Ulrich played very rapid mf chromatic runs to test the voicing. When a note stuck out to his ear he used the split felt mute for isolating individual strings and listening. He was able to do this remarkably quickly. He would then write one of his hieroglyphics on the key upstop rail. These noted which part of the hammer to needle and how much. For every pass he would wipe off the rail and start fresh. You could try using this mute for tuning but my guess is it will pop out with a strong test blow. Ted Kidwell, RPT California State University, Sacramento Capistrano Hall, rm. 153 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6015 916.278.6737 -----Original Message----- From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Ilvedson Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 4:08 PM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters I thought he used it for checking individual string voicing issues, so you could check the middle string without using another single mute. I'm going to try it. I'm not sure if it would be helpful for just tuning but I'll give it a try. David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell at ameritech.net> To: caut at ptg.org Received: 3/12/2010 3:55:10 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >I, for one, would be very interested in his marking method. How is this mute >used? > >Greg Newell >Greg's Piano Forté >www.gregspianoforte.com >216-226-3791 (office) >216-470-8634 (mobile) > >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of McCoy, >Alan >Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 4:57 PM >To: CAUTlist >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters > >Here's a pic of the mutes. >I'd bet that he got the diamond microfinishing paper (or film) that he was >using from Hamburg, as he has many of his tools. That stuff is expensive. It >is available from MSC and McMaster Carr, if you want to buy it by the 50 or >100 sheets. The stuff from Jurgen is aluminum oxide - 30, 60, 100 micron I >think. Auto Finishing supply stores carry very fine paper and maybe have >some of the film-backed stuff too. >Lee Valley has some good stuff that I use for sharpening and reshaping. I >prefer the aluminum oxide belts (C and D). I just cut the belts into strips >of the right width and length. >http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2 ><http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48040&cat=1,43072> >&p=48040&cat=1,43072 >I sat through both days of Ulrich's class, as did a handful of others. >Greg's report was excellent. Each piano presented different problems. His >assessment of each piano was done very quickly and mostly before the classes >started. But these assessments were critical to what was done. The first >piano had very thin tone in the top three octaves and so he did a lot of >3-needle voicing in the staple areas to give them more "texture" as he >called it (I'd probably have called it "body", same thing I think). It was >also very uneven with a lot of stringy noise for which he used his favorite >5-needle tool up close to the strike point and then a whole lot of shallow, >single-string crown voicing also using the 5-needle tool. The second piano >had some voicing issues too (duh) but not nearly as much as the first one. >But the second piano did have tight balance rail holes. He used a chucking >reamer for those (like in Fred Sturm's article a year or so ago). A >systematic approach but one that is driven by the original assessment so >that each piano gets thorough, but individual, treatment. >He has a very detailed marking system for voicing. I wrote it down and will >share it if there is interest. Very intuitive and useful. >Like Greg said, this was not revolutionary stuff. But it was very systematic >and thorough. He was very clear though in that he knows Hamburg S&S very >very well, but he doesn't know other brands or verticals much at all. If you >ever have a chance to watch him work, take advantage of it. He is very >straight-forward and approachable. And he is very Germanic (as he jokingly >referred to himself) in his approach. >Alan >-- Alan McCoy, RPT >Eastern Washington University >amccoy at ewu.edu >509-359-4627 (message Pacific time) >509-999-9512 (cell Pacific time) > _____ >From: Greg Granoff <Gregory.Granoff at humboldt.edu> >Reply-To: CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org> >Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:21:02 -0800 >To: David Ilvedson <ilvey at sbcglobal.net>, CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org> >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >Actually, I'd say that "art work" was a pretty darn good approximation of >the mutes attached together.... He used felt mutes, BTW..... >-----Original Message----- >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David >Ilvedson >Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:18 PM >To: caut at ptg.org; ilvey at sbcglobal.net >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >My art work of VV wasn't how I understood the tip...sorry >David Ilvedson, RPT >Pacifica, CA 94044 >----- Original message ---------------------------------------- >From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey at sbcglobal.net> >To: caut at ptg.org >Received: 3/10/2010 9:14:54 PM >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >>I liked Steve Brady's bedding technique where the end glides were done >last...but I'll >>give his way a try this Saturday... >>Very good ideas, especially the fallboard and keyslip for let-off/drop. >I'm assuming >>he set samples in the piano...he set 2 felt mutes side by side...VV and >glued the top >>parts together? Great tips...I'm going to try them all... >>David Ilvedson, RPT >>Pacifica, CA 94044 >>----- Original message ---------------------------------------- >>From: "Greg Granoff" <Gregory.Granoff at humboldt.edu> >>To: caut at ptg.org >>Received: 3/10/2010 1:42:42 PM >>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >>>Thanks Ted for the grit series correction--I had a feeling I'd missed >>>something..... >>>You might remember that he also said he never lubes balance rail pins >after >>>cleaning--doesn't want any residues in the balance rail hole. He does >lube >>>front rail pins though. >>>Nice job of describing his piano-top hammer line, let off and drop >>>adjustment technique....I almost forgot about the key slip on top of the >>>flanges. Speak up if you remember anything else. >>>Greg >>>-----Original Message----- >>>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of >>>Kidwell, Ted W >>>Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:56 PM >>>To: caut at ptg.org >>>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >>>Greg is doing a great job of describing this daylong concert prep. Just >one >>>thing- for hammer shaping he started with an 80 grit strip and spent the >>>most time with that getting the shape just right. Then he jumped up to 320 >>>grit and went from there. >>>There were a few other things that struck me in the demo. >>>1. He very thoroughly cleans the key pins with a cotton cloth wetted with >>>what he called "methylated alcohol". I took that to mean denatured >alcohol. >>>He used a shoeshine motion. >>>2. He stuck a strip of newspaper under the end glide bolts and clamped >down >>>the ends of the key frame. He adjusted the bolts so the paper slides out >>>with a little resistance but does not tear. To check the other bolts he >>>lifts and knocks at the same time and talked about how easy it is to get >>>fooled using other tests. >>>3. He put the action on top of the piano and set the fallboard up behind >it >>>resting on its hinge side. He set the keyslip on top of the hammer >flanges. >>>Now he had a black foreground and background and white hammers coming up >in >>>between. He used this set up for hammerline, and fine tuning the letoff >and >>>drop. Very clear and easy to see slight differences. >>>4. He glued two felt mutes together side to side to form a split mute. He >>>uses this during voicing to very quickly isolate any one string of a >>>trichord. >>>Great class. >>>Ted Kidwell, RPT >>>California State University, Sacramento >>>Capistrano Hall, rm. 153 >>>6000 J Street >>>Sacramento, CA 95819-6015 >>>916.278.6737 >>> >>> >>>-----Original Message----- >>>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Greg >>>Granoff >>>Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 11:02 AM >>>To: caut at ptg.org >>>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >>>He uses teflon tape backed strips of diamond grit paper only just as wide >as >>>an individual hammer. >>>He begins with around 320 I think he said, graduates to maybe 600 if he >>>feels it necessary, and finishes off with 1200. Obviously, the procedure >>>might eliminate the coarsest grit if it wasn't necessary to actually >reshape >>>significantly. In the class, he began by making a very small change in the >>>shape of the hammer, eliminating a slight bulge in the shoulders facing >the >>>keyboard that made a slightly asymmetrical look. He holds the strip >against >>>the hammer shoulder to index the strip's horizontal angle for a straight >>>striking point. Later, if he is fine mating hammers to strings, he has >even >>>narrower strips to make the change he needs on one string position at a >>>time. He finds these problems with the method of lifting the hammer/shank >to >>>the string with a hook, and plucking with a tapered hammer shank. He says >he >>>never files through the strings for mating, since he is fanatical about >>>keeping the correct shape on the "nose" of the hammer, as he called it, >and >>>his strip method lets him do this. >>>Greg >>>-----Original Message----- >>>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred >>>Sturm >>>Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:24 AM >>>To: caut at ptg.org >>>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mythbusters >>>On Mar 8, 2010, at 3:13 PM, Greg Granoff wrote: >>>> For me, it was extremely useful to see his hammer filing technique >>>> (he never >>>> gang-files) and the materials he used, and he kept up a running >>>> commentary >>>> as he worked, crisply answering questions in a careful but efficient >>>> Germanic way without ever losing momentum. >>>How does he file? Paddle? Strip? >>>Regards, >>>Fred Sturm >>>University of New Mexico >>>fssturm at unm.edu
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