Stéphane Collin and list, It should be noticed that Bechsteins, and expecially older ones, can have a very special and sometimes almost magical tonal palette, transparent and silvery. They can be very rich and especially the way these sounds mix makes the Bechsteins extraordinary....but also more difficult to master. A Steinway is a Steinway, pure beauty and force, which both are always there....a highly trustworthy jewel. A Bechstein is different, and not all pianists are able to express themselves on these instruments the way they do on a Steinway. I am convinced that piano technicians can have the same problem, and indeed, the difficulties come forward with voicing. Bechstein hammers are very much different than Steinway hammers. The way they are made, their angle with the shanks, their shape, sometimes their felt, and lastly the way they are voiced. We can never treat a Bechstein the way we treat a Steinway and vice versa, just like we should not voice a Yamaha, the way we voice a Bösendorfer. They are all very different instruments. Each comes from a different corner of the world and each requires a particularly different approach and technique. I myself found this out the hard way by ruining quite a lot of hammers without knowing exactly why or without even being aware that I ruined them. It was because I did not know, was not aware of the real differences in the use of materials, in tone, and voicing technique of the instruments I was supposed to improve. After having been to different factories did I become a tiny bit enlightened about these facts, only to find out later on that I still did not know about voicing techniques of again other factories. It shows the difficulties we encounter as technicians. We are supposed to just know how to repair an old beauty, how to regulate it and then how to voice it, just as we are supposed to know all the different sizes and measurements. Many technicians I know here, do not know the key heights of Steinways or Yamaha's. I know them, but I do not know the key heights of Faziolis and Schimmels to name only a few of the many I do not know. My voicing technique and knowledge is limited to the experiences I had in 4 different factories. I am sure I would again be amazed to find out how much more I could learn in the all factories I have not been to and never will be able to visit. My 2 euro cents. (if anyone out there cares for coins.........) friendly greetings from Antares, Amsterdam, Holland "where music is, no harm can be" visit my website at : http://www.concertpianoservice.nl/ > From: Stéphane Collin <collin.s@skynet.be> > Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 22:21:35 +0100 > To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> > Subject: Re: action ratios > > Hi David. > > I use Abel hammers (no underfelt, referred to as Bechstein model, quite hard). > I do much low shoulders deep needling to open up the tone and avoid > distorsions at forte level. Then I even out volumes at different dynamics, > and end up with very light blow colour evening (with sugar coating). > I always get the sound good (enough for me), but I always end up with > something musically difficult to control. I ended up thinking this is a > specific Bechstein desing problem, as the Steinways I restored never rose this > problem. I am probably wrong, am I not ? > I try to achieve 10 mm key dip, and 47 mm blow distance. > Following my experience, needling more than what I do would result in loss of > power at forte playing, and reduction of colour shades (which again seem to be > more easily achieved in Steinway pianos). > Any further idea ? > > Thanks for spending time. > > Stéphane Collin. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net> > To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 9:11 PM > Subject: Re: action ratios > > > | My first reaction is to say that I would look at it as a voicing problem. > | What kind of hammers are you using? > | > | David Love > | > | > | ----- Original Message ----- > | From: "Stéphane Collin" <collin.s@skynet.be> > | To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> > | Sent: November 01, 2002 11:58 AM > | Subject: Re: action ratios > | > | > | Hi Richard, David, Bill, etc. > | > | I've been following the thread with much interest. > | May I ask an innocent but pragmatic question (I think related to this topic) > | ? > | More than often, I encounter this problem when rebuilding Bechstein pianos : > | I get the sound right, I get the touch feel ok, but the whole instrument > | always happens to be difficult to control, as the dynamic output switches > | too quickly from PP to mF (I mean : the dynamic shades are not progressive > | enough. Very soft playing is fantastic, very loud also, but progressively > | crossing from soft to loud happens to be difficult to control, as sound gets > | loud too quickly, which is musically not desirable at all). > | How would you all cure this problem ? > | > | Thanks to all for great expertise. > | > | Stéphane Collin. > | > | > | _______________________________________________ > | pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > | > | > | _______________________________________________ > | pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > | > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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