[CAUT] Alcohol/water on Yamaha hammers

[Cy Shuster]

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I did the same, on a 30-year-old C3 at a college, used daily as a =
teaching and performance piano, and apparently having received little =
maintenance during that time.   It pinged painfully throughout, =
especially octaves 5 & 6.  In a performance with a string quartet, it =
sounded like a banjo.

Reshaping removed about two layers of felt along with the string =
grooves, but made little difference in tone.  A few drops of vodka at =
the strike points, and suddenly it was a piano again, with a full range =
of partials at softer-than-forte play.

I was taught that the hammers should be allowed to dry before playing =
(to avoid packing the felt back down).  Is this how you do it, Susan?

--Cy--
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Susan Kline=20
  To: College and University Technicians=20
  Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 11:30 PM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Alcohol/water on Yamaha hammers


  After filing the hammers to a better shape, I used alcohol on the=20
  strike points in the sections which were harsher than I could=20
  tolerate. When I say I used alcohol (with water, to 100 proof) I mean=20
  that I used a few drops per hammer directly into the string grooves=20
  in the tenor, tapering to one small drop on each hammer in the top=20
  octave.=20

  <snip>
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