Master Piano Technicians Journal

Transcription

1 Master Piano Technicians Journal VOL. 37 NO. 1 SPRING th Digital Edition 2014 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY FEATURE - THE RANGE OF THE PIANO

2 CONTENTS 3 President s Message Wayne Gregory 4 Industry News William Steward 6 Technicians Corner (regular feature) by Arlan Harris 8 Integrating New With Old - Rebuilding a 1926, 5 7" Howard Player Piano by Timothy Upton 9 Hearing Aids by Norman Brickman 10 The Vertical Hammer Hanging Jig by Vince Mrykalo 11 The Range of the Piano by Paul Corbin Computing and Software 20 Get Organized (Chaos Software review) by Michael Barrett 22 Effective Digital Management of Your Client Data (Pt. 1) by Eric Roberts Membership Directory MPT Journal Vol. 37 No. 1 Spring 2014 Publisher/Editor William Steward, MPT Technical Editor Vince Mrykalo, RPT, MPT Editorial MPT Journal welcomes unsolicited materials however no guarantee is made for publication all submissions are subject to editorial review. Without prior arrangements with the publisher, all materials submitted for publication will be retained by the MPT Journal. Deadlines: Spring (March) last week of February Summer ( June) last week of May Fall (Sept) last week of August Winter (Dec) last week of November Submit materials to pianotunacayman@gmail.com Advertising At present MPT Journal does not accept commercial advertising. Advertising space (single business card size) is offered without charge to the membership on a limited basis and camera ready artwork must be received in advance of the normal publication deadline. Subscriptions At present this publication is not offered by commercial subscription and is distributed on a limited basis to the MPT membership as well as to a limited range of educational institutions. Interest in an educational subscription should be submitted to the publisher. Digital downloads/hard copies members should ensure their preferences to receive a hard copy of the MPT Journal are stated on their annual member renewal. Alternatively a member support request form should be submitted via the MPT website. General Information 2014 Master Piano Technicians of America. MPT Journal is the official publication of Master Piano Technicians of America and is published quarterly. Articles published in the MPT Journal represent only the opinions of the author and not those of Master Piano Technicians of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any form without permission from the pub lisher, Master Piano Technicians of America. Editor s note Dear Readers: Firstly my apologies for the lateness of this edition, life sometimes gets in the way of volunteer projects and I am doing my best to keep up! We have had some interesting submissions this quarter on a variety of topics. I am happy to have received two articles on database management since it is something I have been wrestling with myself lately - trying to organize my contacts, client details and manage my workflow by sending out regular client reminders. We also have had a wonderful article from French technician Paul Corbin which readers with keen design interests may appreciate. As always my thanks to Cindy Hamilton for her proof-reading skill, who helps me to avoid publishing a lot of disjointed nonsense. I hope you enjoy this edition and hope to see you at the MPT Convention in Connecticut August 3-6, See you on Facebook too! William Steward, MPT Editor

3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Seven steps to retaining clients and three sure-fire ways to lose them It has been suggested that a tuner who simply tunes a client s piano, offering minimum conversation, collecting his payment, and leaving quickly could expect to retain 15-25% of his clients. Most technicians agree that the toughest tuning is the first tuning - the tuning in which we encounter all those (hopefully) minor problems and adjustments before we can begin tuning. The second tuning is the pie tuning; therefore we need to ensure that the second tuning is requested. What strategies can the tech employ to guarantee return visits? #1. BE FRIENDLY - it sounds elementary, but is so important! Your first impression is your smile. Make it count! Compliment your client on something unique in their home. This will open the door for additional dialogue. Keep the conversation on them; use the you attitude. Hone in on something interesting and positive about their piano, such as If this old upright could talk, I ll bet it could tell a fine story! or how did you happen to acquire this nice piano? Make time to talk, but when you feel you must move on, calmly remark may I ask you some more about that shortly? as your slowly turn (body language) away and toward the piano. Most people will understand and move on with a well, I ll let you get on with your tuning. Remember: you are selling yourself as well as your service. #2. BE NEAT - all else being equal, the dapper, neatly dressed tech will win the most returns. Casual is OK, but too casual is sloppy. Spiffy trumps sloppy. #3. BE POLITE - A sweet disposition beats a sour one. A bottle collector once stopped at a ladies house to see if she had any old beer or wine bottles. Defensively she retorted, I ll have you know I have no such bottles around here!, and she continued her rebuke concerning anyone who would collect such vile things. Taken aback, the collector then asked, well ma am, do you have any old vinegar bottles. Be kind and polite under fire. #4 BE ON TIME - If you must be late - call. Only one thing is worse than being late, that is not showing up at all! #5 DO EXCELLENT WORK - Tune well. Go back and check those unisons. Go beyond the call of duty, it s impressive. Allow a little extra time to do a little more than they pay for, then intentionally list the extras on your bill. A free 2 minute polish job is often more telling than a 75 minute tuning. #6 LEAVE THEM SOMETHING TO REMEMBER YOU BY - Look for a deal and stockpile. While perusing a local Dollar Tree for some possible gifts for my clients, I stumbled on a tuner s treasure. They had just brought in a large supply of aerosol cans of Orangeglo piano polish at a much better than hardware store price. I bought cases of the stuff and passed it out to my clients, who seemed to think it was a viable Christmas (tuning) gift. I have also distributed large, plastic paper clips with my return visit information printed on it and on occasion, I have left embossed pens and pencils. Three or four high quality business cards are conspicuously left to be given to friends and neighbors, and as reminders for a return visit. #7 LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR BUSI- NESS. A direct look into their eyes, a firm handshake, and a thank you for choosing me as your technician will be remembered, and hopefully rewarded. Three sure-fire ways to lose clients! #1 INSULT THEIR PIANO! In my first year of tuning, I went to Beulah B. s home and asked her why she was changing tuners? I had noted a co-worker s business card inside her Grand brand piano (spinet). She said, he insulted my piano....he said it was no good. He will never put his foot in my house again. My co-worker was correct in his assessment, but was 100% wrong in his delivery, which leads to our next point. #2 BE BLUNT IN YOUR VERBAL ACCESSMENT OF YOUR CLIENT S PIANO - Beulah s piano was of considerable value to her; it had been in the family for 65 years. If condemnation is required, mask your condemnation within a compliment. Oh, no! It was now my turn. Beulah asked what I thought of her piano? After a few awkward seconds of heavy mulling, I said Your abilities as a piano player far exceed the capabilities of your piano - but we can get your piano sounding much better. She seemed pleased with my answer. I recently had the same bothersome question posed to me again. is my piano any good?. It wasn t, but she demanded an answer, and I certainly was not going to use the dooming no word. With the genre of music you seem to prefer, and the musical style of playing you enjoy, a Yamaha or Kawai piano would be a beautiful match to you. All true and she still likes me! Some other positive phrases used as evaluative statements concerning the quality of pianos are: A piano should match the player. May I suggest This particular piano would more faithfully reproduce the sound you are looking for. A grand piano would well-suit your advanced level of playing. Junk, Trash, and bad year are good terms to avoid! #3 ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT THE CLIENT WANTS! (death by assumption) Someone (with first-hand knowledge) went to a client s home to fix her piano. She expressed to this technician that her piano was out of tune and that the D4 was sticking in bad weather. She said fix it then abruptly left the room. Returning in about 45 minutes, she queried, What are you doing? This puzzled tech said he had freed the D and was about to conclude the tuning. I don t want anything tuned she said,...just the sticking note fixed. A form of darn passed through my mind, and slipped inaudibly out of my lips. This was not this tuner s first free tuning, just one of several lesson-enriched tunings that experience grants us from time to time. Wayne Gregory, MPT President, Master Piano Technicians of America MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 3

4 INDUSTRY NEWS by William Steward The Evolutionary Piano Project bridge agraffe vertical hitch pins computer-optimized rim and back assembly, with I section beams Wessell, Nickel and Gross carbon composite action parts The design process is collaborative and will be documented on the group s website: In an ongoing effort to report on current industry trends, I was fascinated to stumble across a project which promises to be an interesting laboratory for piano design innovation. The project is a collaboration between two engineers and two piano professionals to produce an improved instrument prototype utilizing current materials and methods. The key component of the design is a carbon/epoxy composite, ribless soundboard. The promise of carbon fibre as soundboard material is to effectively eliminate the weaknesses found in laminated wooden boards, while allowing wider frequency response characteristics. The project is the brain child of Jeff Petsinger, a 28 year veteran digital equipment designer for Motorola. The other engineering brain behind the project is Chris Osborn who is an expert in carbon composites technology. The primary builder is David Rubenstein, best known for his R-371 (a 12 foot concert grand piano) as well as being a manufacturer of replacement piano soundboards and keysets. The fourth member of the primary design team is Delwin Fandrich, who will contribute oversight and design the string scale. Del is a piano technology expert who has designed a number of grand and vertical pianos that are now in production. He is currently the lead design and manufacturing consultant to Young Chang/Weber. Design features of the prototype will include: ribless carbon composite soundboard, designed using computer modeling techniques machined steel soundboard termination ring, intended to better isolate soundboard energy computer-optimized, fabricated steel plate which according to the designers, has masses of metal located where they are most acoustically advantageous (rather than being placed as necessitated by the casting process) improved string termination, including a capo bar throughout with inverted agraffes and a new type of Beatles Pianos - Now Valuable Memorabilia 1907 Bechstein used by the Beatles A piano over 100 years old, used by John Lennon and Paul McCartney while filming Help! in 1965 is to be auctioned this month in Liverpool. The 1907 Bechstein concert grand was situated in Twickenham studios from around the 1930's up until its purchase from the studio by film director, Richard Lester in the late 1960 s. It has undoubtedly been used by a number of important stars of stage and film but most significantly it was used by Lennon and McCartney during the filming of Help!, making it a collectable piece of Beatles history. 82 year-old Lester, was one of the most influential directors of the 1960s, directing The Beatles first film A Hard Days Night, Help! and Superman during the 1980s amongst others. Lester recalls " when coming to the end of the shooting of the film, Paul was spending a lot of time at the piano MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 4

5 composing and fine tuning Yesterday or the Scrambled Eggs song as it was originally entitled by Paul. He was playing it that much that I actually threatened to remove the piano off the set if he didn t finish the song soon and give it a rest. When it was released in August 1965 Paul actually sent me a copy with a note attached saying I m glad you didn t take the piano away hope you like the Scrambled Eggs song now!. The piano, which is expected to sell for over 50,000, is part of an auction of over 200 lots of rare Beatles memorabilia and vinyl records to be auctioned later this month at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles number one hit Can t Buy Me Love. The Beatles Upright The famous coffee-stained Challen piano from the Beatle s historic Abbey Road studio was scheduled to be up for auction in 2010 but was withdrawn without explanation. The piano was expected to fetch as much as $225,000. The Fab Four used it on Paperback Writer, Tomorrow Never Knows, Old Brown Shoe and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. It was purchased by the studio for 250 in 1964 and was used for 20 years by many other bands including Challen upright used by the Beatles at Abbey Road Studio III Pink Floyd. With a third pedal for the honky-tonk "hammer tack" effect, the instrument was housed in Studio III - the smallest of the three studios and retired in Yamaha TransAcoustic Piano U1 TA Yamaha has recently launched a new product that combines the traditional acoustic piano with the latest technology to create a new instrument which Yamaha hopes may well revolutionize the future of pianos. Whether one sees it as an acoustic piano with volume control or a digital piano with strings, this new instrument is the first of its kind to reproduce all sounds (in addition to natural acoustic piano) from the piano s soundboard rather than from a traditional speaker. This new model is made possible through TransAcoustic technology and very basically converts the entire piano soundboard into one big loudspeaker. This means that any sound can be delivered through this naturally resonant piano component. The U1 TA has 19 additional instrument sounds: various pianos, electric pianos, pipe organs, harpsichords, etc. Unlike other digital instruments where the sound is generated from fixed points (directional speakers), this instrument creates sounds that are intended to envelop the listener. The new U1 TA hybrid instrument is first and foremost a fine acoustic upright piano with actual strings, hammers, dampers, and the standard U1 exceptional upright action. Yamaha has built more U1 pianos than combined models produced by most piano manufacturers. This new model features a unique method for playback and performance, enabling users to perform with a digital sound generated through the piano s soundboard with complete volume control. Players can also combine acoustic piano sound with any number of digital sounds to create a lush multi-sound layer. In summary, Yamaha s newest development opens new windows of possibilities: Digital sounds with acoustic string resonance and harmonics Variable sound volume control to play digital sounds Yamaha Silent System integrated to block hammers from hitting strings for headphone use Headphone connectivity & CFX (concert grand) binaural sampling Ability to layer digital sounds with acoustic piano sound MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 5

6 TECHNICIAN S CORNER by Arlan Harris, MPT, RPT Pitchlock TouchRails A holistic approach to our work and troubleshooting involves utilization of a myriad of techniques, approaches, and ideas. Below are a few tips to add to your bag of tricks: I find the Pitchlock TouchRail installed in clients pianos, while extremely stable and reliable, require periodic adjustment. I charge for additional service work by the hour. This can be another source of added income and enabling another layer of precision for the pianos you care for. Check out While you are at their website, I recommend purchasing the couplers and nicely engineered jigs Scott Jones has available. correct. This flagpoling technique will assure you are making the correct decision and will set the pin in the proper direction. It will also provide valuable tactile information indicating how to move the tuning pin when you are ready to set the tuning pin in the pinblock. Additionally, tactile input is provided if attention is placed on the string as the tuning pin is turned. Some strings may be stiff and some have more flexibility than others. So, flagpoling can be used as an analysis tool for the pinblock, tuning pins, strings, and amount desired for pitch corrections. DO NOT use this technique or procedure for setting the pin. One needs to only turn the pin in the pinblock and set the pin and string for stability. Every procedure whether used in regulation, voicing, or tuning will be eventually transformed into a natural movement and fluid procedure. This technique can be added to one's arsenal when needed or desired. Humidity control For those piano life saver clients whose pianos seem to require additional protection from the environment, Dampp-chaser recommends an undercover. It's easy, attractive, effective, and clients appreciate the care and attention you are providing. Even if they do not purchase the undercover, you come out "smelling like a rose!" For those clients that are still using the old style system, I recommend they consider upgrading to the modern system. The upgrade is available through your favorite suppliers. Remember, tanks require periodic cleaning and humidifier heater bars need plastic sleeves! For more information go to I have been installing the "Grand Muffler System" manufactured by Steven James. My clients enjoy staying on their instrument and being able to play during "Off hours" or at least not disturbing anyone who happens to be at home, or neighbors! Check out his website or search " grand piano muffler". This has also increased my income and added a valuable service to my clients. Pitchlock TouchRail installed in a Steinway action For those aural tuners and machine tuners: I use a tuning pin flagpoling technique I have experimented with to ensure the pitch will be set in the proper direction while feeling the pin tension and pinblock characteristics for a more controlled and precise pin movement during pin turning. This technique is especially helpful in pinblock analysis with the first few pins you begin to turn. It also allows one to hear how the note will sound at the new pitch prior to setting the pin. Technique: listen to the note along with a reference note, or if using a machine, listen and look at screen as you gently pull tuning pin in the direction you feel is Speed voicing tips Speed mellowing hammers When time is limited and the piano sounds harsh, bright or metallic, the hammers can be brushed by a light brass brush ( I use a toothbrush in certain delicate situations) avoiding the strike point area of the hammers to mellow out the tone. If the piano sounds pleasing during tests from p-mf, yet sounds harsh and sound breaks up in F-FFF play, you may want to begin by simply brushing a test hammer or two from 3:00 down to the bottom of hammer felt and on the other side from 9:00 down to the bottom of hammer as well. Always follow the natural nap of the felt. Check your work playing the note utilizing various dynamic levels. If any harshness is noticed on forte-fortissimo play, determine whether the surface area (strike point) of the hammer MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 6

7 requires possible single needling or if brushing a bit higher would solve the problem. try brushing 9:00-11:30 and on the other side of the hammer 12:30-3:00 position. Note: This procedure can easily be reversed by lightly filing both sides of hammer with sandpaper without pressure to smooth the surface. If further brightening or clarity is needed, lightly iron the sides of the hammers with a moderately hot iron or hammer iron tool, placing a thin cotton handkerchief over the hammers to ensure even distribution of heat and to avoid damage to the hammers. Voicing tip: If surface needling is necessary, try single and shallow needling between the string lines, (una corda position first). Then tap down the top of hammer with a wood paddle, polyurethane or similar flat surfaced tool to "set" the hammer voicing. Inevitably, the overall voicing of the hammer will have changed, providing a good base to begin single needling directly on the strike point of the hammer string lines. I prefer to listen to individual strings of the unison and find the worst offender. I begin with the brightest string and carefully probe a needle into the beginning of the string mark away from the player, or on the backside of the string mark. Usually, this is not effective enough, so I proceed to stick a point into the beginning of the string mark closest to the player, or front of hammer. Follow through as needed with the remaining strings as needed. Notes: - for vertical pianos the una corda position voicing is obviously skipped. - it is assumed all action regulation procedures and prevoicing procedures have been checked and adjusted. Speed brightening hammers One of the many techniques I utilize for brightening a piano is ironing the hammers as mentioned before: Especially in humid environments. However, if increased clarity and focus of tone is desired or requested, I recommend the following procedure which is very fast: Lightly spray a fine mist of 10:1 lacquer and thinner holding sprayer no less than 12 inches from hammers. Place paper or cloth under hammer shanks and over back checks to protect all action parts. After approximately 10 minutes the mixture will dry and forms a hard surface. Hold a clean, soft rag or handkerchief with one hand on the strings of one note and strike the key with the other hand at least times with strong blows. This will break up the particles of the lacquer mixture and reduce the harshness in the sound. Continue to do this with each note. I use the una corda pedal with my left foot during this procedure, moving the hammer to strike the strings in a variety of positions. Helpful Hint: Begin and concentrate most of the strikes utilizing the una corda pedal in the shift position. This will soften the hammer felt in the shift position more thoroughly than the normal position, which may reduce the need to needle voice in the una corda position for fine voicing. Once the full procedure is completed, play chromatically and single needle strike point lines for eliminating harshness of sound. Slap tops of hammers with paddle to set voicing and check your work. Repeat if necessary. Notes: - some clients prefer a wide tonal change from una corda position to standard position. Voice hammers between the lines with a multi needled tool held perpendicular and shallow voice between string lines. - for those clients that ask for graded voicing in half pedal position, prepare hammer by marking various pedal positions with carbon paper (carbon side up to touch the strings, leaving a mark where string contacts hammer in various pedal positions). Voice delicately using carbon markings as a guide. Remove surface markings when done with grit dry sanding paper (I use 3M brand). - Arlan Disclaimer: all of the tips and topics in this article are provided as options to include and add to the arsenal of techniques and methods available. The topics discussed are extremely involved and cannot be easily explored and explained within the confines of "Technicians Corner". Come to the convention and I will be happy to demonstrate and discuss the theory and methodology behind these tips and more! MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 7

8 Integrating New with Old - Rebuilding a 1926, 5 7" Howard Player Piano by Timothy A. Upton Photos and Video by Eric Roberts the 'new' modern age of electronics and investigate what piano player system I wanted installed in this 'old' player piano. The decision was easy as I have a friend, Tim Shields, from Columbus, Ohio who is a Piano Disc Representative and installer of the Piano Disc Systems. We got together, discussed the details of the new system, set a time and worked together on the installation. It was a valuable paradigm shift for me as I was able to accept mixing new player components with an old player piano that was without its original player components. A friend of mine called me about five years ago and asked if I wanted an old Howard 5" 7" Player Grand Piano that had been sitting, for many years, in a dusty corner of his church. At the time I was involved in restoring three other Grand Pianos, a 1911, 6' 2" New York Weber, a 1927, 5 7" Howard, and a 1936, 4 7" Howard. I agreed to accept his offer and had the piano removed from his church the following week. I thought it strange that I had yet another Howard Grand Piano as a possible candidate to restore. The Howard brand just seemed to migrate my way. The piano was not a high priority rebuild for me so it sat patiently for a few years until I finally made a conscious decision to restore it. On a few occasions, before deciding to restore the piano, I had asked Eric Roberts, a graduate of the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology, if he was interested in rebuilding the piano as he had worked with me on the other two Howard Grands as a student gaining valuable experience in the art of regulating the actions, tuning and voicing. Although Eric was interested in the rebuilding process his piano business had turned productive, not allowing him sufficient time for rebuilding as he was consistently busy with his own customers and was now an active member of MPT. However, Eric did stop by at my request to see different parts of the rebuilding process and the final finished product. Eric is responsible for the photos and video recording of the 1926 Howard Player Grand piano in this edition of the journal. After listening to a variety of songs, from the Piano Disc library, being played on the 1926 Howard Player Piano I have decided that this piano is headed for my home and will be enjoyed by family, friends and especially me for many years to come. As our society continues heading into the fast-paced world of electronic gadgets I must remind myself that it is okay to accept and even enjoy the new technologies as long as I can hold on to the memories, antiques, and old ideas of the past. After all, if it wasn't for our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. we wouldn't even be here to enjoy what we have. If you or fellow technicians have the opportunity to rebuild an old player piano that is missing player parts, by all means, accept the challenge and integrate new player components with the original old player piano. Your reward or the person who purchases the piano will have many years of enjoyable music. Thanks Eric. - Tim Now, my attention was focused on rebuilding the 1926 Howard Player Grand. The old player system had been removed many years ago and the only reason I knew this piano had been a player in the past was the cut out in the piano bed, the thick cast iron pedal trappings and the felt on the underside of the piano keys. As I began the rebuilding process I had no intention of putting a player system back in the piano. I knew I could rebuild the piano and sell it as a standard piano to one of my customers. However, during the rebuilding process I often wondered what this piano sounded like with its player system and the many joys the piano must have brought to its owner or owners and families during the 1920's, 30's, 40's and maybe even the 1950's. It was time for me to make a decision and move forward into Some video links: Baldwin Rebuilt Player Piano 1 Baldwin Rebuilt Piano 2 MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 8

9 Hearing Aids by Norman Brickman, Potomac Piano Service Some of our readers will reach a point, as I did 3 years ago, where a degradation of their hearing begins to be significant. Whether you tune aurally, as I do, or if you use an electronic tuner, it is important that you maintain the quality of your hearing. This article is meant to reassure the reader who becomes hearing impaired that modern hearing aid technology is quite advanced and, in many cases, will give you the audio renewal needed to continue on with your profession. I think of my hearing aids as "tuning aids." I'll give a brief review of my experiences. But first, a disclaimer: every case may be different, and there is a large selection of hearing aid types and styles that I am not covering. Modern hearing aids are digitally based, meaning that each hearing aid has a digital computer in it with an accompanying computer program that runs the device, while the previous generation of hearing aids was analog. The range of audible frequencies that the hearing aids support is divided into a number of channels (6, 8, or 12 etc.), from low to high, and the compensation for hearing deficiencies is applied separately to each channel. The program provides for different types of hearing support that includes the following types of algorithms: amplification, automatic gain (amplification) control, noise reduction, anti-wind, anti-echo, telephone coupling, directional focus, and a lot more. If you are like me, you will need more than one program for your hearing aids, and the services of a good audiologist for adjustments during the first few months, as well as normal maintenance support after that. I know that there are retail services with a reduced price that can get you in-and -out with a behind-the-ear type of hearing aid in an hour or so, but my experience was that I need the services of a good support network at the start and for occasional adjustment or issues in the future. There are also some nice laws (at least in Maryland and I believe some are Federal) to protect the purchase of hearing aids dealing with guaranteed satisfaction and return during an initial trial period. And the terms and conditions for my purchase also provides for one unconditional replacement for 3 years. The several hearing aid programs that I have and use are: 1) A main program used for normal conversation, TV, music. 2) A telephone program, where my right hearing aid is switched-off to decrease the effect of room noise. 3) My piano tuning program, which switches off most of the computer algorithms I described above and mostly just gives me simple amplification. 4) A noisy environment conversation program. I use the piano tuning program for all my tunings, rather than the other programs, which can distort the sounds of individual notes being played by a tuner. I don't know why my main program (number 1 in the list above) causes distortion when listening to individual piano notes being played, but I attribute it to one of the normally desirable algorithms such as echo cancellation or amplification gain control or the like. I would appreciate feedback from other readers who have experienced this distortion. Hearing aids usually have a button that allows the wearer to reach up and change the program. I have a controller on my key chain that does the program selection and also permits an adjustment of gain (amplification). Hearing aids can certainly be pricey these days, but keep in mind the complete environment in making your choice. Hopefully your audiologist will have other customers in the music industry so that he/she is already familiar with your needs. Factor in any services and supplies offered by your audiologist for the particular manufacturer you are considering, such as the warrantee period, a one-time no-questions-asked replacement if a plan includes that, an initial noquestions-asked trial return period if your audiologist and hearing aid vendor supports that. Plus, watch for some new hearing aid capabilities that are on the horizon. Finally, remember that your hearing requirements will be derived from your personal circumstances and will be unique. - Norman MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 9

10 The Vertical Hammer Hanging Jig By Vince Mrykalo Here is an excellent jig for accurately and consistently shanking replacement upright hammers. The hammers are held in place by clamping down on the hammer tails and at the same time also squeezed together by the threaded rod at the right. This keeps the hammers perfectly horizontal while the adjustable back edge keeps the rake angle consistent. The shanks rest against this adjustable back edge which, as stated, assures the same rake angle from hammer to hammer. The Shank Reducing Jig This next jig is to size the end of each shank so as to properly fit them into the hammers. The jig is positioned and clamped onto the disc sander table. Each shank is then inserted thusly and spun around while being sanded. This is better and more accurate than knurling, which crushes the wood and weakens it. Furthermore, the wood doesn t swell as much when dipped into the glue. This allows the shank to be positioned properly and avoids binding. The pointed wire holds the shank in place against the back edge to prevent any wandering, and the vertical wire serves as a guide to assure the correct side angle that the hammers were bored to. In this way the hammers are accurately shanked which is essential to a good hammer job. The reason for all this trouble is that the shanks are reduced to fit into the bored hammers loosely. They must be loose enough so that the shanks can easily be put into their positions to assure an accurate hammer line, so essential to good and consistent tone. Hot hide glue is used because of its quick set up time so you are not waiting around for the shanks to stay put as you move from shank to shank. MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 10

11 Editor s note: The following article was gratefully received from Paul Corbin, a French piano technician. Since the text was translated from its original French, I apologize in advance for any shortcomings in my edits of the original however I have done my best to preserve the main intent in making corrections this article provides much valuable information as well as food for thought. WS The Range of the Piano by Paul Corbin Why extend the range of the piano? From the very first four-octave fortepiano to the modern piano with its 7¼ octaves, the keyboard range has continued to increase - until The inevitability of 88 notes in the standard keyboard range should be questioned today more than ever. Pianomakers have been studying the problem, yet concert pianos with an extended range remain rare. The debate over range has arisen many times, yet still causes doubts and opinions are divided. Why was the 88-note standard established and is it sufficient? Why does the addition of a few keys cause anxiety in both pianists as well as technicians? What are the advantages of additions? Is an extended tonal range a mere novelty for the piano, or can it be argued essential? Christofori s four octave keyboard ca A brief history This timeline is an approximation representing the broadening of the tonal range of grand pianos over time. It is hard to be precise, for this evolution varied depending on manufacturers' geographic location. The German, British and French schools had different priorities and some preferred to add keys in the bass, some others in the treble. Other manufacturers did not necessarily care and often ended up lagging behind their competitors. In describing pitch, I shall use the numeric system, the lowest pitch being A 0 and the highest one C 8. With regard to range, I shall use the term tonal range (sometimes referred to as ambitus). According to the musical instrument inventory of Ferdinand de Medici established in 1700, the first ever piano designed by Cristofori had 49 keys, that is four complete octaves, ranging from C 2 to C 6. Today, the three surviving Cristofori pianos prove this description correct, even though the oldest one has been subsequently altered 1. Around 1775, in the middle of the Classical era, the piano range reached five octaves and remained unchanged for nearly twenty years. The first pianos exceeding five octaves were built around 1790, and the standard was established about five years later. Their range encompassed F 1 through C 7. From 1810 onwards, six-octave keyboards became common. On the one hand, the British chose to extend the range in the bass (C 1 to C 7 ), and on the other hand, Germans and Austrians choose to extend the keyboard in the treble (F 1 to F 7 ). From 1820 onwards, pianomakers did more or less as they chose and it is difficult to establish a universal trend. It can at least be said that all keyboards now exceeded six octaves. It was the piano maker Henri Herz who, from 1831 onwards, was the first to build seven-octave pianos which got a rather mixed reception 2. Within twenty years, each at his own pace, all piano manufacturers progressively reached seven octaves, that is 85 notes. The last three notes (A# 7, B 7 and C 8 ) were added in the last quarter of the 19th century. In 200 years' time, the keyboard gained 39 notes, that is one note every five years. Yet we have stopped at 7¼ octaves (88 notes) for more than 130 years. What happened to piano makers and pianists that could explain such a long stagnation? What made everyone agree on that standard? Is it still possible to extend the keyboard today, either in the bass or in the treble? Pianos with more than 88 notes There are a few pianos whose tonal range exceeds 88 notes but they only represent a small minority, the most famous being the Bösendorfer Imperial. After considerable research, I extended my list a little and even though it remains very small, all these pianos deserve mentioning. This list is hardly exhaustive and it is very possible that I have missed some piano models. For the sake of clarity, I shall use keyboard diagrams to A standard 88 note 7 1/4 octave keyboard MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 11

12 represent their tonal range. Keys in red correspond to extra notes. 90 notes Seven piano models that have 90 notes: Model No. 3 made by Érard from 1877 on (2. 60 m), which became Model No. 3 from 1903 onwards, models FI-24 and F-V by Ibach (2.75 m and 2.70 m) which are no longer made today, the concert model built by Kaps at the beginning of last century, the 2.80 m model by Ron Overs (Australia) which currently exists only as a design and finally the concert model produced by the Philippe-Henri Herz Neveu & Cie firm from the 1860s onwards. All these pianos go down to G notes Four pianos with 92 notes are models 225 and 275 built by Bösendorfer, as well as a few concert models by Petrof and Mand-Olbrich go down to F 0. The Bösendorfer 275 is no longer in production. 97 notes (with extension in the bass only) The Érard No , the Rubenstein R-371 and the Bösendorfer Imperial have 97 keys. The extra notes are located only in the bass, so these pianos go down to C notes (with extension in the bass and treble) The concert grand piano made by Pape in 1844 as well as some models made by Stuart & Sons in Australia have 97 keys with extra notes in the bass and in the treble - going down to F 0 and up to F 8. The sole Érard piano model 3 No also has 97 keys. 102 notes Reviewing aspects of the pianos mentioned above, let us start chronologically with Pape's pianos. The patent for eight-octave pianos was filed by Jean-Henri Pape in March 1842 and his first pianos were built in It is not known exactly how many were made however we know that there were at least two. They are mentioned in several newspaper articles, one of which in the music journal Le Ménestrel No. 535, of April This article, written by the director of the Brussels conservatory, François Fétis, is most certainly the most complete and interesting about those pianos. It reads as follows : Without supporting the ever-growing range that some piano makers give to their instruments, M. Pape felt it necessary to set limits in order to put an end to the continuous change in those instruments. At this stage, it may be said that the tonal range of the piano has reached its last limits. We shall see later in this article that this statement is still relevant today. In the same article, M. Fétis also depicts a concert for an eight-hand formation, on two eight-octave pianos, in a work by the German pianist and composer Johann Peter Pixis, played by Pixis himself, accompanied by George Osborne, Edouard Wolff and Jakob Rosenhain. Another article by Hector Berlioz, was published in the Journal des débats politiques et littéraires of June He makes a review of the musical part of the great Industrial Exhibition. Unlike Fétis, he only mentions a single precious eight-octave piano. Those pianos are already provided with little removable boxes used to hide the extra notes. The hammers in these pianos strike the strings from above, like the majority of pianos made by Pape in those days. Little is known about the Érard piano Model 3 No , except that its manufacturing process was completed in April (that is about thirty years before the first Imperial model) and that is was presented at the Paris Exposition Universelle that same year 4. Franz Liszt certainly played this piano for he was a member of The only pianos with 102 keys are manufactured by the Stuart & Sons, Australia (both the 2.20 m and 2.90 m models) as well as Stephen Paulello's Opus 102. These pianos extend to C 0 like the Bösendorfer and up to F 8 like Pape's. Finally, some pianos had a few extra strings which were not struck but only served to space the extreme notes from the end of the bridge. This is true of Franz Liszt's Boisselot No and some Fazioli designs. Jean-Henri Pape 1842 patent diagram MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 12

13 the jury as honorary president and was Mme Érard's guest during his short stay in Paris 5. That piano was made as a response to American competition, notably from Chickering and Steinway. In order to rival them, it had a duplex scale and fine cabinet work. Unfortunately, it is not known where this piano's tonal range starts and ends. According to the manufacturing records, we know it has 97 keys. It was sold four years later to the firm Allan & Co in Melbourne, Australia, which was a musical instrument dealer that also published sheet music, records, piano rolls, etc. Since this firm has had several fires, record of this piano has disappeared. Near the end of the 19th century, while working on Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue for organ BWV 582 in C minor, that the Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni had the inspiration to suggest to Bösendorfer to build a concert piano that could play the notes corresponding to the 32-feet pipes of an organ. The first prototype of the Imperial model was built in It was then perfected until judged satisfying and mass production began in At first, additional keys were hidden beneath a small hinged panel before using a black key cover. Thus, these keys appeared at the same time as the piano, for the Imperial model did not exist before 6. Bösendorfer has always boasted having built the first eight-octave pianos, although Pape's 1844 piano and Érard's 1878 instrument were built earlier. The Érard No was manufactured in 1900 and records indicate it has 97 notes, from C to C. Curiously enough, the manufacturing of this piano ended the same year that the production of the Imperial model began and a few months before the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Could Érard have been aware of Busoni's request? Although Érard was present at the Exposition Universelle of 1900, the jury's report did not mention this piano. That report reads: The Reporter is not expected to review the nearly three hundred pianos gathered in the Champ-de-mars and in the Invalides galleries. He can only mention the French or foreign firms which have brought some modification to the instrument's mechanism, or which stand out thanks to particular research in manufacturing. 7 A detailed report on these three hundred pianos would have been very interesting! Perhaps Erard s design was simply not presented? It is unlikely and the piano was sold two years later to a M. Louis Mors in Paris and since then has disappeared. Gone is the time when pianomakers responded to the needs of musicians and vice versa. In the past there were important exchanges between both and this is exemplified in the Bösendorfer Imperial - this piano still exists as a testimony to its merits. Today, we can listen to a recording of Oscar Peterson playing jazz utilizing those famous additional bass notes, as Busoni did a hundred years before. Bösendorfer bass notes How and why did the piano's tonal range increase? Are the 88 notes of the modern piano a mere physical result of the opportunities allowed by piano string wire, combined with the demands of composers? This may have been true until the 1880s - the broadening of the keyboard's range depends on two important parameters: Strings The first one concerns the progress of industry, notably in the field of metals. The piano has always followed the constant evolution of its main sound component - the string. From the 1820s onwards, string makers managed to use progressively stronger steel. Pianos used those strings whose diameter grew increasingly large and whose length kept increasing in order to gain power and sustain. Therefore, reinforcing metal bars were needed in order to resist the tension of the strings which was also increasing. The first fortepianos had a much lower tension with irregular iron or brass strings, whose breaking point was relatively low. Thanks to the industrial revolution and to the progress in metallurgy and steel industry, it became possible to make steels that were more homogeneous, harder, and with a higher breaking point, allowing thus the tonal range to increase. Performance The second important factor, not to be neglected, was the demands of pianists and especially composers. Piano makers would never have conceived building an instrument with so many notes if there had not been a demand. Let us not forget that these manufacturers were responding to the needs of musicians and built instruments in their interest. Reading the letters written by Beethoven and Liszt, both complained about the technical limitations imposed by their instruments - lack of power, of response, and a range that was too small. It was those complaints, combined with industrial progress, that allowed the instrument to evolve. Without these two factors, the range of the keyboard might not have changed. MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 13

14 In 1880, as the piano finally reached 88 notes, and we can conclude that it was primarily the result of those two parameters. Technical difficulties of performance made it hard to advance further and most composers were satisfied. A status quo had been reached which has remained largely unchallenged for 130 years. Today, however, the limitation of 88 notes must be questioned, since it is physically possible to go much further and the demand from composers is again starting to evolve. Modern possibilities Bass From a theoretical point of view, it might be possible to infinitely extend the bass register. The only limits are really practical ones. In making strings, applying no limits, it would be possible to make them infinitely longer and thicker. In general however piano soundboards do not resonate at frequencies much below 50/60 Hz (which approximately corresponds to the fourth partial of C 0 ). Nothing prevents a manufacturer from building a two hundred note piano, except the bass would have strings that would be ridiculously long and thick with notes nearly inaudible. In practice it is a little more complicated. The lower the notes, the thicker the string needs to be to avoid practical size limitations of the instrument. This means wrapping the string with a copper (or iron, or brass, etc.) winding. When the diameter becomes too large, a second winding is added: this is called double winding or double wrapping. It might be possible to repeat that operation endlessly however, starting from triple winding, the sound becomes less intelligible. In the author s opinion, nine extra notes in the bass register can be added on a concert piano or on a semi-concert grand. On smaller instruments it is perfectly possible to add four extra notes (extending to F 0 ) even on an upright. Treble In 2011, Stephen Paulello marketed a new type of string called XM, whose tensile strength is superior to Paulello Type M or to Röslau types which are currently in use. This value is close to 3000 N/mm² for diameter 13, which means that it would be possible to hang 300 kilograms on a area of a square millimetre without the string breaking. However, the higher this value, the less the string will tolerate bending and torsion. For instance, it is virtually impossible to make a French loop with type XM without the string breaking. In 1893, the string maker Poehlmann had developed a steel whose tensile strength also reached 3000 N/mm². Other tests were carried out with even stronger steel but the strings would break like glass under the slightest bending, which makes them impractical to use. Type XM is a compromise between a high tensile strength and a bending allowance that makes it usable. It reaches the limits of what is feasible with a piano string. The main motivations for its development was to solve problems related to the breaking of over-stressed strings especially in the treble and bichord section of the bass as well as to improve the reliability of pianos that are used intensively in music schools. This type of string also enables to extend speaking length during the manufacturing process in order to increase power and sound length. Finally (and getting to one of the main points of this article) it also allows expansion of the tonal range in the extreme treble. The treble is more delicate than the extreme bass area because of the higher applied tensions. Since Type XM has been marketed, it is possible to get even higher in the treble - but how far up can we go? From a theoretical point of view, we can go up infinitely however from a practical point of view, from B 7 up to B 8 or an octave above the last B of a typical 88 note piano. Comparing bass and treble extensions, at 108 notes we have reached the practical boundaries of this instrument using only steel strings. Omega 6 Why are we practically limited to note B 8? Keyboard with 108 keys First of all, a keyboard with 108 keys encompasses nine octaves minus one note. All keys are thus present nine times along the whole keyboard. This also is a rational limit of what can be made with steel strings. To reach this last B, it is necessary to use Type XM in diameter No. 13 (0.775 mm), and its speaking length must not exceed 30 mm. If you combine all this, you can tighten the strings until you get to that B 8, without breaking. If we enter all this data in a spreadsheet, we observe that this note is stressed around 87% of its tensile strength with a 440Hz tuning. If we continue to add extra notes, strings get stressed between 90% and 100%. The risk MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 14

15 of breaking becomes much too high, and if for any reason the piano is to be tuned to a 445 Hz pitch, it is necessary to keep a minimum safety margin. It is still possible to shorten the speaking length of the string, but then it will be difficult for the hammer to strike it without getting stuck against the soundboard. It is still possible to slant the bridge, to shorten the board in order to allow the hammer more space, etc. Above that limit, manufacturing problems increase and become hard to resolve. Even though it may be theoretically possible to go up indefinitely, 108 notes represent a practical limit which becomes hard to overcome. B 8 is thus a result of all those practical limits. But what proves that all these tolerances actually work and with what certainly can we state that strings will really perform under these load conditions? After visiting the Stuart & Sons, its director, Wayne Stuart suggested that I should write an article about the need for increasing the piano's tonal range and that I should make a prototype of harmonic structure using Type XM, which would only include the highest treble notes. Thanks to their team, we were able to develop this prototype which we named Omega 6. Considering the time that was allowed to me, it was impossible to develop a single-piece cast iron frame. Therefore, we used a multi-layered wooden frame covered with an aluminium plate. Omega 6 uses most of the components used in Stuart & Sons' pianos - bridge agraffes, agraffes for the front duplex bridge, ceramic capodastro, adjustable hitch pins, etc. Omega 6 refers here not to the family of fatty acids in organic chemistry, but to a partial model piano structure at a scale of 1:1, consisting of the last six notes of a piano to extend the keyboard from 102 to 108 keys. Why this name? Omega (Ω) is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and is notably used to indicate an end or limits and the number (6) stands for the six remaining notes (F#, G, G#, A, A#, B). Omega 6 has a small Omega 6 prototype Omega 6 bridge agraffes soundboard of about 10 cm², a bridge, a string, a capodastro, tuning pins, etc. The model is approximately 20 x 40 cm and weighs 3.8 kg. The tension is 90 kg on the last string and 1.8 tons on the whole model structure. Omega 6 was designed to test a theory with a working model. It was completed in March 2013 and no string has broken so far. By plucking the model s strings, I was able to hear for the first time the frequencies that one might ultimately hear on a full-size piano. Sound result Even on an 88-note piano, one can observe that the tone of extreme bass notes becomes more and more difficult to distinguish, especially when the piano is short. Theoretically, the better-designed the piano, the better the extreme notes. The following is a subjective opinion on the matter of sound quality without the bias of any interest in a particular piano manufacturer. Bass In the lower bass range one cannot expect the same clarity or purity as with a note from the middle range. The sound quality of the extreme bass is a subjective matter which varies greatly between manufacturers. For instance, the aesthetic of the Bösendorfer's extreme bass is unique, defining the sound of the Imperial model. These notes vibrate a great deal, their sound is rich and brassy, sometimes a little harsh. By contrast, some pianists may favour other subtleties with a minimum of overtones, since the fundamental becomes much more difficult to distinguish in the bass in comparison to notes in the middle register. The Imperial model has become a benchmark that many pianists and technicians use to judge the sound quality of extreme bass notes. Still, we may look beyond this subjective standard for alternative sounds. MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 15

16 Extreme bass notes Stuart & Sons Model 220 The lower the note in the bass register, the more the fundamental disappears. In fortissimo playing, you get a great many harmonics, in which the fundamental often gets completely lost. However, if you play them chromatically, it becomes easier to distinguish the notes. If the aim is not to create a sound effect, whatever it is, the best result is found in pianissimo playing. In softer playing, overtones are less present and you can easily recognise the fundamental of the very first C if you play it together with its upper octave, for instance. The first G or G# of a standard keyboard is rather high (the first note of the piano being an A). They are respectively the 11th and the 12th key. Their frequency lies around 50 Hz. When you play in these keys, you cannot fully enjoy the depth and power of the piano, for the bottom bass notes are not low enough. Some expressions or musical ideas are thus more difficult to convey. If you have extra bass notes, the G and G# are waiting for you, and new possibilities emerge. This is a bit like a secret reserve from which you can draw whenever you like. When I am playing one of these pianos, I feel secure and know that I can always go lower, give more power, or trigger a totally unexpected sound effect. These are notes that certainly require some learning and that cannot be used exactly the same way as the other notes on the keyboard. It should be emphasized that all this applies only to a concert instrument. It would be totally ridiculous to make a 105-cm upright piano with 108 keys (notably excepting David Klavins concert vertical). Treble key) would end up around 8,200 Hz. Most organs go up to 12,000 Hz without any problem, with pipes that are less than a foot long. These registers are mostly used to embellish the sound, notably in the mixture and cymbal stops. I absolutely think that the last notes can be used in the same way. A feature of extreme treble notes is to significantly improve the sound quality of lower notes. Because of their very short speaking length, they behave a bit like a duplex scale. They clearly and beautifully enrich the notes below them by creating sympathetic vibrations. The C 7 becomes, for example, clearly intelligible. By adding notes in the extreme registers, whatever they may be, you move the usual notes away from the edge of the bridge. The closer the note is from the edge of the bridge, the less convincing the sound result will be, so even when not being used, these upper strings add considerable sound quality to the rest of the piano. Finally, tuning these last notes (in the treble as well as in the bass) is easier than one might think because less relative precision is required even for unisons. The closer you get to the extreme notes, the more tuning becomes relatively easy again. Repertoire The classical repertoire for an extended range piano remains scarce and is only waiting to be composed! It is hard to tell precisely which works have been written for more than 88 notes. Even though certain composers have written additional notes on their scores in the past, the editions we have today have removed them in order to be playable on any standard keyboard. Sometimes octaviated (eg: 8 va etc.) notes are either not indicated or added as options. We may wonder if the composer had sufficient notes on his piano at a given time, he would have written higher or lower. The example of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major is striking. Even though Ravel knew very well the 90-note Érard pianos, the scores we have today indicate a low A when all At the time of writing, the only pianos with extra treble notes are the Stuart & Sons pianos. I have been pleasantly surprised with their sound quality. The last F 8 (the 102nd key) is far clearer that many a C 8 on typical 88 note pianos. Putting this into perspective, this note s frequency is around 5,700 Hz and the last B (the 108th Extreme treble notes Stuart & Sons Model 220 MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 16

17 members of the orchestra play a G. It is likely that some composers would have chosen the key for their compositions according to their piano's tonal range. For instance, Grieg's Piano Concerto and Saint-Saëns' Second Piano Concerto both use the first low A of the keyboard in a spectacular way in their introduction. The composition's key may have been chosen in order not to be restricted by the tonal range. The works requiring the extra treble notes are more scarce than the ones requiring extra bass notes. We may name Scriabin's 6th Piano Sonata, the pieces played by J. Pixis on Pape pianos, or some contemporary pieces with Kaikhosru Sorabji and Artur Cimirro, notably. According to Bösendorfer, for the bass register, there could be Bartók's Concertos No. 2 and 3, many piano transcriptions by Busoni, of course, as well as his Concerto for piano and male choir, La Cathédrale Engloutie by Debussy, the last movement from Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (The Great Gate of Kiev), Jeux d'eau, Gaspard de la nuit and Une Barque sur l'océan by Ravel... Finally, extra notes are mainly used for improvisation and in unwritten music in general. Chick Corea, Oscar Peterson, Fazil Say or Stevie Wonder all have improvised on an Imperial model using the extra bass keys. Improvisers are a group of pianists who are not resistant to the idea of adding extra keys to their piano. them against the side arms, outside but still visible. That distance corresponds approximately to a 108-key keyboard. Look at the centre of the piano again. Now the objects get out of your field of vision. With a 108- key keyboard, you cannot see the last notes. You have a horizon of keys in front of you. That is the main criticism from pianists to extended keyboards. It is true that additional keys can be disorienting especially to a pianist unfamiliar with the extra range. Adding twenty notes means adding difficulty and will require the pianist s time and effort to adjust. In order to compensate for that difficulty Pape, Bösendorfer and Petrof had added removable systems that hide the extra notes. Although compensating for the perceptual issue, after all Pape was building pianos at a time when the keyboard's range was constantly evolving. Bösendorfer Purpose and perception What is the purpose or effect of adding twenty notes to the standard 88 note keyboard? Here is a little experiment: Take two small brightly-coloured objects and put them on the first and last note of a standard keyboard. Now Oscar Peterson playing a Bosendorfer Last bar of Ravel s Concerto in G Major look at the centre of the keyboard (between the E and the F under the brand name). Normally, you can see the two objects in your field of vision without having to look sideways. Now take these two objects and place by making the extra keys black, seems as if to say, don t play me. When Beethoven was offered a six octave Broadwood in 1817, it was not enough for him nor were the additional keys coloured black. Imagine what Liszt must have put up with during his tours. The variety of pianos he would have encountered was much larger than it is today. Liszt would switch from a Viennese piano to a concert Érard, a Boisselot parlour grand, Pleyel pianinos in Parisian boudoirs. It was certainly more difficult to perform a recital in the 19th century than today. All pianists from that time had to adapt, as today's organists, harpsichordists, forte-piano players or percussionists still have to adapt. There is an argument to increase the piano s tonal MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 17

18 range in both directions to maintain symmetry (between the 44th and the 45th note on a standard piano). If you put all the extra notes in the bass, an imbalance is created, as could said to be the case with the Bösendorfer. Above all, a keyboard of 108 keys expands the musical possibilities for improvisers and composers by extending the field of vision - the black blinkers of the key blocks and side arms. Among the fears that have been expressed, are that the arms are too short for such a large range. A 1.60 m tall person can easily play the first and the last note of a 115 key range at the same time although it is unlikely that a composer could be impractical enough to write at both ends of an extended range piano. Cost There are many music instruments whose price is notably proportional to their range. This is the case, for instance, of percussion instruments (glockenspiel, marimba, celesta), harps, or accordions, whose price is determined, among other things, by their tonal range, their registers, the number of ranks or the number of bass notes. Some wind instruments have an extra key, piston valve or barrel in accordance with their price, in order to extend their range in the bass register. It was also the case for some piano manufactures in the 19th and 20th centuries. On the Érard catalogue of 1932, we can see a Model 4 upright piano (1.27 m) with 7 octaves, a Model 0 baby grand (1.80 m) with 7¼ octaves, and a concert model No. 3 (2.60 m) with 7½ octaves; same for Ibach. A few years earlier, Pleyel used to follow the same principle with pianinos. Until recently, some brands still offered 85 notes on small pianos. Bösendorfer offers three types of keyboards: 88, 92 and 97 according to the model and the price. Perhaps more manufacturers could follow this model? For the same brand, the bigger the instrument would be, and the more notes it would have. Is it normal to have to same tonal range on a baby grand as on a concert model? Should the price not take into account the extension of the range, as it is the case in many other musical instruments? Pianos' keyboards could then extend towards 108 keys as their size and price increase. A composer's opinion an interview with Artur Cimirro In order to complete this article, I though it would be illuminating to seek for the point of view of a performer / composer. Artur Cimirro is a Brazilian composer, art critic and pianist. He was the first composer in the world who ever composed works for 108-note pianos. Q: For which purpose do you use additional notes? First of all, I use them because I precisely don't consider them as additional. When they sit before the 102 keys of a Stuart & Sons, the first thing that pianists do is to press the first and the last key of the keyboard. It seems as if they tried to solve a problem that they don't understand. Why? Because they are not composers. The debate on these additional notes only concerns composers (and technicians of course), not pianists. Q: Were you inspired by the 102 keys of Stuart & Sons or did you use to compose your pieces before knowing those pianos? My first compositions were written in 1998, and they only require 88 notes. In 2002, I made a transcription of the famous Flight of the Bumblebee by Korsakov. Because of different techniques I used for that piece (octaviated notes, for instance), it was logical to reach the last E *. Later, I changed all the octaves into thirds to make that transcription playable on a standard 88-key piano. Finally, I put the top E again in the latest edition. Then, in 2006, I started my Sonata Opus 3 that requires the contra C and the top E-flat of the keyboard**, and it is only in 2011 that I heard about the Stuart & Sons pianos for the first time. Three months after the director's invitation, I went to the manufacturer to visit it. Just before my leaving, I had composed two pieces requiring 102 keys. In 2012, I visited the factory a second time and it was at this moment that I heard about the new type of string (XM) which allowed to build pianos that wouldn't have 102 keys, but 108. I immediately made changes in my scores and after a few days' work, the first piece for 108-key piano: Eccentric Prelude No. 1, Opus 20. Since that day, some of my other compositions use the whole ambitus (range) and I plan on writing more. Q: Are you convinced of their interest and necessity? Absolutely, I hate the sensation of composing for a halfinstrument, and this is what I feel when I think of 88 notes only. With 108 notes, you have the piano in its practical standards, so this is the standard of the future. Of course, I can compose a piece requiring only 88 keys, I have already done so in some of my compositions, but I prefer to compose a new piece without a minimum nor a maximum of notes in mind. At the same time, I do not believe that we need more than 108 notes for composing since this is the practical limit of the piano. Thus, I think that everything is in its right place. Cristofori's first forte-piano only had 49 keys (four octaves), and the ambitus (range) gradually increased because it was still very far from its limits. In 1844, when Boisselot & Fils made the first sostenuto pedal, the idea was not welcome, and it was only thirty years later that it was used in Steinway pianos. Today, some people still find it difficult to understand how to use it correctly. MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 18

19 When Beethoven was unhappy with the limits of the pianos of his time, he still wrote his scores with the notes that were missing, and new pianos were built in accordance with this. Today, it is the same but with different pianos and composers. Other composers such as Liszt, Herz, Pixis, Brahms, Busoni, Ravel, Scriabin... struggled to explore the limits of the piano, and today we have the opportunity to discover the true limits of this instrument in its most complete ambitus. This is a wonderful thing! All those who disagree do not know it yet, but they are doomed to fail, and soon they will be six feet under. Conclusion The reader may well ask why try to fix something that is not broken? It can be argued that it is necessary more than ever, to give this instrument fresh consideration. Since it was created, the piano has always evolved together with its range and I am still convinced that its evolution can continue only if its range extends too. Maybe one day, pianists will admit that 88-note pianos were restrained and limited instruments. This article does not attempt to establish a new standard after all, how could the piano have 108 notes tomorrow when the vast majority of piano makers have not even gone through the stages of 102, 97, 92 or even 90? Its aim is to inform pianists, technicians, composers and all persons in relation with the piano that it is possible to extend its tonal range and that it may be time to do so. The author believes that a new 97-note standard (contra F to top F) as understood by Pape, is wholly conceivable in the future. For an idea to spread, it has to become a generally accepted standard. The advantages of a 97 note standard is that it can be applied on nearly any model of piano, from the verticals (starting from 1.20 m) to concert grands, without adding much complication to design and manufacturing. All conditions now exist to build pianos with a larger tonal range. Some of the technical means to achieve that goal are very recent but now well within our reach. We have the opportunity to blow the dust off the situation in which this instrument has been stuck for far too long. Just like you, I am a technician and my primary motivation is for the advancement of our profession and industry. I have struggled to write this article in the most sincere way, with the sole purpose to serve my profession and music. - Paul Corbin paul.corbin@etudiant-itemm.com Author s note: Thanks to Wayne Stuart, Katie Stuart, Allan Moyes, Stephen Paulello, Jean-Claude Battault, Jérôme Wiss, Hervé Lançon, Lucile Delpon, Artur Cimirro and Ernestine Klesch for their help, their precious advice and their unfailing support. References 1. Le piano de style en Europe: des origines à 1850, Pascale Vandervellen, Mardaga. 2. Henri Herz, magnat du piano, Laure Schnapper, Ehess. 3. Érard Archives, manufacturing registers, Cité de la musique, Paris. 4. Gustave Chouquet, Exposition universelle internationale de 1878 à Paris. Groupe II. Classe 13. Rapport sur les instruments de musique et les éditions musicales par M. Gustave Chouquet, Conservateur du Musée du Conservatoire National de Musique, Paris, Imprimerie nationale, 1880, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Tolbiac, 8-V Liszt et le son Érard, "À la recherche des sonorités perdues", Nicolas Dufetel, Villa Medici Giulini Ministère du Commerce, de l'industrie, des postes et des télégraphes. Exposition universelle internationale de 1900, à Paris. Rapports du jury international. Classe 17 : Instruments de musique. Rapport de M. Eugène de Bricqueville. MPT CONVENTION 2014 MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT AUG. 3-6, 2014 Quality Inn, Mystic, CT CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS!! MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 19

20 COMPUTING AND SOFTWARE Get Organized! by Michael Barrett I don t know about you but I m one of those people who have a problem focusing on the task at hand if everything is messy and disorganized. This goes for when I m writing music in the studio, working on pianos in the shop, or doing all the book work for the business. I knew that I had to find a way to organize all my customers, orders, appointments, etc. but was there a platform that would work for piano technicians? Well yes there is! It s called Chaos Software (no I don t work for them) and can be found at Chaos Software Their flagship software and the one that I m writing about is Chaos Intellect. This program lets you maintain control over all of your customer contacts, s, orders, and even has a calendar. Now here s the clincher not only are all of the tabs totally customizable within the software as you can see with what I did with the customer custom fields tab (Fig. 2) but if you also have their hosting plan this software will sync with any smartphone such as an iphone as well as you ll have access anywhere from any laptop so long as you have internet access so there s no risk of losing data; once you change info on one platform it updates and sync s all of them! Chaos software on your mobile device All of this is, in my opinion, is pretty inexpensive as well. At the time of this writing Chaos Intellect 4 costs a one-time fee of only $59.95 with free updates for two years. If you want the hosting plan which allows you to sync remotely with any device and have remote access (and why wouldn t MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 20

21 Chaos Software custom fields tab Chaos software on your laptop you?!) it runs $99 for a 1 year subscription or $ for a 2 year subscription and is available on their sister site (they do offer a free 30 day trial of this feature). I highly recommend the hosting; in my opinion the benefits have far outweighed the costs. Michael Barrett can be reached through his website I hope you enjoy the software as much as I have, good luck getting organized! - Michael MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 21

22 Effective Digital Management of Your Client Data Part 1 By Eric Michael Roberts\ I was about to write an article on the program that I have been using for 4 years to keep my customer data and I found out that the program was being discontinued. I use Bento for my iphone and Mac computer. It is a product by Filemaker. The Filemaker Pro program will take over Bento but the cost is almost 10 times more than Bento and it has a much higher learning curve. This was a major disappointment and now I am working on finding a new application that I will be able to use to duplicate my success with Bento. I am still using Bento now and it works fine on my current operating system, but with future hardware and software upgrades it will become harder to continue to use. In this first part I am going to explain my methods and in future articles I will explore other software/hardware options to mimic my methods. The methods are the most important and I am sure that they can be duplicated using other software/hardware. As I learned in the Randy Potter Course, it is important to keep very detailed notes on all of your customers. Without these detailed records it is hard to stay in business so I take it very seriously. I quickly found that the burden was on me to remind and keep my customers on track with their yearly or bi-yearly tunings. I couldn t allow them to let 3 years go by before they thought about piano tuning again. I wanted a simple way to track, record and reach my customers over a long period of time. Before I developed this system I was taking notes in the field and then spent hours inputting this data into my computer. I was using the common note card system that has been used for many years by thousands of technicians. As my customer base grew, I was getting behind and dreaded the task of data input. Now, I am able to make all my notes on my iphone and take them with me everywhere I go. I tune, make notes and then move on! I always have my customer data with me so when I am in the field and receive a phone call from a current customer I can quickly pull their file on my iphone and see all of their customer data and piano history. Once a week or so, I sync my data with my computer and I can do things like send s, mail postcard reminders and mail yearly newsletters with the click of a few buttons. There are two important core elements of my digital management system. Element 1 - The Database: First, a customer database that is customized to my piano business is the central element of my system. I use basic customer fields and a set of fields for the piano. I record the FAC for my Accutuner along with the brand, model and serial number of the piano. I record the last tuning date and have a large notes section, which includes all the notes for the history of piano tunings and work completed. Below you can see the input side of my database. This is the view I see on my computer and my iphone. MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 22

23 Element 2 - The Sync Device: I use my iphone and ipad running the Bento application, which contains my whole database. This is a key to the system because I can access and add to the data when I am in the field. This is crucial because almost all of my work is done in the field. I do not rely on the cell phone signal or a wifi signal to access my database from a web site. I must be able to access my database wherever I am tuning or working even if I am in a valley with no cell reception or a remote desert. My database is synced and resides on my local device. the iphone. What do I do with all my data? I use it everyday at every appointment and at every encounter with my customer. I take special notes on their piano, the work I completed that day, the work I quote and the work I intend to do in the future. I take notes about the customer, their kids, their music teacher and any other information that will help me remember them and get to know them. I make notes about special directions needed to get to their house and I even make notes about their pets. (Especially if they have their litter box right next to the piano because I have some cat allergies.) Below you can see one drop down menu that I use in my database to track my referral sources. Once the data is synced to my computer, I can sort it and use it for all of my marketing and scheduling needs. One of the most useful data fields is the date field titled Last Tuning I use this each month to send a post card reminder or make a follow-up call for a yearly tuning or a 6-month tuning, I can do a basic data sort by ascending date of Last Tuning and tell the program to print labels for my post cards or export the list to another service for mailing. Here is my list view, which makes it easy to sort the date using the Last Tuning date field: With simple database knowledge you can successfully manage and take your customer data with you everywhere. Using a computer based system like the one I have explained will help you build and sustain your business. I will continue to explore how to create and implement my methods using other programs, operating systems and devices in future articles. My Bento database template is featured and available in the Bento Template Exchange. - Eric Eric Michael Roberts is a Master Piano Technician and digital marketing expert. View Eric s piano tuning site, other consulting services and tools for piano technicians: Below is an example of a notes section of one of my customers. I put the latest date on top and keep a simple list of the work and tunings: Master Piano Technicians Facebook Group The Facebook group is up to 62 members and growing! This Facebook group is the fastest and easiest way to get answers, share your projects and keep in touch with your MPT friends. I often post a picture from my iphone in the field and a question and get 5-10 answers and stories from the guys in the group within just a few hours! You are not alone out there if you are connected to our Facebook group! If you are not on Facebook yet, this is a great reason to join. Take 2 minutes to sign up for a basic free Facebook account and then ask to join online at this link : MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 23

24 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY 2014 Adams Mark 249 S. Hwy 101 #469 Solana Beach CA Arnold Robert 782 Spruce St. Emmaus PA Atkins Doug 4321 E. Social Row Rd. Dayton OH Backels John PO Box Salt Lake City UT Banuelos Rodolfo 2212 Enchanted Place San Diego CA Barber Richard 1807 Olympic Dr. Colorado Springs CO Barrett Michael PO Box 442 Ocala FL Benvenuto Joe 129 W. Nippon St. Philadelphia PA Benvenuto Victor D. 150 Shoemacker Rd. Huntington Valley PA Boyce Robert 1 Mays Ave. Hornell NY Bradshaw Barry 4905 Park Place Dr. Conway AR Brickman Norman Milbern Dr. Potomac MD Burgess Robert 1213 Matagorda Dr. Allen TX Burke Don 48 Highview Terrace Bloomfield NJ Busby Jim 535 South 300 East #92 Mt. Pleasant UT Carpenter Thomas 6715 W. County Rd. 4 Berthoud CO Chamblee Gary 2819 Kinkead Fort Smith AR Chapman John G. 42 Village Square Dr. Marietta PA Cox Edward 227 Star Blvd. Madison TN Crites Jeremy 5011 Silverwood Ct. West Bloomfield MI Davis Thomas 8286 Winters Ln. Mason OH Degen Elian SW 89th Path Cutler Bay FL Dorsi Dennis 100 Reagan Dr. Sellersville PA Erbsmehl Charles 1 Nance Terr. St. Fredonia NY Estey David Box 512, 29 Winding Hollow Dr. Oak Ridge NJ Fariss Jim Old England Dr. Colorado Springs CO Furch Derek 1552 Oakridge Park Dr. Farmington UT Gallen John 186 Babcock Hill Rd. South Windham CT Geoghegan Steve PO Box 1238 Port Richey FL Giroux Ben 64 Paquette Rd. St. Albans VT Grassi Jeannie 8321-A Paulanna Lane NE Bainbridge Island WA Gregory Wayne 363 N. Dunn St. Angier NC Groll Bruce 1306 Mockingbird Ln. Carterville IL Hale Sr. Robert 4733 Glen Ivy Cir. SW Roanoke VA Hamilton II Jack PO Box Dayton OH Harris Arlan 38 Park Ave. West White Plains NY Heaton Barrie 31 Wyre Crecent Darwen Lancashire UK BB3 OJG Hoffman Scott 334 Lighthouse Rd. Hilton NY Ialeggio Jim 41 Parker Rd. Shirley MA Janey Brian PO Box 1612 Fallbrook CA Joyce Jon T Vale Way San Diego CA Karvelius Victor 5809 Hillsbrough Rd. Rockford IL MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 24

25 Komorski Donald 27 W 281 Devon Ave. Hanover Park IL Kopp Keith 1509 N. 740 W. Orem UT Kunz David PO Box 304 Marlboro MA Kurta Michael 1349 Terrace Bluff Dr. Traverse City MI Makkreel Michael 346 Canboro Rd. Ridgeville ONT LOS 1MO Markenstein Aart 380 Mountain Rd. Suite 1707 Union City NJ Michii Makoto 25 Denton Dr. Lancaster NY Morton Ken 603 Hamilton Dr. Cinnaminson NJ Mrykalo Vincent 164 South 1920 West Provo UT Nace David 2959 Stoverstown Rd Spring Grove PA Newcombe Greg 22 Ashton St. Macleay Is. Redlands City AUSTRALIA 4184 Novak Lou 230 NW Holly St. Iassaquah WA Olson Paul 918 Elden St Herndon VA Ostrovsky Alexander 24 Bennett Ave. Apt. 64B New York NY Piesik John E Normount Rd. Oceanside CA Potter Randy So. East Orion Dr. Bend OR Radakovic Branislav 935 Geary St. #204 San Francisco CA Recker Jr. Joseph E. 419 N. Bond St. Plains GA Renstrom Brad 40 Sylvan Trail. Monroe NY Roberts Eric 65 Elkins Ln. Springboro OH Rocke Benjamin 128 Wetherell St. Manchester CT Ross John 926 Windsor Back Rd. Windsor NS B0N 2T0 Sdao W. Gennaro 8112 Pine Rd, Apt 15 Fox Chase PA Spivey Lewis 5041 Rachel Dr. Nashville NC Stefanov Petar 9005 Bana Villa Ct. Tampa FL Steward William P.O. Box 2840 Grand Cayman CAYMAN ISL. KY Stuckenbruck Earl 1603 Woodridge Dr. Johnson City TN Teske Gordon PO Box 397 Beecher IL Todd Mathew PO Box 5024 Alvin TX Tolbert P. Bernard PO Box 5777 Takoma Park MD Trummer Bruce 1717 W. Cherry St. Marion IL Upton Timothy 3170 Nightingale Way Beavercreek OH Van Hoven Scott 1 Van Winkle Rd. Hudson NY Vance John 1112 W Main St. Apt I-4 Leesburg FL Weissman Kurt 25 Alberts Ave. Sicklerville NJ Wilson Harry 2519 Thrasher Rd. Buford GA Wilson Robert 301 N. Missouri Toledo IL Young Thomas 1501 Leffingwell NE Grand Rapids MI IF YOUR NAME IS NOT LISTED PLEASE CHECK THAT YOU HAVE PAID YOUR CURRENT DUES SEE MEMBERSHIP FORM ON THE BACK PAGE OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR FULL MEMBER CONTACT DETAILS MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 25

26 ADVERTISEMENTS Fast turnaround High quality Reasonably priced Mike Kurta, RPT 1349 Terrace Bluff Dr Traverse City MI KEYTOPS.NET Handcrafted by a veteran technician Personal service Home / shop (231) mkurta1@charter.net MPT Institute You can earn a Masters and a Doctorate in Piano Technology from the MPT Institute Estimated time to obtain the masters is 5 years and the doctorate may take up to 7 years. Credits toward the Masters and Doctorate degrees are earned by: TAX RETURN SERVICE My website offers the self-preparer the ability to both download forms and to file online through my website. For those that want their returns prepared & filed, that service is likewise available. If you just have questions about your return, I am willing to answer questions that you may have. You may call or text to John Gallen (860) Web site prep.1040.com/pianos pianos@1040.com THE RANDY POTTER SCHOOL OF PIANO TECHNOLOGY Home study programs for beginning students, associate members studying to upgrade to Registered Piano Technician and RPT's wanting to continue their education. Tuning, repairing, regulating, voicing, apprentice training, business practices. Top instructors and materials. Call or write for information: RANDY POTTER, RPT Orion Drive, Bend, OR (541) ) attending MPT conventions; 2) teaching classes at the conventions, and 3) writing articles for the MPT journal. Convention classes are divided up into 4 periods per day, and classes are offered for two days. The attendee earns ½ of a credit for each period attended for a total of 2 credits per day and 4 for attending the entire convention. In addition, if the attendee also teaches, he earns an additional credit for each class taught. So if the attendee attends the entire convention and teaches one class, 5 credits are earned. If he/she teaches two classes as well as attends all, 6 credits are earned, and so on. Writing one article for publication in the MPT Journal earns 1 credit. The article must be substantial and be on a subject that would benefit the candidate in his/her work. Masters degree requirements: 1) the candidate must accumulate 25 credits. 2) at least 1 of those credits must be earned by teaching a class at least one hour in length. If the candidate prefers, he/she may team teach, but then it must be at least a two hour class for 1 credit. More credits may be earned by teaching additional sessions if asked to do so by the Institute Director. Doctorate degree requirements: MPT JOURNAL SPRING 2014 PAGE 26