Pianotech

I frequently hear techs talk about touch up voicing during regular maintenance and tuning. I am guessing they are referring to needle work. 

Question: When doing needle voicing, is the goal solely to reduce brightness and harshness related to hammer hardness in various parts of the hammer during varying blow strengths and therefore even out the tone? In other words, playing makes the hammer harder as a result of repeatedly hitting the string. Routine needle voicing attempts to restore lost warmth due to compacted felt from playing.

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Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
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That's how it works. Wally Brooks used to talk about tone regulating vs. voicing. The former is the initial set-up, and takes a few hours spread over a couple of days. The latter is routine maintenance, and if the tone regulating was good (and if this isn't a piano in the jazz jam room), is barely a few extra minutes during a tuning..

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William Ballard RPT
WBPS
Saxtons River VT
802-869-9107

"Our lives contain a thousand springs
and dies if one be gone
Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
should keep in tune so long."
...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
+++++++++++++++++++++
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-11-2017 22:26
From: Geoff Sykes
Subject: Voicing question #2

I frequently hear techs talk about touch up voicing during regular maintenance and tuning. I am guessing they are referring to needle work.

Question: When doing needle voicing, is the goal solely to reduce brightness and harshness related to hammer hardness in various parts of the hammer during varying blow strengths and therefore even out the tone? In other words, playing makes the hammer harder as a result of repeatedly hitting the string. Routine needle voicing attempts to restore lost warmth due to compacted felt from playing.

------------------------------
Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
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William --

Sometimes learning something means finally figuring out the right question to ask. In all the "voicing" classes I have taken at PTG meetings, conferences and conventions, never once has the distinction been made between getting the hammers to sound right in the first place vs maintaining them on a regular basis once they're where you want them. They've all been tone-regulating classes but were promoted as voicing classes. This is definitely an AHA! moment. 

Thank you for this!

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Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-11-2017 23:01
From: William Ballard
Subject: Voicing question #2

Routine needle voicing attempts to restore lost warmth due to compacted felt from playing.

Geoff Sykes,  09-11-2017 22:26

That's how it works. Wally Brooks used to talk about tone regulating vs. voicing. The former is the initial set-up, and takes a few hours spread over a couple of days. The latter is routine maintenance, and if the tone regulating was good (and if this isn't a piano in the jazz jam room), is barely a few extra minutes during a tuning..

------------------------------
William Ballard RPT
WBPS
Saxtons River VT
802-869-9107

"Our lives contain a thousand springs
and dies if one be gone
Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
should keep in tune so long."
...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
+++++++++++++++++++++

Original Message:
Sent: 09-11-2017 22:26
From: Geoff Sykes
Subject: Voicing question #2

I frequently hear techs talk about touch up voicing during regular maintenance and tuning. I am guessing they are referring to needle work.

Question: When doing needle voicing, is the goal solely to reduce brightness and harshness related to hammer hardness in various parts of the hammer during varying blow strengths and therefore even out the tone? In other words, playing makes the hammer harder as a result of repeatedly hitting the string. Routine needle voicing attempts to restore lost warmth due to compacted felt from playing.

------------------------------
Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
------------------------------