chopstick voicing

Isaac OLEG oleg-i@wanadoo.fr
Mon, 17 Mar 2003 21:10:04 +0100


Suzan,

While I use the chopstick a little , I was instructed to try to avoid
needling (even with one needle) without beginning a little lower than
the crown, and staying firm enough to feel the knots or hard spots
efficiently, what I was not yet able to do with the chopstick.

I noticed too that the result is holding better if the string by
string voicing is done still considering the crown as a whole, and
trying to keep some firmness on the outer layers, while cutting the
hardness of the attack working a little lower than I thought.

If the top can stay resilient enough, and the edge of the strings mark
have a good rebound from under , we avoid hardness of the attack while
keeping much power, if you see what I mean. That is supposed to be
obtained while beginning always lower than it seem necessary.
The aspect of the hammer tells me also if a part can be needled more
or no.
I even sawn needling the top regions while checking on the adjacent
hammers to feel if the material have well the same consistence under
the needles.

As I became more experienced with voicing and understood that these
things are not lasting so much generally, I have gained a better firm
stroke without the hesitation that kills the tone without much good.
That's like playing light staccato notes on a keyboard we give the
impulse, aiming for a place just above the front punching) and the key
goes down itself alone for the rest of the stroke. That is a fairly
good feeling I may say, if the tool don't rebound because of hardness
we know the hard spot is there, a whole keyboard can be equalized in a
very short time if one is confident in his feel (but not over
enthusiastic for sure).

So I finally understood that it is a matter of attitude, and probably
trying to do the less possible as been said yet.

Was first shown that by an American technician working for Steinway in
France, so I guess the approach is may be similar for you.


But I may confess I always try to keep a lot of brilliance, even if I
hide it under a mellow beginning of the tone. Have ruined too much
crowns before !

Well I'll stop explaining my life now  !

Thanks for your description and bests !

Isaac OLEG

Entertain et reparation de pianos.

PianoTech
17 rue de Choisy
94400 VITRY sur SEINE
FRANCE
tel : 033 01 47 18 06 98
fax : 033 01 47 18 06 90
cell: 06 60 42 58 77

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org]De la part de
> Susan Kline
> Envoye : lundi 17 mars 2003 16:26
> A : College and University Technicians
> Objet : RE: Records in piano
>
>
> At 12:11 PM 3/17/2003 +0100, you wrote:
> >I am interested in hearing about the voicing marks you use.
>
> Hello, Isaac.
>
> My marks vary a little, but are pretty simple. For spacing,
> I make diagonal lines down from the edges of the keysticks,
> one to three, depending on the amount of spacing needed.
> Travelling I don't mark -- I just do it.
>
> For voicing, since I make several passes, I leave the marks
> for each pass a different place -- the first pass I mark just
> behind the keytop, and the second is usually up on the shipping
> rail. The third varies somewhat.
>
> The marks are: a vertical line for normally bright, just a
> small dot for barely bright, and a big sloppy mark the whole
> width of the keystick for "unholy tin-can" bright. If a note is
> too soft or fluffy-sounding, I use a hollow circle.
>
> String-by-string voicing I usually do with the chopstick
> tool through the strings, so I don't need to mark for it.
>
> Regards,
>
> Susan
>
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>


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