[pianotech] Regulation Question

[Joseph Alkana]

I would bet the jack is too high in the window, not allowing it to fall back
under the knuckle. Just touching the key might relieve the friction holding
the jack shy of a compete return. Subsequent execution of the note would
then be OK. But then again I'm no Rubenstein.

Joseph Alkana

  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Matthew Todd
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 6:16 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Regulation Question

 


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 <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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