Pianotech

  • 1.  How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    Greetings --

    Steinway D, 1983. New action parts and strings about 10 years ago. Over the last week or so the D5, first note above the treble action break, started sounding muffled. The rest of the piano sounds fine. I found that spacing was a little too far to the left relative to the D#5 above it, and the right string had made the hammer shape a bit lopsided as a result. I recentered the hammer, filed it down a bit so it was once again flat and square with the strings, and this helped a lot. But it still sounds slightly muffled in relation to the notes on either side. Touched up voicing of the surrounding notes and got another good improvement, but it still needs a tiny bit more. Today's question: How can I brighten up that one note, D5, just a little bit, so that it once again fits in but doesn't over power it's neighbors?

    -- Thanks



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 2.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago
    Geoff

    One trick I do to brighten up a note just a little is to take the voicing tool, turn it upside down, and use the blunt end of it to smack down on the hammer. Support the hammer with your voicing block and give it two or three sharp blows. Repeat, if necessary. If that doesn't do the trick, add a few drops of B72. 





  • 3.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    Wim --

    Smacking it! Yes! You don't use a trick for quite a while and you forget it. Thanks for the reminder. 

    I'll see if I can find some B72 as well. Thanks. 



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Posted 20 days ago

    Wait.  With the action in the piano, press lightly with the blunt end of a mute on the unison strings (to absorb the blow) and play the note vigorously a few times to compress the hammer surface. Test for the sound, repeat a few times if needed. This can be done in 30 seconds.



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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 19 days ago

    Here is a question and response:

    How dilute could you make B 72 for a hardening/brightening solution and it still would be effective?  I have had good results with a 1% solution (one gram in 100 grams of solvent) and at that level I don't risk excess hardening.



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    Blaine Hebert RPT
    Duarte CA
    (626) 390-0512
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  • 6.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 19 days ago

    If let-off was low on that one note compared to its neighbors, it could contribute to the perception of it being a bit muffled. 



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    Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
    (256) 947-9999
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    www.FromZeroToSixFiguresBook.com
    www.PianoCraftTechnicalSchool.com
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  • 7.  RE: How to brighten a single note

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 19 days ago

    Pardon me for stating what may be obvious to many, but I would not do anything to alter the state of the hammer felt until all regulation parameters have been confirmed as correct and consistent, including hammer/string mating.

    Best,

    Alan



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    Alan Eder, RPT
    Herb Alpert School of Music
    California Institute of the Arts
    Valencia, CA
    661.904.6483
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    Original Message