[pianotech] Regulation Question

[Matthew Todd]

I really thought I presented myself clearly in my post, but I guess some people had to try and make it harder than it really was:
 
I would like to thank the following regarding my most recent post:
 
Paul Bruesch, Paulrevenkojones, Tom Driscoll and Avery Todd and yes, even you Mike...for their excellent input and advice.  I always have and will value this list.  If I had to put all the advice and education I have received using this list in monetary form, I would probably be taking out loans and making payments on it!  I really appreciate your dedication to this field and for making it worth the effort to continue.
 
Thanks again,


TODD PIANO WORKS 
Matthew Todd, Piano Technician 
(979) 248-9578
http://www.toddpianoworks.com

--- On Sun, 3/1/09, PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com <PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com> wrote:

From: PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com <PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com>
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Regulation Question
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Sunday, March 1, 2009, 1:33 AM



 
 
In a message dated 2/28/2009 6:35:49 P.M. Central Standard Time, pianocare2 at bigpond.com writes:

Hello Matthew
You are getting pianism confused with being a technician. It is great for a pianist to be a technician, however sometimes it just doesn’t work.
Some of our finest technicians are also extraordinary pianists, and vice-versa, and use their pianistic sensibility to their advantage--e.g. Fred Sturm in NM. I would love to hear him chime in on this.

Your technique of playing the key whilst lifting your hand is a proven pianist technique. As you wrote, it is good for producing the higher volumes and I have to add that it is a good technique for producing a quality tone at these levels. Having said that, this technique controls the speed of the hammer better than just using finger speed. I haven’t explained this as properly as I have wanted, but it will have to do.
The technique used by most technicians whilst tuning is not a technique used by pianists. All we care about is using the key to use the action to perform our work. Pianism and tuning do not meet here.The technician uses speed and weight to achieve tuning stability…. And it produces an awful tone.
Aren't you confusing tuning touch and technical touch? And don't we work for our pianists? If we can mimic a pianistic touch which gives us information, even by contrast with the forte or fortissimo blow which creates the mis-fire, then by that differentiation we can find useful information. The key works with one touch, and not with another. That, I think, was Matthew's observation. It made sense to me, since it helped me to visualize the jack top contacting the knuckle in one way, and in the obvious other way.

So your technicians touch tells you there is a problem in the action. Think as a technician……….. find problem and fix problem.
Use the pianists touch for voicing and playing. Use your pianistic skills to your advantage after applying the technical knowledge.
Well, no. Use the pianist's touch to create information. And think as a technician and a pianist if you have both skills. Why would you purposefully dismiss a domain of information which will help you diagnose problems in the piano. The keyboard is a data base; it gives us information if we know how to coax it out. 
 
Again, my bet was on the jack's being too far forward and misfiring on the heavier blow, but working, just barely, on the lighter "pianistic" touch. I may lose the bet, but my argument stands. :-)
 
Paul


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