In a message dated 1/19/2000 2:40:12 PM, Terry B. wrote: <<"Hi gang, Just where can one learn about voicing?">> Terry; The best way is to work with someone who is good at it, RPT or not, can converse reasonably well about what is being done and why things happen the way they do, and has the patience to allow you to make glaring mistakes in the learning process. It ain't exactly easy, but it ain't rocket science either :-) ( "kids don't say ain't, it is improper and I use it only for emphasis" K. Hamblin) The alternative is to read as much as you can from as many conflicting sources as you can...this will not be hard as there is a lot of conflicting theory/practice out there....... and sort out the wheat and chaff as you go. After reading of a procedure, try it on your piano or a clients piano....but never to the point of not being able to put the hammer 'back where it was' if you don't get the desired results. If you get the desired results think briefly about what you did and try the next hammer/step. This way you will increase your empirical knowledge while testing your theoretical knowledge and do no harm. Fortunately with todays proponderance of 'hard' hammers almost any voicing will be an improvement to most pianos. Rick Baldassin has an excellent pamphlet on voicing and PTG has a series of reprint artcles on voicing which togehther will make a great addition to your library. Lastly go to Regionals and the National Convention and sit in on as many voicing classes as you can stand. There is nothing like listening to someone make a hammer do what they say it will do, and watching them do it, to make you appreciate the various techniques that each instructor will use. In the final anlysis though Terry you have to do the voicing yourself to learn what works for you and what works on each type of hammer..as well as what doesn't work. 'Go for it', tread lightly at first but not timidly :-) Jim Bryant (FL)
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