[CAUT] Fwd: [Experts] Glenn Gould pino adjustment

[David Skolnik]

A couple of points and questions:
Is Mike Conner a technician?
Many pianists play the music Glenn Gould did, 
without altering the regulation in that way.
That method allowed a fair number of double-struck notes in recordings.
Does the success of such an attempt also require 
a similar technique, as well as sitting at the same height?
Ted- what was the bench, or rather chair height?
It's likely that there are fundamental 
differences between grand and upright action 
which would render attempting the latter 
unsatisfactory-I.e. since both hammer return and 
damper return are accomplished using springs 
rather than gravity, that tension would have to 
be optimal for both but would be distributed 
within a shorter blow distance, thus likely 
becoming a larger factor in the overall 
resistance of the keystroke, thereby negating the 
benefit he would have been striving for - greater control in softer playing.

One way around some of this might be to tilt the 
piano forward to allow gravity to assist in the 
hammer return, with a corresponding weakening of 
the hammer springs.  I remember William Santaella 
(sp?), who tuned for Alicia DeLarocha and was 
involved in Yamaha's period of grand development 
in late 80's and 90's, described efforts to 
design an upright with a forward leaning string 
plane which would accomplish this.  I don't know 
if it has been employed elsewhere, either before or since.

David Skolnik
Hastings on Hudson, NY


At 11:02 PM 4/8/2007, you wrote:
>He liked minimal let-off and drop, and a keydip 
>of 5/16". He would have preferred no aftertouch. 
>The hammer blow was very short and the dampers 
>barely lifted. There is no reason this could not 
>be done on an upright. The hammer rest rail 
>would need to be raised to shorten the blow 
>distance, and the capstans turned up accordingly.
>
>Ted Sambell
>----- Original Message ----- From: "marcel carey" <mcpiano at videotron.ca>
>To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
>Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 8:29 PM
>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fwd: [Experts] Glenn Gould pino adjustment
>
>
>>Mike,
>>
>>I was told that Mr Gould liked as little as 
>>possible letoff. And I've been told that he 
>>even liked it when the letoff was non-existant. 
>>But the person to ask would be Ted Sambell.
>>
>>Marcel Carey, RPT
>>Sherbrooke, QC
>>
>>Willem Blees a écrit :
>>>Can any of you answer this guy? (From "Ask the experts").
>>>Wim
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Forwarded message from Mike Conner <Mike090280 at aol.com> -----
>>>     Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 20:33:38 -0600 (MDT)
>>>     From: Mike Conner <Mike090280 at aol.com>
>>>Reply-To: Mike090280 at aol.com, experts at ptg.org
>>>  Subject: [Experts] Glenn Gould pino adjustment
>>>       To: experts at ptg.org
>>>
>>>I have read that Glenn Gould had a very 
>>>specific way of adjusting his pianos. I play 
>>>alot of the same music as he, and was 
>>>wondering if you could give me as much 
>>>information of his set up as you can. I only 
>>>have an upright so I probably will not be able 
>>>to get it the same, but I would like to try.
>>>
>>>Thank you
>>>Mike Conner
>>>
>>>----- End forwarded message -----
>>>
>>>
>>>Willem Blees, RPT
>>>Piano Tuner/Technician
>>>School of Music
>>>University of Alabama
>>>Tuscaloosa, AL USA
>>>205-348-1469
>>>
>>>
>>>