Hello David, Suzan,
> At 09:57 AM 11/6/2002 -0700, David wrote:
> >I agree, Susan; I'm struck by an openness about some European
technicians around tone being affected by things we don't normally
acknowledge; this is a form of perception, of "magical realism" I
admire and subscribe to.
Really I am not persuaded this is part of the usual technician
education there, I'd say that the ones which are really interested in
those tone matters are obliged to dig in these relations, I've met a
very few of them actually and they all have worked on concert pianos
at a moment or another. (most have work or train in factories too)
When aware of the relations, regulating any piano is easier, before
running in voicing, we first check if the regulation is giving us the
tone we expect, sometime the good regulation window is large, sometime
very small. As voicing is also a matter of accommodating felt and
soundboard weaknesses, better have all the help possible from the
action.
I am helping a friend to regulate a grand IBACH from the 1900's, and
we have a hard time regulating the keyframe, as there are glide bolts
on every rail, and the keybed is noisy.
He don't want to use firmer punching, and choose softer ones to avoid
noise at the key (many younger techs do that apparently)
But doing that he was then obliged to regulate the drop with a very
minimal aftertouch, to keep some power. The tone then was perceived as
too dry, in a too marshmallow zone at the end of the stroke.
As I passed by yesterday, I just showed him that moving the hammer a
very tiny bit up (1. mm may be), to allow for a normal aftertouch,
gave sound more length and roundness.
What my friend did not get yet, is that firmer punching does not mean
more noise, as the way the aftertouch is regulated allows for a
synchronization of the attack of the hammer with the key hitting the
bottom & checking.
It is not a hazard if this is called "landing" , the landing of the
hammer and its catching by the backchecks suppress more or less the
audition thump of the
keys on the punching.
What I find very useful in beginning to hear these tone corposants and
relate them to regulations, is that it help in setting up an action
more efficiently, generally a very tiny change of the regulation
change totally the instrument feel, that was very destabilizing to me
for a long time.
> I think it may help us to learn to put on different hats
> when listening to piano tone. Of course we need to hear tunerly
things
> ("there's that dratted loose hammer head again ..." etc.) but when
playing music pianists don't listen like that. If we can project our
minds into what we think is their world, we may notice more things
which matter to them.
This one (different hats) is a very important one for me. When you
play piano you hear with your fingers/body, if you are standing near
the piano you hear very differently (that is why these high partials
beats that tend to disturb us as tuners are hardly noticed as beats in
the audience).
What we may be really aware about the way the (good) pianists hear, is
that they truly hear with their fingers for more than half of their
perception.
I like much the feeling of tone energy in the fingers as it oblige us
to develop a very quiet way of playing, that is necessary for good
voicing and regulation.
Now, if a piano have an unpleasing tone, or play nicely only at
certain levels, I check the action parameters before assuming the
voicing is the culprit.
In fact, beside grossly un regulated touch & dip, many parameters play
on the tone, but I discovered that having a "frame" where the results
in term of touch and related tone is known and recognized allow for a
better understanding of the actions needs and in what direction may I
go (whose the 10mm dip means something to me in term of sensation & in
terms of geometry).
With tensioned hammers, we have a working range of energy that allows
the life of the hammer to be extended dramatically (unfortunately, as
we tend to arrange the tone and the customer wait too long before
changing the heads) But the real beauty of tone in only present in a
well balanced hammers, and that is another story ...
I don't know much about very soft hammers, except that when we use
hardeners to allow the hammer to keep its shape when meeting the
strings, the resilience of the heads is always far less than with
balanced ones. Many old timers there tell me that they never use
hardeners no more (while some intoners abuse of plastic on the strike
zone and change the musical taste of their customers, as they get use
to that permanent "whoosh" tone that is induced with this treatment)
> I try to take a few minutes and actually play pianos when I
> finish working on them. It can be an eye-opener for me. I just
notice
> different things than I did when tuning.
Many sound engineers like to hear what the tuner have to say, and many
pianist care for it too. It happens I slightly change the way unisons
have been tuned, to give more attack or more length to the tone,
depending of the kind of touch of the pianist. (regulation too can be
touch up)
We need to be 2 on that one, without hearing the pianist playing, the
piano have "my" tone, its is hopefully pleasing enough, but I can
modify it slightly to better accommodate the moment.
It is all a matter of favoring partial matches and phases, to obtain a
more or less lively tone, but I can't do that at a conscious technical
level, only feeling works there.
I believe that the problem of most pianists is that they hear too much
the tone they wish in their imagination. (and it comes from the many
hours they have spend on a less than good instrument, in a too small
room often, to keep pleasure then they are obliged to imagine what
they want, hoping they will be able to obtain that in concert or
recording).
I've see the movies of Gleengould singing with much expressiveness the
parts of the music he plays, while not being able to have the same
effect given by the piano, may be because he plays instruments with
not enough resilient hammers often, may be because its technical
approach that does not use the whole possibilities of the body .
That may sound as a judgment, but is not in fact, I hear Glengould on
its own piano and it was a very harsh one, metallic tone (worn hammers
for sure).
That would have be interesting to hear him playing a very <arm &
singing grand with more coloration possibilities that what I've heard
actually.
>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
judgment , and educate those players often and relentlessly about how
a piano works.
I always try to listen, and ask, and have very good surprises
sometime. Yes I tend to push too much the pianist in my direction, and
I understand that it may be destabilizing to them, but I believe that
in fact they are waiting for that service, even if a very few can
express it.
That is why the relational quality is of so much importance, the
pianist may be able to trust you. Most of us technicians have personal
theories, me too, and I believe these may not be too much expressed,
as often when done the pianist feel mistreated, in fact I try to have
a lot of pleasure working , and let them know that. Of course they
need to be educated about our work, and it is a difficult matter, as
that mean they have top accept their ignorance, and not many are
willing to do that. It can probably help to be in a position of
learning from them, but these things are hardly expressed.
After that there are trends in the musical world, about tone tech or
another, I've loose (temporarily) customers that where waiting for
more that I could give at that moment, as they tend to believe we are
magicians, they expect sometime simply more than their instrument can
give, because they had good results when it was less worn and old.
Now ,I believe I know a little more, I can regulate a piano that is
not even in its best shape, so it can be musically playable. Then,
sometime the pianist is able to recognize himself that the hammers are
to be changed, because it is clearly heard in the tone (i.e. he hears
that the dynamic range is restricted)
But it is not really the best service to provide, as this tend to
delay the moment where they decide to go for the repair, and when this
moment come, the action is so much worn that your precedent appraisal
is no more good.
> I don't limit myself to the piano. I pay attention to the bench, the
> lights in their eyes, giving them time to try the piano even if I
> have to squeeze my time a little, etc. I even turned pages for the
> Tschaikovsky Trio once. (oof -- that was hard!)
Good job ! Congratulations!
All the best from your far living colleague.
Isaac OLEG
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