Yamaha C3 voicing

[Tim Coates]

I have done a lot of steaming and I use all of the first three techniques you
discribe.  Needles are very slow and don't produce the stable results steam
does.  Steam really brings out the "bloom"  in the sound, quickly.

I start with the damp cloth.  If that isn't enough (though on a two year old
C3 it should be perfect) use the steam pot.  Pass each hammer quickly into the
steam (sample a hammer or two to hear the results before doing all the
hammers).  You can adjust the amount of time in the steam to suit different
sections and how they blend with each other.  Smooth the entire piano out with
the chop stick.

As I was first told when starting to use steam:  bring along a good book and
keep the door shut.  Spend 3 and a half hours reading after you are done with
the steam.  You don't want people to know that it only took 20 minutes to do a
job that sounds like you spent 4  hours.

Tim Coates
Universtiy of South Dakota

Jeff Stickney wrote:

> Dear list,
>         We have a 2-year-old Yamaha C3 in a faculty studio that is quite
> bright.  I haven't taken the leap into steam voicing yet, and so, in the
> spirit of Jeannie Grassi's recent editorial comments on Mastery I'm leaning
> on the the experience of you all before I jump in.  In order to do a
> wholesale voicing of this piano do you 1) Get the coffee pot and steam one
> hammer at a time in the spout 2) Use the damp cloth and hammer iron on the
> shoulders or other parts of the hammer 3) Do any of you use needles when
> faced with this style of piano/hammer ( I do like using a single needle
> tool to even things out, but not necessarily for this wholesale situation)
> 4) Is the unofficial Yamaha technique of using pliers on the shoulders
> going to produce similar results to steaming or is the outcome different -
> tonally, stability-wise, etc.  Thanks for your ideas.
> Jeff Stickney, RPT
> University of Montana
> jpage@selway.umt.edu

-- Tim Coates
Wapin Co., LLP
http://www.wapin.com