hammer maker's corner

[isaacah]

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Hammer maker's corner=20





>From my twenty-year experience of making hammers I have learned there =
are only two methods of making hammers: one method makes hammers to fit =
production equipment, the other is building equipment to fit hammer tone =
production. Most hammer makers around the world today use the former =
method; a few small makers use the latter.



Franz Mohr, at that time working for Steinways, told me once 'The need =
for voicing equals poor hammers'. Years ago, he said, you didn't need to =
do extensive voicing right after hammer installation, all that was =
needed was some evening out, today .



Those hammer makers using the former method rely on the technician to, =
as part of hammer installation, do the voicing necessary to get the =
musical tone piano players will want, more often than not this means a =
good deal of voicing.=20



I, too, was aware of the truth of Franz Mohr's observation. Also, during =
the years when I had my rebuilding business I distinctly remember how I =
hated having to spend hours voicing this or that make of hammer - I =
tried them all. So when I decided to make Isaac Cadenza hammers I had =
two priorities; first, that the hammers would make the piano speak, =
musically, second, that Cadenza hammers would not require much voicing =
either as part of the installation or during the rest of their life =
span.=20



To do this I could see only one way: to develop a sheet of hammer felt =
which reflects the string scale in a significant way and to construct =
pressing and shaping equipment to press and shape Cadenza hammers while =
maintaining the integrity of the felt.



The felt sheets we - Earl Dunlap and I - developed are different from =
all others because of two characteristics: there are no layers, the wool =
fibers are felted throughout so that you get something like a three =
dimensional grid of interlocked fibers and the felt density, the amount =
of wool fiber per cubic volume, increases from bass to treble. The =
increase in felt density matches the increase in string taughtness from =
bass to treble so that when Cadenza hammers are installed they will have =
the musical color range as well as the power range without the need for =
voicing for those characteristics. Playing the hammers in - 5/10 hours, =
is a big part of voicing Cadenzas. Where additional brightness is wanted =
a few drops of hardener, any hardener, applied slightly above the =
shoulders will be all that is needed.=20



Cadenza hammers hitting the strings function like a tennis ball hitting =
a wall. In the case of a tennis ball the energy hurling it towards the =
wall is, upon impact, reversed and flings it as far as it came, maybe =
further. In the case of Cadenza hammers much of the energy hurling them =
to the strings is transferred to the strings, this is so because the =
strings are not completely rigid. The beauty of a hammer functioning =
like a tennis ball hitting a wall is the automatic result of a wide =
range of musical color without the need for voicing. The reason for this =
is the flexing of the hammer from strike point to staple or pin. This =
flexing will be greater or lesser depending upon the intensity of =
playing - bingo! Color range. It can happen only if the felt is made to =
flex.=20



Thanks for reading this, I'll try to have something to write every so =
often and I promise not to put you to sleep.=20

Ari Isaac.


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