Routine Maintenance - Minor reg. & voice

[Dan & Martha Reed]

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Martin wrote...

> I'm curious to know what  can be done as routine maintenance at the
> same time of the tuning. You know, nothing extremely time-consuming,
> but at the same time, giving the customer more than he expects
> and hopefully generating goodwill at the same time.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Martin
>

Martin,

    As a part of every service call, I check out the 'let-off timing'
situation, which falls under the regulation heading, and... I evaluate the
'eveness' (I
don't think 'eveness' is a word, but you get the idea) of tone, which is in
the voicing field. I spend a little time in one or both of these areas as a
part ofregular service.
     I encourage the customer to have their piano serviced on a regular
basis, and as a motivation for them to do so, I point out these deficencies,
and make these improvments, in
small steps, as a part of my regular service.  On a vertical, these two
procedures can be handled quicker than on the grand.  With a grand, if the
customer will commit to regular service, there will come a time when the
tuning has settled down, and this will allow some time to do some minor
regulation and voicing.  Another choice I offer is to plug in a
regulation/voicing only session, once tuning has settled down.
    Why let-off timing?  One of the 'biggest bangs for the buck' procedures,
which is so valuable to the musician, is to see if efficency can be improved
in this 'let-off timing' arena.  If escapment is happening too early,
pianissimo playing becomes impossible, and 'average' playing response (sound
energy) is reduced during 'normal' playing.  Forte, or the maximum energy
transimited to the hammer,
would also be reduced if escapment is happening too early.  In particular,
early escapment forces
the musician to play 'harder', just to make sure the note sounds. After
correcting this
problem, I re-educate the player about the new dynamic possibilities of
their
instrument. (i.e., now see how much control you have over pianissimo
playing?)
       Voicing for 'eveness' means first fitting the wire to the hammer, by
leveling the wire, and/or filing the hammer to fit the profile of the wire.
This procedure will improve the clairty of the note. Look for the worst
offenders in the middle octaves where the piano is used the most. There are
simple tests to check for these 'open' strings, and several methods for
correcting them.
     Quite often, some unisons will sound harsher than others, which is a
natural result of the instrument being played. I use a single needle to
bring down the offenders. I consult with the musician about voicing. Some
folks want to hear trumpets when they play.
     I leave myself a note on my business card in the piano, of what I did
and what needs to be done next time. I try to get the customer involved in
the 'progress' I am making in improving their instrument. It generates lots
of goodwill.
      If you are coming to the national convention and want to pursue this
topic, check out the class "Performance Regulation and Voicing in Everyday
Service."

Dan Reed
Richardson, Texas

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