Bechstein peculiarities

[Stéphane Collin]

Hi Antares

Thanks for your precious comments.
I really love older Bechstein pianos.  Never have I found them easy to play.  But always passionating.  Some things are just unbelievable to play on, some other things just don't work.  I never had this feeling with a Steinway : everything seems to work on them, but, well, the ultimate subtle experience stays away.  I really wonder if I could reverse this tendence with technical skills.  You seem to think : no.  I hear you with lots of respects regarding your experience.

Stéphane Collin.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "antares" <antares@euronet.nl>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 11:31 PM
Subject: Bechstein peculiarities


| 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
| > 
| 
| _______________________________________________
| pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
|