily>P.S. quote = from the Shigeru owner : <?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?x-tad-smaller>I'm confident the technician will recover some brightness to these notes. = I'll follow you regarding juicing. I agree that "banging" the hammers might = do the trick. I'll also take care of the keyboard frame level in that = range. The piano tech of my local dealer (familiar with S&S) tells me dry = ironing on the shoulders, not directly on the crown, would anyway recover a = cleaner attack at soft playing. it's likely something that could be tested, in = a conservative way of course. What do you think = ? <?/x-tad-smaller><?/fontfamily> unquote A correct regulation of the bedding screws belongs to regulation and that should = have been done right from the beginning and a check should always be made = because the key frame changes position all the time due to changes in = humidity. I have used the word 'banging' here because it has been taught to me in = several factories. It is a highly successful but should be done carefully in = order not to overdo it. I am against ironing hammers because it is = always a temporary measure and it is very dangerous. If hammers contain too = much water, due to high humidity, we should alter the climate conditions in = the hall or room, or install the right dampp chaser system. In my = opinion we must avoid working on hammers as much as is possible. If we have an = exquisite instrument the regulation, the hammers and the tuning are of the = greatest importance. Of these, the hammers are the most important and = dangerous items because they are much more complex. Why are they = complex? Because of the fact that hammers have a 'certain' wool quality, they have a = hammer molding which plays a role in making sound and which also defines the = volume, and we have here a very complex number of tension area's which play an = incredibly important role in defining the tonal outcome. Hammers = (and thus hammer felt) are actually so important, that we (Grand Piano) now give = lectures about Wurzen felt and how to voice it. Because I = personally put so much emphasis on hammers, it was rather 'strange' to me that, = generally speaking, hardly anybody on this list reacts to my ramblings about = this issue. Apparently it is not considered important or interesting enough. On the other hand, maybe I should turn off my computer = and read Donald Duck instead (?) <?fontfamily><?param = Arial><?x-tad-bigger> <?/x-tad-bigger><?/fontfamily>friendly greetings from André Oorebeek Amsterdam - The = Netherlands 0031-20-6237357 0645-492389 0031-75-6226878 w= ww.concertpianoservice.nl www.grandpiano.nl </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY= ></HTML>