[CAUT] Tone "contrast"; Was - The "new" S&S Hammers.

[David Love]

OK Ric, your public apology is accepted.  Now onward and upward.  

This discussion of tone is interesting in (at least) one other regard.  Much
has been said or implied about voicing and traditional approaches as
suggested by the manufacturer's representatives.  With Steinway, this
presents an interesting conundrum.  One could argue that Steinway made their
bones, so to speak, back in the 1920's producing a piano which many Steinway
fans revere as the pinnacle of Steinway's production prowess.  I might even
agree with that in some respects.  In spite of having been represented as
the renegade whose goal it is to bring down the big boys, that's not really
true (I'm not nearly that cocky).  In spite of what's been said, my approach
to voicing and tone when it comes to customer work is not well documented,
not at all.  Mostly it remains a private issue between me and my
customers--at least to the extent that they wish to share.  My approach, I
repeat, is quite varied and depends on the demands of the customer and/or
venue.  But I digress.  

The Steinway pianos of the 1920's are revered largely because of their tonal
characteristics, broad dynamic range and expressive color palette.  Since
most of us weren't there during that time, we can only glean what those
pianos might have sounded like in their original form by virtue of the
pianos which have survived in relatively good condition.  Even then, we have
to accept the changes that have taken place with 80 year old soundboards and
80 year old hammers.  Nevertheless, we can come to a few conclusions based
on certain aspects of the construction and the surviving tonal quality.  One
is that the pianos of that period bear little resemblance to the Steinways
of today.  The soundboards from that period tend to be somewhat thinner and
lighter in construction.  The hammers are smaller and lighter.  There is no
lacquer in the hammers.  They remain soft and resilient yet deliver more
than ample power in that assembly.  

The argument can certainly be made to those who accuse people like me of
eschewing all tradition in the search for something new and better that what
I am really trying to capture, left to my own devices, is something akin to
the elusive quality that the pianos of that era once represented, even
though I may argue for achieving those goals with modern technology and
materials.  The original Steinway sound that people fell in love with, it
could be argued, was a clearer sound, warm and dark yet with adequate power,
good sustain and a broad color palette.  The style of piano making of that
era was the standard for many more years than we would be led to believe by
the more recent approach to tone building in that organization.  Granted,
times and attitudes change.  So does a company's idea about who their
competitors are for market share (does the name Yamaha come to mind).  But,
with respect to this discussion, who can argue that rejecting a hammer that
requires you to submerge it in lacquer for 30 seconds doesn't represent a
more traditional approach, more akin to the original Steinway concept,
notwithstanding the change in soundboard manufacture and design.  

Those who are willing to examine new technologies and designs are not always
looking for a different tonal concept altogether.  Often they seek to
recapture with greater consistency and balance a traditional tonal concept
that may now be lost to concerns about market share and the bottom line.
The process is not always clean and clear nor does it progress in a straight
line.  There are many bumps along the way.  But the endeavor is noble and
should be applauded.  It's how our trade keeps from stagnating.  If we're
going to cling to tradition, let's be sure we know which traditions we are
clinging to.  Many traditions are not as traditional as you might think.  


David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Richard Brekne
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:39 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: [CAUT] Tone "contrast"; Was - The "new" S&S Hammers.

Once again ...blah blah blah...