[CAUT] Celesta

[Fred Sturm]

	Commenting on Don's remarks, typically you get awfully close to  
blocking on a heavy touch/squeeze if you want good dynamic control on  
one of these. There is no letoff or check. The hammers are striking  
downwards, and are moving counter to a return spring. You need to be  
able to get enough momentum to overcome the spring tension. The front  
rail punching is all that stops the hammer being propelled from the  
keystroke of the player. Once the key bottoms out, the hammer flies  
free, and then bounces back. The closer you are to having the hammer  
touching the tone bar when the key bottoms out, the more control the  
player has, just like with a piano but more so (overcoming gravity is  
easier than overcoming a spring regulated strong enough to return  
against gravity).
	So a fine regulation will come as close as you can to blocking, and  
it's the tech's guess how heavy handed the player will be. People used  
to the average badly prepped instrument will tend to be heavy-handed  
(being used to "cyphers" - notes that don't speak when similar  
keystrokes are used), and that could be a problem. But a well- 
regulated celesta can really be a nice, expressive musical instrument.  
The one that was brought to Nashville was a case in point. If blocking  
is a problem, the solution is simple: add a fr punching or two (other  
regulation being good).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



On Jan 31, 2008, at 1:15 PM, Don Mannino wrote:

> Eric,
>
> I looked over a new Schiedmayer Celesta at the NAMM show a couple of  
> weeks back.  It was a beautiful sounding instrument with (if I  
> remember right) 4 octaves range, but the action did not seem well  
> regulated to me.  I'm not too knowledgeable about these, but you  
> could make many notes block if you pressed hard after playing.  I  
> don't think it was meant to be that way . . .
>
> I could see inside, and the action seemed more complex than  
> necessary, but I assumed that this is because of the arrangement of  
> rather large tone bars in this big instrument.
>
> The really, really nice tone is what stayed in my mind.
>
> Sorry, I haven't seen a Yamaha celesta.
>
> Don Mannino
>
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf  
> Of Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:59 AM
> To: College and University Technicians
> Subject: [CAUT] Celesta
>
> Hi All,
>
> I’d be interested in hearing comments anyone might have in comparing  
> a Schiedmayer celesta to the Yamaha celesta. I know the Yamaha has  
> an action more like a piano action and therefore might be a bit more  
> “pianist friendly” to play and more “technician friendly” to  
> service. How does it stack up tonally?
>
> I’m a rather reluctant (but capable) caretaker for a couple of over- 
> the-hill Schiedmayers and am just wondering…
>
> Eric
>
> Eric Wolfley, RPT
> Director of Piano Services
> College-Conservatory of Music
> University of Cincinnati
>
>
>

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