[CAUT] Weikert felt; was 80 year old S&S hammers

[Fred Sturm]

On Apr 16, 2009, at 10:40 AM, Don Mannino wrote:

> Where the flexible board / low tension scale relationship to this  
> breaks
> down, for me, is to consider the old Mason & Hamlin pianos.  Correct  
> me
> if I'm wrong ye bellymen, but my understanding is that those pianos  
> had
> rather thick and stiff soundboards, and what we all love about them is
> their singing quality and expressive nature.  It was a different
> approach than Steinway, and may have kept them out of the concert hall
> to a large degree, but they were beautiful, expressive pianos.

	Yes, "singing quality and expressive nature." Where do those things  
lie, and for whom? And for what music? (I share the love of the old  
M&H). Which is why I try to make a point of saying that I am not  
meaning to advocate for one design. I think there are many ways of  
assembling the various factors to come up with very good results. One  
will have more sustain, and "singing" quality. Another will have more  
clarity. Another will have more "range of color." Another will have  
more "power." Or "sweetness." Or "character."
	Same thing with violins, in terms of quality of tone. And the variety  
is wonderful, not a detriment. Violinists spend a great deal of time  
agonizing over what instrument to buy, and the answer is rarely cut  
and dried. "Better for this but not so good for that."
	I think the same can be true of pianos, and it can be to a greater  
extent than it is in current production, which tends to converge in  
many ways around a fairly narrow band of parameters. There are a lot  
of philosophies that can be pursued, and the more the better. A lot of  
discussion tends along the lines of deciding on "the very best" hammer  
felt or soundboard design or scaling or touchweight ratios. These are  
good discussions to have, but rather than come to a decision about  
what are the very best elements for some ideal instrument, I argue for  
divergence of opinion leading to variety.

Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu