[CAUT] Pianos for piano performance majors

[Fred Sturm]

Hi Jim,
	I'll respond as the "major in piano performance" you requested (MM  
in piano performance, 1979, so long ago, but still pursuing the piano  
as a performer with as much passion as ever). My take is "Vive la  
difference!" I think that the brand issue is of much lesser  
importance than other considerations, and that the most important  
thing is that the serious piano student be exposed to well-prepped,  
well-voiced "hard-pressed" hammers as well as lacquered. I think  
there is a considerable difference in the tonal subtleties available  
in a well-needled hard-pressed hammer compared to a well-voiced  
lacquered hammer, and that in developing the pianistic art, one  
should work at both.
	The argument that, because virtually all concert halls feature the  
D, pianists should practice on Steinways is a pretty weak one IMO.  
I've got a lot of Steinway grands, and they vary all over the place,  
from dull to bright, from light to Mack trucks, from blooming to  
pinched. Hammers from Ronson, Renner, Tokiwa, Abel, and Steinway.  
What does the brand matter in this context? I guess you could argue  
that I am giving my students a taste of the real world <g>, though it  
is more a matter of what I can get around to while trying to keep  
overall function and pitch within parameters. But our locked practice  
rooms include Yamaha, Kawai and Mason BB as well as Steinway, and  
often the Yamahas and Mason get preference (the Kawai is a small  
loaner, and less often in decent tune as a result, so it tends to get  
used least).
	One of my favorite things to do at conventions is to play on all the  
exhibit pianos. There is such a range of excellence, with all sorts  
of different approaches to sound, power, touch, etc. It is a  
revelation to me both as a technician and as a pianist to play on  
such a variety of well-prepped instruments. BTW, the Steinways in the  
exhibit hall are usually pretty low on the totem pole, I think  
because they just pull in an instrument off the local dealer's floor  
and tune it, while the other exhibitors choose carefully and do  
meticulous prep.
	All S&S? No thanks. Same argument as others, particularly not  
wanting to be tied into the uprights.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



On Mar 30, 2006, at 12:39 PM, Jim Busby wrote:

> List,
>
>
>
> I’ve noticed that several of you have practice rooms “locked” or  
> reserved for piano performance majors. Many reserve Steinways for  
> those rooms, but isn’t a diversity of brands better? We currently  
> have 6 of these rooms and have the following breakdown;
>
>
>
> 2 Steinway Ms
>
> 1 Yamaha C3
>
> 1 M&H A
>
> 1 Kawai GS-40
>
> 1 Baldwin L
>
>
>
> All these kept as optimal as possible.
>
>
>
> Any arguments for going all S&S? I’d especially like to hear from  
> those of you who majored in piano performance.
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Jim Busby BYU
>
>

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