FInding the strike lin

[Erwinspiano at aol.com]

Hi Terry
  Actually I withheld that protocol because I was teaching  it in PA at the 
MARC.  Now that's over........
  It is easiest to explain that this method evolved over  time. For example. 
I'd hang new hammers in a Steinway and I wouldn't like the  sound in the 
killer octave.  I tried to voice things up out & still had  a tone that was often 
weak & nasal especially with the shift pedal on.   My colleague & good/friend 
Bob Davis gave me my first clue on hammer strike  lines 15 years ago when I was 
in trouble on a  Steinways D at the  symphony.  I had replaced the 
dilapidated action, re engineered some  things/raised the stack but the complaint was 
still the trebles weak.   That just really irritated me because old the CD from 
1940s has a text book  picture perfect compression crowned belly set up.
  Bob said if you pull the hammers in the nasal tone  decreases & the sustain 
gets better especially right around c  64.
  SO the method I used at that time, I have employed many  times. since  
   The piano is in tune the regulation is good.   The hammers are already 
hung in a straight line with a Nice tight let-off  ..always 1 to 1.5 mm in the 
treble 2 ish in the bass.  The voicing is in  the ballpark.
  The first thing one must learn is how to listen for the  defects. Always 
when coming to Steinways depress the shift & listen to it as  it clears the left 
string. Play chromatically up the scale starting at about  E-5.  Listen for 
the very obvious change in sonority as you approach  the C-6 area & higher. If 
the hammers are hung in as straight line the sound  will usually become weak & 
dreadful. Great! You hunag a beautiful straight  set of hammers & now Erwin 
is telling you they won't work.  
  Yes & they won't. AMHIK
    The lower notes around e-5 will sound strong  & the sustain good but then 
this changes the further up one plays & is  most noticeable starting at about 
A-5 thru F-6.
 With the key blocks in to locate the action Place  masking tape right at  
the front edge of the key frame. Put it down on the  key bed. Now play C-64 & 
pull the action in & out with your right  hand & with the shift pedal all the 
way on until you find the sweet  spot where the nasal sound is gone of lessened 
as much as possible & the  sustain improve.  Hey, you will think the piano 
just got a new  soundboard.  Witht eh action pulled out & the tone where you want 
it  mark the tape in front of the note you are teating. A mark for each note 
will  produce a horse shoe shaped line. Measure how far the marks on the tape 
are from  the front of the action.  This tells how far the hammers must be 
moved  toward you.
    With ne hammers if you can Dry hang them  samples first & listen great. 
Once you know the trick you can use sample  hammers before you glue everything 
on to closely approximate the optimal  position. With Jurgens new hammer 
puller this job is a snap.
    A side note.  If you are one who likes  to bore your hammers long the 
problems will be much worse because of under  centering. The hammers will hit 
further out away from the strike line. I have  often surmised that Steinway 
standard hammer bores were often designed to under  centered for this reason.
  I usually re hang note C-6 first it will be the hammers  closest to the 
player.  I have hung that note a frighteningly 4 to 5 mm  closer to the player to 
make it right but it does work. Fill in the hammer line  using this one as a 
guide & then whistle a happy tune as your clients tell  you what a genious you 
are today or zee peeanno neevah zounded zat guut.   whatever.
  When I visited Ray & at Ronsen I met a friend of  his. An Israeli who had 
come over & worked in the steinway restoration dept  between 1995 & 2000.  Ray 
told him what I was doing & when we spoke  privately he said they employed 
this protocol on every Steinway  rebuild..
  In closing & IMO Every Steinway model as far as I  know has this problem. 
Models A<B<C<D are  the worst but I've  done this on L,Os etc as well.  Other 
makes can have this malady. Conovers  (very fussy) Masons not as bad.
  Have fun with this. Be a hero to your  clients.
  Oh the Symphony Steinway D when corrected.  I was  told I don't know what 
you  di but it never sounded this  good.
  Regards
  Dale Erwin
 

Dale Erwin wrote a while back about hanging grand  hammers and ending up with 
a less-than-straight hammer line on some  pianos to optimize tone for each 
note. Dale, would you care to detail  your process for doing this.
 
Thanks.
 
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano
 
_www.farrellpiano.com_ (http://www.farrellpiano.com/) 
_terry at farrellpiano.com_ (mailto:terry at farrellpiano.com) 



 



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