[CAUT] practice rail

[Fred Sturm]

He wants one so he can practice and not disturb the rest of his  
family. I am not impressed by the retrofit kits I have seen. I'm  
thinking maybe of just making a wood strip that would rest securely on  
the action brackets (grooves to make it secure, and spacers fore and  
aft), that he could place and remove. The piano in question is an old  
Steinway upright, with a split lid, so there is easy access. And the  
customer is the sort who could handle it. But I'd welcome some  
thoughts before I plunge in. (Yes, the letoff needs to be a bit wide  
so as not to block hammers).
	I used one as a college student. I could practice piano at the same  
time as my wife practiced harpsichord in the next room. Certainly not  
ideal, but practical. Also good for middle of the night insomniacs.
Fred
On Nov 5, 2009, at 8:30 AM, Joe Goss wrote:

> Hi Fred,
> Ask Why They want the mute.
> Personally my feeling is that it robs the upright ( PRESUMING ON MY  
> PART ) of dynamic level on the fff  and causes the action to be less  
> responsive due to larger let off needed so that the hammers do not  
> block.
> BTW is the regulation set so that the player can play soft as a  
> whisper and loud as a trumpeting elephant?
> Is this a Samick? No reflection negatively on the product, just  
> thinking of a key problem easily solved.
> Joe Goss BSMusEd MMusEd RPT
> imatunr at srvinet.com
> www.mothergoosetools.com
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm at unm.edu>
> To: "College & University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:10 AM
> Subject: [CAUT] practice rail
>
>
>> A customer has asked me to install a practice rail (muffler felt).  
>> I haven't done this retrofit before. I see Jansen has one. Are  
>> there others? Any advice, comments?
>> Regards,
>> Fred Sturm
>> University of New Mexico
>> fssturm at unm.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

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