Drop

[David Andersen]

>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

This is a great, well-written, thought-provoking post.  I agree with most 
of it,
and I think we can all do a couple things to help us be the best we can:
listen very closely to the best pianists we serve, without  ego or 
judgement , and educate those players often and relentlessly about how a 
piano works.

David A.