[CAUT] Hammer wear

[Porritt, David]

We have a set of Wurzens on a Reduced size keyboard for a NY D in a
recital hall.  The top octave was mildly doped when we got the action.
I've like the sound very much but the professor who teaches the
reduced-action students wanted it brighter.  Over Spring Break I lightly
doped all of them with acetone/keytop mixture and they are nice now.

 

On the practice room pianos, I hung them and did nothing else.  Those
pianos are too loud in the practice rooms regardless.  They have a nice
sound but in a large hall you'd want a little more.  Of the 7 newer
Steinways that still have NY hammers; none is in a large enough room to
want more sound.  I did tune the very newest one yesterday and while it
is loud enough for the small room, the tone is pretty dull and
uninteresting.  There is mellow and warm and then there's dull.  I don't
like dull, but then some do!

 

dp

 

David M. Porritt

dporritt at smu.edu

________________________________

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Chris Solliday
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 8:23 AM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Hammer wear

 

David, Could you describe (perhaps again) the difference in
reinforcement necessary for good tone between the two? And in specific
generalities comparative voicing techniques? Did you get the latest 8:1
lacquer "dipped" before cutting to reduce cupping generation of Steinway
hammer?

Chris Solliday 

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Porritt, David <mailto:dporritt at mail.smu.edu>  

	To: College and University Technicians <mailto:caut at ptg.org>  

	Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 9:15 AM

	Subject: [CAUT] Hammer wear

	 

	Wim mentioned the other day the difference in hammer wear and
wondered if different pianists playing technique had anything to do with
it.  

	 

	I tried to take pictures to post, but the camera I have here
doesn't have good enough macro functions to really show good detail.  We
have 2 M's bought in 2004 that are in practice rooms.  I filed the
hammers in the summer of 2005 because the grooves were deep from a year
of hard use.  Also in the summer of 2005 I hung 5 sets of Ronsen Wurzen
hammers on practice room pianos.  All of these get similar use.  The
Wurzen hammers look like the hammers were installed last week and the NY
Steinway hammers are again fairly seriously grooved.  I can only
attribute that to felt density.  While they are not hard pressed, the
raw felt is just denser than other hammers.  

	 

	I've become a real believer!

	 

	dp 

	 

	__________________________

	David M. Porritt, RPT

	Meadows School of the Arts

	Southern Methodist University

	Dallas, TX 75275

	dporritt at smu.edu <mailto:dporritt at smu.edu> 

	 

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