Tone Production by the Pianist

[David Andersen]

> 
> I think Doug's got it here. Good pianists calibrate their technique
> and dynamics to the specific piano, on the specific day, at the
> specific time, to get the most from what the piano has to offer at
> that moment. Some are better at it than others. Some may not even
> realize that they are doing this, while others most certainly do,
> and don't consider it strange at all. Some require some time at the
> specific piano to work this out, but some frightening souls can do
> it in real time coming to an unfamiliar instrument and calibrating
> on the fly in moments, seemingly effortlessly. I don't much like the
> notion that the pianists is controlling the piano's tone, because
> she isn't. She's using what's there. The tone is inherent to the
> individual instrument, like an artist's palette, and the pianist can
> either use what's available to good effect, or fail to. A good
> artist can do amazing things with a limited palette, producing
> subjective impact that a poor artist can't come close to with a
> rainbow.
> 
> Ron N

What an amazingly great post. Every so often I remember why you're a god of
piano, Nossaman...thanks.

David A.