S&S Hammers

[Terry Beckingham]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your reply. I realize the best way to learn would be with another
tech. However, the only two that I know are very busy fellows and rarely
have time for me. Also, the 400 mile distance to visit either of them makes
it costly. I do visit them a couple of times per year though.

I will see if I can obtain a copy of Rick Baldassin's pamphlet. I do have
the reprint book on hammers and touchweight, but there isn't really very
much on voicing. 

Attending the conventions would be nice, but that is quite costly and my
income from piano tuning and repair is quite limited. 

I am fortunate that I have 4 pianos on which I can practice. Two of them
have new hammers, and two have originals. Of the two with new hammers, one
has the Imadegawa hammers and the other has Abel. I like the Abel hammers
much better. 

I'll just keep slugging away.

Thank you for your reply.

Cheers

Terry Beckingham

At 04:30 PM 1/19/00 EST, you wrote:

>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)
>
>