S&S Hammers

[Michael Jorgensen]

Hi Newton,
      Thanks for this almost comprehensive list of voicing methods.
Historically, I have done all of the things you describe.  For me, S&S
hammers require about six hours of work to bring them into the low end of
normal piano tone. At this point the piano is always still very even and
but very mellow, fine for a living room but not a large concert hall.
      I then work for tone in various sections, using progressively more
and more of the methods you describe.   This is where I begin destroying
the hammers, (historically atlas three sets trashed).  As I work on
individual hammers, brightening them to the tone I want, I invariably end
up treating individual hammers differently.  Herein lies the problem,
though I have no trouble getting concert tone from them, they always end
up different from one another.  Typically, neighboring hammers have
received slightly different amounts of filing, radically different
amounts of hardeners, radically different amounts of needling, and
somewhat differing shapes, sizes, and weights.  One must now make them
even, which is an equally daunting challenge now that they are so
permanently altered from one another.  Usually the end result becomes a
mellow piano again, though probably (hopefully) brighter than before.
Evenness of regulation and response is now less than it was due to these
permanent differences.
     So I wish I had the magic treatment, exactly the same for each
hammer so I could bring them to the concert tone I want like in one step,
treating them all alike so there would never be the inherent unevenness
of response.   I wish for a consistent magic method, i.e. x number of
drops of y plus n number of stabs at points b and c with a template of
size for each hammer, with yielding more consistent results.

-Mike
Born and raised among the instant gratificationist generation.

Newton Hunt wrote:

> Jim Bryan's post was an excellent one.
>
> I would add the following:
>
> Find a piano that has the tone that you like to hear and _listen_ to
> it and get an idea of that tone in your mind.
>
> Realize that piano hammers are, or should be, a complex of energy,
> dynamics, compression, stretch, resilience and elasticity.
>
> Dynamic range is a product of the last two items.  Hammers are made
> under tons of pressure per square inch so a dynamic is built into the
> hammer.  To make this available to the pianist the hammer must be
> allow to be elastic so it compresses against the string then it must
> be resilient so it kicks itself off the string causing the string to
> move even further.
>
> Playing at the softest possible dynamic should produce a soft round
> full tone and the higher the dynamic the more intense the higher
> partials become.  The steel covered by a soft glove.
>
> The one thing I had trouble learning was that if it takes a hundred
> needle insertions to make the sound I want to hear it takes a
> hundred.  If you have to remove the action a thousand time you have to
> remove the action a thousand time.  There is absolutely no substitute
> for doing it the way it has to be done.
>
> There are many different approaches to voicing:
>
> needling the strike point (normally considered a no-no)
> using steam to decompress the felt (effective)
> using hat water and alcohol or Woolite (often effective)
> needling radically (traditional)
> needling laterally (nice dynamic release)
> single needle
> two needles
> 3, 4, 8 needles (which ever works)
> glovers needles (not recommended, tears and cuts felt)
> pliers to massage (squeeze) felt (often effective but difficult and
> distorts hammer)
> Beating hammer in vise with hammer (does not soften hammers)
> Hardening hammers with chemicals (substitute for poor soundboard)
> Hardening hammers with filing or pounding (section or individually)
>
> None of the above include spacing, leveling or other string
> activities.
>
> So working with a good voicer so you can HEAR the difference is a
> great idea.  I did it and paid for the instruction and benefited from
> the instruction to my financial advantage.
>
> One other item, anytime you have access to hammers before, after or
> during tuning voice a little.  Fit hammers to strings by filing,
> lifting strings, voice a hard hammer, file a soft hammer, etc.  DO
> _something_ to make an improvement.  You _will_ learn, one hammer at a
> time.
>
>                 Newton