<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; cha= rset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff= f"> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>   Hi Dave= </DIV> <DIV>  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 ag= raffe allows the traveling wave to flow thru so much more efficiently that t= he 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. T= he tone is suddenly fuller & fatter in the altered note & it's so si= mple.</DIV> <DIV> I've got to get one of those level thing- = a -ma-jigs from Goss</DIV> <DIV> Welcome back to the state.</S= TRONG></DIV> <DIV>   Dale Erwin</STRO= NG></DIV> <DIV> > Most techs I know are not really aware of all the treasure= s we may find > when we delve into this subject. (lifting the strin= gs) Hi everyone------this is perhaps the single easiest way to become= a hero to your serious clients: lift, level, and seat the strings. <B= R>Here's my method: 1. Start from the back---press down and stretch the b= ackscale string length---I use a piece of brass with a groove notched in = it. Use a moderate amount of pressure; you should see and feel a nice def= lection of the little string length. 2. Tap the strings LIGHTLY do= wn to the bridge pins, using brass or a hammer shank; tap in the directio= n the strings go around the pin.  Be a hero; reach in thru those dam= n bass strings and tap every single one of the low tenor strings.  A= hassle, but so worth it. 3. Put a string hook on the string a couple= of inches in front of the agraffe or capo bar and pull up, with good pre= ssure.  Do this to every string on the piano.  Take breaks; thi= s can be fatiguing and straining to your lower back; treat yourself well.= Now the strings are seated and lifted.  Here comes the magic.<B= R> 4. Level the strings.  I use, now, a little brass bubble gauge th= at Joe Goss of Mother Goose tools sells---it's the total bomb, dudes.&nbs= p; As Ric Baldassin says, it has exponentially improved my ability to lev= el the strings on a piano quickly and relatively easily---and so satisfyi= ng, for somebody with ADD such as myself, to line that little bubble up i= nside those little lines...oooooh. And.....voila.  The tone g= ets deeper, bigger, more sustain, more body, more "sing," more creamy....= .a big, big improvement.  I've done that to many pianos, raised the = pitch, tuned it, and had the player sit and listen, then play.  They= sometimes look at me with slight fear, like I'm some kind of wizard....h= ow did I make it that much better in that short of a time? And your legen= d grows........ The sad reality is that hardly any piano technicians = are doing these simple-ass things that make a piano really come alive; do= ing the above string protocol and spending an hour getting true resilienc= e into the hammers through the right kind of acupunctural needling is so = relatively simple, and it's almost NEVER done; I've been following suppos= edly fabulous tuners for years, and have seen some of the most egregious = and sloppy work in the realm of tone and action maintenance that you can = imagine. Richard Davenport's work is flawless, and uniformly excellent---= -the gold standard, or one of them. There's a handful more in LA, but it'= s a big town. I'd love another talented, gifted, disciplined,  passi= onate musician/music lover as an apprentice. But I'm a harsh, harsh criti= c. But loving and respectful. Most of the time. As Roger Jolly say= s, there's gold lying right on the street for pianotechs who can operate = at a high level of what Virgil Smith calls "complete piano service." Now,= back off the soapbox. <g> Be well----- David Andersen Ma= libu, CA</DIV> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>