Bloom

[Farrell]

I have heard "bloom" treated as a phenomenon associated with the tone of one note being struck.

I went to a class at a convention  - maybe it was Wally Brooks "Tone Building", maybe it was Roger Jolly demonstrating voicing techniques, maybe it was someone else - but they were demonstrating "bloom" (hey, maybe Ron Overs knows what a bloomin' hammer is?).

Most average pianos, when the hammer strikes the string, make a loud sound and then the sound decays. If the note blooms, you can hear the attack, then the sound settles into whatever it settles into, but then, over the course of several seconds or so, you can hear a number of different partials increase in volume - kinda like a swelling of sound. It can be rather prominent.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Bondi" <pbondi2@comcast.net>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 7:39 AM
Subject: Bloom


> I don't mean to drag this thread on forever. I am trying to get a good
> handle on the term and the interpretation from different folks.
> 
> I know I have heard 'bloom' in various recordings (all classical). My
> original mentor and all-around decent human being, Larry Crabb, described
> the sound as a "booooong", using his hand in a gesture that can only be
> described as 'going away'.
> 
> It seems that a real bloom can not happen without the following factors:
> 
> Crown - downbearing - a good scale with 'warm' plain wire - 'perfect'
> termination - an exact and near perfect strike point - a quality hammer in
> good to excellent condition - good to excellent regulation - a harmonious
> tuning.
> 
> Any compromise of the above factors will affect the overall effect of bloom.
> 
> I think I've got it. Feel free to correct me.
> 
> Phil
> 
> 
> 
>