[pianotech] Belly talk

[David Love]

Liveliness is difficult to define as any terms we use will mean something
different and there are probably different components to  what we refer to
as lively.  By liveliness I don't mean clarity.  You can have clarity
without liveliness.  Many of the Asian pianos have clarity but aren't
lively.  Lively to me means there is a certain type of reactivity, meaning
that the board seems to have some amount of stored energy that is easily
accessed and easily released.  This is different than a board that has low
impedance but little stored energy.  Low impedance boards also react to
energy inputs (by definition) but aren't necessarily lively because they
dissipate the energy too quickly.  Lively here means reactivity but a
controlled rate of energy dissipation.  With respect to previous discussions
about how narrow the window is for soundboard design to achieve that, I
believe the window that keeps those things in balance is quite small, but
that's another discussion.  Lively also means to me that the decay has a non
linear quality to it almost as if the board phases in and out in a very
subtle way as the decay progresses.  That is an important but intangible
feature of liveliness to me and tuning certainly is a contributory factor
here.  Liveliness may also imply a broader range of tonal color.

A month or so ago I had two pianos in the shop, two Steinway AIIIs.  In fact
I posted it on the list with an open invitation for technicians in the area
to come and listen to them if they wanted to as it gave an opportunity to
hear two identical models side by side with slightly different treatments.
I had installed soundboards in both.  There were slight differences in the
designs.  One had a cut-off, one did not.  The rib scales were slightly
different with the cut-off piano being slightly stiffer as determined by
beam formulas.  Both panels were thinned similarly.  Scaling was identical.
Both were ribbed and installed at 5.5%.  Both had sitka panels and sitka
ribs.  Hammers were different.  The non cut-off piano had a set of Steinway
hammers.  The cut-off piano had a set of Abel Select hammers from Pianotek,
a relatively cold pressed Abel.  Sadly, not one technician took me up on the
offer.  I guess talk is more interesting that real experience.  Fortunately
several pianists I invited did take the opportunity to come and compare.  

The jury of about 12 pianists (the number is ironic) was split about evenly.
No one reacted negatively to either piano but some preferred one over the
other for various reasons.  The non cut-off piano (Piano A) had a somewhat
more conventional NY Steinway sound.  It was a bit darker, but slightly
fuller, more power, and described by many as being more "lively",
interestingly enough.  The piano with the cut-off bar (Piano B) was
described as having greater clarity, a bit brighter (hammers may have been a
factor here), but less lively.  It was easier to push Piano A to the limit
meaning the upper end fortissimo had greater impact, more oomph.  Piano B
when pushed stayed more in control.  That was a positive for some, a
negative, or let's just say a "less positive" for others.  No one mentioned
sustain differences in any section of either piano and in my view there
really weren't any.  

My own take was that Piano A was what I would call more lively as defined in
the first paragraph.  Piano B I liked very much but for different reasons.
It had more clarity, more control, and a more linear quality which many
people liked.  I don't think either piano created artificial limits on the
music that would or could be played on each, but the overall effect was
somewhat different and the appeal would, and did, depend largely on each
pianist's own personal tonal preferences.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Ialeggio
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 6:53 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Belly talk

In German, rasten can mean "to rest".  Maybe its generic German carpentritic
<G> for a glue ledge of any sort??

Dale, and David used the word "lively" in descriptions of tonal attributes
in some of their previous posts. I'm curious what they mean by lively, as
words are tricky when referring to sound.  In my own work, "lively" is one
of the main reasons I consider myself roughly of the lineage of Nossaman &
Fandrich(though of course with my own biases).

"Lively", for me, in my boards, means, I can walk up to the piano, lift the
dampers, sing into the board, and hear the pitch back along with a very
strong coupled shimmer from a good part of the rest of the board. 
This shimmer has a nice high partial quality, not at all shrill.  It allows
voice-like sustain which I use all the time in my playing. I don't get this
in any other pianos I service or play, and am always glad to come home to
the "liveliness and clarity of my own instrument(s). How are you guys using
that word.

Jim Ialeggio

-- 
Jim Ialeggio	
jim at grandpianosolutions.com
978 425-9026
Shirley Center, MA