Drop

[Susan Kline]

At 11:59 AM 11/1/2002 +0100, Isaac wrote:
>Just my thoughts, for sure many techs don't really understand the way
>pianists play, that is not helping them.

Isaac, thank you for your post. It is good to have a fresh
perspective, since our ideas (on this side of the water)
tend to run along in much the same path year after year.
I had not focused on the connection between a tight drop and
letoff and the noisy edges of the sound. That's something
which I shall explore.

I found, as I began working more closely with better
pianists, that I wasn't always predicting correctly
what things would bother them or make them happier.
I think to really get on their wavelength, it is
necessary to at least try to play the piano WELL,
with full musical and tonal expression, and speed,
power, delicacy, and nuance of all kinds. Fancy
half-pedalling, etc. How can we know if the pedal is
doing what they need for it to, unless we are able
to test it for ourselves, by attempting the same
effects?

It is like tuning -- to be a good tuner, I feel I should hear the
pitches (musically) better than my customers. Now, I'm not
likely to be able to have a better or more musical piano
technique than my best customers, who have tremendous natural
gifts and have spent many years and countless hours improving
them -- but I feel that even trying to follow in their footsteps
a little way will do wonders for my piano technology.
(Besides, it's fun ...)

Also, by understanding better what a good pianist is feeling and
trying to do, I think that I can be of more use to less advanced
pianists when working on their pianos. I can see where struggling
with a balky piano is holding them back, and I can suggest changes
which may improve their playing quickly, just by removing
obstacles to their progress. I want for the piano to feel like a
really comfortable and perfectly fitting suit of clothes,
where nothing binds or annoys. One just feels good,
without having to think of why.

I remember Del talking about how many of the early makers designed
their scales and plates -- copying whatever worked, with maybe a little
more iron added, for safety's sake. Who knew if, generations back,
the original had really been worked out, or if it was just an empirical
guess in the first place? I wonder if we sometimes fall into the
same trap, by talking mainly with each other, instead of going back
to the source -- the pianists themselves.

Just MHO (flamesuit within reach)

Regards,

Susan