<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> List</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> If all good piano owners were to = put ther pianos back in ther cases when they were finished practicing(Grin) I = think you just might find as many good sounding 100 year old pianos as violins.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>       = Dale Erwin</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:JStan40@AOL.COM" = title=JStan40@AOL.COM>JStan40@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, June 02, 2001 5:08 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: not a Steinway any more</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT face=Arial lang=0 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">F</FONT><FONT color=#000000 face="Bell MT" = lang=0 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"> <BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial = lang=0 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">arrell wrote: <BR><BR>> "Hmmm.. I wonder about this = statement.  I have heard pianos that <BR>> definantly improved with time. = Not your heavily used instruments <BR>> that get just plane beat to smitherins... but Intruments that get <BR>> used a good deal, = nicely as it were... and significantly (me <BR>> thinks anyways..) they all = seemed to have a pretty optimal <BR>> environment." In the short term, yes, = many variables. But take 100 <BR>> hi-quality violins at  age 100 = years and 100 hi-quality pianos at <BR>> age 100 years. Which group = sounds/plays most like they did when <BR>> new - or better. I think the violins win. = No? <BR><BR>If thats true then we would have to ask ourselves why it is... = and <BR>what immediatly comes to my mind is whether a piano can have = <BR>anywhere near optimal climatic conditions combined with reasonably <BR>good = maintanance over such a long time. Where as a violin may very <BR>easily have that = kind of a life for so long a period. <BR><BR>Its all probably moot anyways.  Who's going to provide those kind of <BR>conditions for a piano = over so many years to find out... ? Talk <BR>about your time consuming = experiment. <BR><BR>Still.. its interesting to think about. <BR><BR>- -- = <BR>Richard Brekne <BR>RPT, N.P.T.F. <BR>Bergen, Norway = <BR>mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT color=#000000 face="Bell MT" = lang=0 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF">Terry, Richard and others who have responded to this = thread, <BR><BR>I think it has been mentioned by one person that Stradivarius = (and others, <BR>notably Amati, Guarneri, etc.) instruments are not usually = found today in <BR>their original form......longer necks, increased angle of = the neck, longer <BR>fingerboards, higher bridges, etc., to conform to the changes = in taste of the <BR>violin sound in the time since the late 16th c.  A = few museums have original <BR>instruments, but they haven't been played = regularly, either.  So are they <BR>still Strads (or others)?  Everyone = seems to agree that they are, at least <BR>the marketplace tends to value them = regardless of the later alterations <BR>nearly universally made. <BR><BR>One other = thing is worth pointing out, though perhaps it is obvious enough <BR>that it = didn't NEED pointing out.............and that is that the soundboard <BR>on a piano = is a stressed member of the entire structure.  By contrast, the <BR>top = and back of the violin has its shape by virtue of it having been carved <BR>out = of a much larger block of wood.  The stress placed on it by the string = <BR>tension and bridge/soundpost/bass bar transducer arrangement is much less = <BR>than that of a piano soundboard (obviously), and having its shape already = <BR>formed lends itself to....well....self-preservation (barring fire or accident = <BR>sufficient to prevent repair). <BR><BR>Just HAD to throw this into the = mix.....sorry! <BR><BR>Stan Ryberg <BR>Barrington IL = <BR>mailto:<U>jstan40@aol.com</U></FONT> </FONT></BODY></HTML>