Hi, Tom, At 04:22 AM 12/2/2011, you wrote: >Horace >Nice contribution to this thread! Thanks! <snip> >I can't help but wonder how this influence and lack of appreciation >to the fine art of music affects our own industry. Some truths can still be held to be self-evident. >Until that time clock again goes through the progression of having a >resurgences into an appreciation and awareness for fine musical art, >I'm afraid were in this rut for some time to come. Yup...time for a hard reset. >And you wonder why the tone of the pianos have diminished through >the years..... Nope, I don't. For better or worse, if you've been in the business for the last several decades, you've lived it...especially if you've had the mixed blessing/burden of working in the arena of commercial music. More soon, I hope. Kind regards. Horace >Tom Servinsky >----- Original Message ----- From: "Horace Greeley" <hgreeley at sonic.net> >To: <pianotech at ptg.org> >Sent: Friday, December 02, 2011 1:03 AM >Subject: Re: [pianotech] Knowing good sound (was Upright Price) > > >> >>Hi, David, >> >>Interesting that the thread is moving in this direction. >> >>The whole concept of how our understanding and appreciation of >>piano sound has changed over the years was the topic of one of the >>classes I taught at the WESTPAC conference in March.11. Having >>promised notes from those classes to a number of people, I have >>been trying to finish revising and updating them to post to this >>list before it's final demise...which appears to be fast upon us. >> >>The subject is vast, having multiple layers that bridge generations >>of recording and "playback" technology, musicology, approaches to >>performance, and, importantly, human beings. And, as with so many >>other subjects, any three or four people are going to have at least >>ten or twenty different perceptions. It's very >>fascinating...certainly no one "right" answer, to be sure. >> >>To be more on point to your last question: I think that we're very >>much the poorer for the gradual homogenization of piano tone that >>has taken place over the last several decades. On the other hand, >>to paraphrase your observations, the world has changed a great deal, too. >> >>As I was reminded just today: In terms of things (especially >>"Classical" things) struggling, I think it's important to remember >>that, writing in the mid-1950's, Arthur Loesser ("Men, Women, and >>Pianos: A Social History") noted that the piano is "cold-weather" >>entertainment. That is, it was something to do when one really >>couldn't spend a good deal of time outside. The relevance is that, >>over the last century, a number of other "cold-weather" >>entertainments have become important in various cultures. While >>some of these are more ancient than others, more latter-day >>"entertainments" have been progressively more technologically >>enhanced...which is to say that, while the tune has remained >>largely the same, the variations have become potentially more >>complicated over time. >> >>Thinking specifically of music, within just a couple of >>generations, we've moved from the hearing of music in performance >>as a real-time, live shared experience to where the hearing of >>music is something many people do solely within the privacy of >>their cranial cavity. With a nod to Anna Russell, these cavities >>often appear to be places in which some folks have resonance where >>their brains ought to be. One bit of fallout from that condition >>is that the "actual" sound of pianos in performance or recording >>is, in effect, no longer relevant. Whatever the original >>instrument may/may not have sounded like, we can often only faintly >>imagine (the potential of vacuous space existing between our ears >>notwithstanding). >> >>This isn't really a new topic. I remember reading an essay by >>Nicholas Slonimsky some years ago that was published in an >>anthology of essays (which was published in 1957) about music >>(especially piano) performance. In that article, he specifically >>noted the negative influence of the recording industry on >>music...writing that "it used to be" that artists would learn a >>more limited repertoire "to perfection", performing pieces with >>which they were really comfortable and over which they had good >>command; but that, with the advent of recordings, it seemed that >>"everyone had to record everything"...especially all the works of a >>given performer; and that, in the process the unique qualities >>which the artist brought to specific works became "lost in the >>forest of having to learn everything". I had borrowed the >>anthology, and have looked for it for years so that I can get that >>story more accurately. Perhaps someone on the list recognizes it >>and would let me know. >> >>Being more realistic about the future, though, it's important to >>note that piano sales are effectively flat and have been for >>several years. Many people who track these kinds of things think >>that piano sales track with those of larger furniture items. I'm >>not sure that's accurate. At this point, I think that pianos sales >>track more accurately with the sales of other kinds of media and >>related devices. The sales of DVDs and CDs, for example, have >>plummeted in the last few years. Importantly, this drop in sales >>has not been countered by an growth in streaming media...the >>Netflix nonsense notwithstanding. Where is the money going? Just >>as importantly, where is the time going that might otherwise have >>been spent doing things like practicing the piano, watching movies, >>or listening to CDs? I suspect that, at least in the SF Bay Area, >>at least part of that time is going into online gaming (by people >>of all ages and persuasions). While not at all conclusive, I asked >>about that during some consulting I was doing with several >>(smaller) ISPs in various geographic areas. Each of them reported >>that they had been increasing their overall capacity (to provide >>faster and higher capacity Internet access) more quickly than they >>had planned; and that the rates at which they have had to expand >>those services cannot be accounted for by people simply doing >>streaming audio or video (Netflix, etc). Rather, their internal >>statistics support the idea that, other than clearly >>business-related traffic, Internet-based gaming is what it is >>driving the demand. Although I suspect that this is going to vary >>widely by geographic location, I also suspect that what is >>happening in more populated areas will be followed elsewhere. >> >>Back to the piano, though, highly recommended reading is: Craig >>Roell, "The Piano in America: 1890 - 1940", which is readily >>available from places like: www.abebooks.com . In concert with >>the Loesser book mentioned above, Roell's treatment of the subject >>(which ends just before WWII) lays a foundation which makes >>understanding how things have evolved since 1940 much more >>accessible. At the end of the day, we are (perhaps at best) >>curators in a museum...a museum which has decreasing funding, >>shorter hours, and fewer visitors every year. In many ways, we are >>the sole support of that museum, and our ability to keep it open >>(even for our own amusement) is predicated on our willingness to >>adapt our skill-sets to provide support for the piano sound du Jour >>as it changes and is changed by contemporary performance and >>recording practice. It really should not be much of a surprise >>that this is exactly what those who have come before us have had to >>do, as well. >> >>More later on this...hopefully before the electrons stop flowing >>from this address. >> >>Kind regards. >> >>Horace >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>At 10:12 AM 11/30/2011, you wrote: >>>I've given this a new title as it may be going off-topic a bit from >>>Upright Price. >>> >>>Xeno, these are interesting thoguhts you express. I've talked about this >>>q bit recently with people of my generation and bit younger. HiFi used to >>>be a Big Thing. When we were young, we saved up and bought our first >>>"proper" HiFi, and took care to position the speakers nicely, and to sit >>>at the apex of the sound so as to get the proper stereo effect. The cost >>>of an LP vinyl record was relatively high in relation to a week's wages, >>>so they were things to treasure. Turntables were (and still are, in a >>>niche market) esoteric things, to be properly balanced and set up. >>> >>>Over the last few years, I often observed two students sharing one each of >>>a pair of earphones, to listen to a song. They often have docking >>>stations at home, of course. But just as often they are content to listen >>>through tinny PC speakers. The concept of HiFi as a "thing" to be >>>enjoyed, has greatly receded. >>> >>>Where does all this leave recorded piano sound? I don't know. The idea >>>of promoting listening to live music is good. But, esopecially for >>>"serious" music, it's a small market. And the recorded music industry, >>>especially for "Classical" is struggling. >>> >>>On the other hand, of course, it is much easier than ever before to MAKE >>>a high-quality recording (in terms of recording quality anyway). >>> >>>What do others think, about appreciation of piano sound? >>> >>>Best regards, >>> >>>David >>>www.davidboyce.co.uk >>> >>> >Most people don't know what a good piano sounds like. More and more >>> >people out there have never heard a good piano, live, in person. Put >>> >that together with the rise of Craigs List, and that aged piano sound >>> >is becoming the new standard. There's also the change over all in >>> >hi-fi sound: people don't go for big speakers anymore, they listen to >>> >music on their tinny little computer speakers, or their phone device. >>> >The MP3 format also reflects this mass acceptance of lower quality >>> >sound.
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