NY selection

[Charles K. Ball]

Dear Allen,

I was asked to accompany two piano faculty members to NYC for a selection
two years ago.  For me it was a very positive experience.  Not only did I
have the chance to sample a couple of excellent restaurants (at the expense
of our local Steinway dealer), but also to attend the opera and do some
local sightseeing, including an extensive Steinway factory tour.

The two faculty members would normally have difficulty agreeing upon the
time of day, and I had some misgivings about finding commonality; however,
by the end of a long day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a break for lunch) we had
arrived at a common agreement.  It is very important to have more than one
pianist involved in the selection so that one can listen while the other
plays.  They tried all kinds of repertoire and all dynamic levels, and the
instrument that was best suited for our venue eventually emerged.

Basically, although I was asked for my opinion at various points during the
selection, my role was to check out the final choices to see whether there
were any structural reasons to prefer one over another.  The instrument
that was favored has a substantial amount of bearing, but the tone has
wonderful sustain and bloom.

After two years we are still delighted with this piano--it has a strong,
clear tone and is extremely even from top to bottom, it holds its tuning
like a rock (and is relatively easy to tune), and the action is even,
responsive and reliable.  I did spend about 40 hours on it after it was
delivered, repinning action centers, retiming dampers, reweighing keys,
etc., but it was well worth the effort.

I would encourage you to respond to the respect being paid to you and your
position by being asked to play a role with the faculty in this selection
by taking your responsibility seriously.  You can be a resource to the
faculty, interacting with the selection room technician, checking out basic
aspects of the instruments that make the final cut, and helping resolve
issues.  For instance, if the pianists like one instrument, but find the
action difficult, you might be able to determine that it has friction
problems that can be easily addressed.  You can also ask the selection
technician to make adjustments during your lunch break.

If the instruments you have to choose from are as fine as those I have seen
in recent years, you should have a good experience.

Have a great time.

Charles

 >Horace wrote:
>
>[ Having been in
>on this kind of disaster, ah, purchase, several times - I would urgently
>suggest simply smiling politely, nodding occaisionally, and making pleasant
>murmurings as necessary.]
>
>I've been following this thread with interest, not because of the Hamburg
>piano question but because I've been chosen to go with three (count 'em!)
>faculty members to New York as the selection committee for a new "D" for
>one of our halls. It's sort of a formality for me to go along, I think - I
>don't expect these pianists will find a lot to agree on amongst
>themselves, much less pay much attention to whatever opinions I might add.
>Wish I could feel more positive about it, but I sort of feel that the best
>thing I can do is possibly warn them about (or prepare myself for) things
>that may come to haunt us "later on" about the piano - like if there's a
>particularly buzzy capo bar, or tight flanges, overly hard hammers
>temporarily voiced down, etc.
>
>I'd be very interested to hear what others experiences have been,
>especially if someone has had a positive experience with this and who
>thinks the technician can actually play a useful role in this sort of
>scenario. A large element here involves subjective factors, obviously -
>specific personalities and aesthetics. But surely (he says, ever hopeful)
>there might be something other than "pleasant murmurings" that I can add
>to the proceedings?! Or should I instead just stay in my hotel room and
>miss the appointment, or (better yet) go out and enjoy the town?
>
>War stories welcome...
>
>tongue-only-partly-in-cheek,
>
>Allen Wright
>Oberlin Conservatory


Charles Ball, RPT
School of Music
University of Texas at Austin
ckball@mail.utexas.edu