Hi, all,
I have had pretty pleasing results for over 30 years with a method I’ve been using to eliminate or lessen that annoying damper “oink”. Steve Brady was intrigued enough by the idea to make it a sidebar in his “Under the Lid” book, where you can find it in some detail.
But to summarize for here, I massage the felt carefully. (No, candles and oils are not involved!) It helps to soften any lines or little hard spots where the damper has been settling into moving strings and then sitting there indefinitely. The results last about a year, so it isn’t permanent, but it only takes about 15 minutes, and I’ve been able to solve most problems so that pianists can do a slow pedal release if they want. I do not want to engage in any conversation with an artist or faculty by telling them what techniques they may or may not use. Some have discovered that for themselves, and if they’re doing a concert on a troublesome piano, some try to adjust. The “oink” sound is one that carries with great efficiency into a hall, for some reason!
I lift a single damper free of the strings and hold it between my fingertips. I use a tool like my capstan tool to slide directly up into the full length of the crotch of a trichord felt (directly INTO the glue joint, so no danger, I never have damaged or popped off a felt) and wiggle my tool side to side. You can use appreciable pressure upward and even wiggling sideways. If I know the offending string is on one side, I press harder to that side. Still holding the damper up, I finish by massaging the outside surfaces of the trichord felt legs as I nudge them back into the right position to fall back between the strings. I can try the result immediately and do it again if it needs more. It has been especially helpful in recording sessions.
This works on flat damper felts also, by reaching underneath the raised damper and massaging the felt surface with the tip of the capstan tool. I first discovered the trick on an older 7’4” Kawai KG2 being pressed into recital service 30 years ago. The oinking made my eyebrows hurt, and it was just as bad on the flats as the trichords and wedges, This worked then, and I was surprised to have it last all semester. It was an act of desperation then, but it was an eye-opener.
You can also use it to some extent on bichord felts, but have to be more careful.
I find offending notes by playing a chord with both hands with damper and shift pedals on, and very slowly releasing the damper pedal. Offending notes become clear by pitch when they oink, and you can go directly to them. A number of local technicians have seen me use the idea and have been doing it too. I have concert and recital pianos set up in both ways, to shift off the left string or to not shift off.
Let me know if it works for you.
Best,
Kathy
Original Message:
Sent: 6/25/2020 12:29:00 PM
From: David Love
Subject: RE: ultra quiet dampers
I had a similar complaint on a Shigeru Kawai that I worked on yesterday. Relatively new piano, about 3 years old. Interestingly, isolating the offending string, it was not the left unison but the right unison that was causing the buzz. I had a similar problem on a Bosendorfer last week but only on one or two notes. On the Bosendorfer the problem was pretty well remedied by leveling the string plane. It turned out that the offending string was sitting a bit low. On the Kawai that was not the case but I found by rocking the damper head a bit back so the back damper hit slightly before the front damper the effect was lessened.
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David Love RPT
www.davidlovepianos.com
davidlovepianos@comcast.net
415 407 8320
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-24-2020 16:20
From: Mario Igrec
Subject: ultra quiet dampers
The buzz will always be there to some extent with soft pedal in the trichord wedge-felt area because two strings are vibrating and the left string isn't (or is vibrating less, or out of phase). Hamburg Steinways and other European brands use softer felt. Pianotek and Renner USA carry quality felt, though I am not sure if it's the same grade as that used in Hamburg Steinway. You can get genuine Hamburg felt through Steinway or from Jahn Pianoteile (pianoteile.com), items 166250 - 166256. You'll need to establish an account. Keep in mind that larger models of Hamburg Steinways have a slightly greater string spacing.
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Mario Igrec, RPT, MM
Chief Piano Technician, The Juilliard School
http://www.pianosinsideout.com
Original Message:
Sent: 06-23-2020 22:49
From: John Foy
Subject: ultra quiet dampers
I'm working on getting a rebuilt Steinway A in good condition for virtual house concerts. The noise from the damper returning onto the strings, particularly when using the una corda pedal, is maddening. I've dealt with this same problem over the years in concert hall recording situations, and I'd like to see if anyone has any suggestions beyond the techniques I'm listing here. These are damper felts that are approximately 15 years old and are very effective except for this one excruciating problem that, I believe, is accentuated by room acoustics and microphone placement necessary in this situation. The techniques below have all been done except for sizing the felts and changing the hammer spacing. I would consider replacing the felts with another make of damper felt if there was a brand of damper felt that stood out as being quieter in this situation. In concert halls, I've either been able to solve the problem adequately by using one or more of these techniques, and/or adjusted the spacing and voicing of the hammers to allow for hitting all three strings with the una corda. Hitting only two strings, as I prefer to set, always produces more damper return noise.
1.. Regulation of the dampers for proper lift, side-pressure, twisting, and spacing
2. Adjustment of the lifting of the damper heads relative to front and back.
3. Trimming the wedge felts flush to the bottom of each unison string level.
4. Gently sanding the edges of the wedge felt that contact the strings.
5. Needling gently the flat damper felts to soften the surfaces that contact the strings.
6. Applying small amounts of teflon powder onto the damper felts
7. Sizing the damper felts with pro-felt to soften the surfaces contacting the strings.
8. Changing hammer spacing to accommodate hitting 3 strings in the una corda position.
Thanks!!
John Foy
John Foy, RPT
Piano Technician
336.373.8026