IINN TTUUNNEE!!

Newsletter of the Technicians Guild, San Francisco Chapter June 2009

Calendar of Events Chapter Meeting Minutes Rob Mitchell Chapter Meeting 7:30pm Tuesday, June 9 Chapter Secretary Note special second-Tuesday meeting date Music Exchange - 850 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, (near Eddy Street) (415) 552-0445 May Chapter Meeting (5/5/09)

6:30 pm : Music Exchange hosts dinner & The business meeting convened without a quorum (5 refreshments RPTs and 8 associates). Shan Yang has submitted his application for membership. 7:30 pm: PTG Business Meeting (including a review of proposed changes by the Bylaws Committee. The 4th Project Piano session will happen this You should have received a Journal Supplement Saturday May 9 at St. Anne's Church. The focus for in the mail – please bring it with you to the this month will be on repairing the bass bridge and meeting.) possible the soundboard. All SF members are invited to attend (even if you haven't been to past workshops). 8:30 pm: Ray Chandler / Bösendorfer [Ed – see later article.] The presentation will include a brief history of Larry reported from Margie Williams that we received a Bösendorfer - the world’s oldest and most thank you letter from the San Francisco Young Pianists revered piano maker- and its philosophy of piano Competition for our prize donations. This year's finals tone. Proper approaches to voicing and will occur on June 7 at Knuth Hall on the SF State work will be demonstrated. campus (confirm this if you plan to attend). We also make donations to the East Bay Music Foundation and There will be NO chapter meeting in July their finals are this Sunday at the Berkeley Piano Club (contact Douglas Braak if you would like to attend). Project Piano 10:00am Saturday, June 6 These will continue on the 2 nd Saturday of each Larry reported that he recently received several boxes month at St. Anne's Church – 850 Judah at of slides from the widow of Sheldon Smith, a longtime Funston – enter from Funston St. member of the SF chapter. These show past chapter continued on page 4 This month: re-bush the keys and finish up the bridge / soundboard repairs from last time. The Sounding Board Convention Advance Registration Deadine: June 6 Larry Lobel, RPT Registration fees for the Annual Convention in Chapter President Grand Rapids go up after this date.

An Outsider’s View of Us Back Issues of IN TUNE ! Immersed as we are in our job or training, we may not Back issues of In Tune! are available on the PTG realize, or forget how complicated our work is. When home website; sign on to - www.ptg.org , put your asked by customers to explain it, we may not always cursor In the left column on "About Us", then move do that well. In the article following from the Cyprus cursor to "Chapters & Regions" on the sub-menu, then Mail newspaper of May 20, 2007 the writer does a move cursor to "Chapter Newsletters Online" on sub- good job of explaining to the general public what we do menu, then click, scroll down page to "Western for a living, and also conveys why we love our Region" and "941 San Francisco" and click on that. occupation. It may help you realize how far you’ve Scroll down list of past issues and click to open any come, and help to better explain your work to others. newsletter you want. continued on page 2

SF PTG Newsletter IN TUNE ! 1

The Sounding Board - continued from page 1 The technician begins with one string in the middle of the piano where he can hear best, confirming the pitch

The art of with some type of tuning fork. He then sets about 12 notes (a chromatic scale) right in the same area. But, By Saskia Constantinou as each has three strings, he has to block off the outside strings of each key with a strip of felt so only Highly trained technicians for the most one string will sound at a time for each note. complex of instruments Having tuned the middle area, he can then work in MOST musicians tune the instruments they play on, both directions by listening to octaves and other and count the ability as one of the normal and essential intervals with the notes already set. The final step is to skills of their art. In fact, with some instruments, such pull out the strip of felt and tune the two outside strings as strings and trombone, the initial tuning is only part of of each note to the middle one. It sounds so easy, yet it the story, as every note is itself an act of tuning. takes years of training.

This is not the case in keyboard instruments though, It is often thought that that the piano tuner must have where the whole process of tuning must be completed 'perfect pitch' in order to make the tone adjustments. before a note is played. The process is complicated, However, they rather listen to tone, a technique not only because of the number of notes, but also acquired through training and experience. because the relationship between the 12 notes of the scale is far from straightforward. Performers on A career in piano tuning and technology is unique and antique instruments, such as and can be very rewarding. You can be your own boss, and , usually do their own tuning, but piano with a solid education can work in concert halls, players hardly ever tune their own instruments. colleges and universities, recording studios, retail shops and many other exciting settings. The This is because of the complexity of the task. First, requirements for students are generally good health there are so many strings to tune, with a modern piano and stamina with some mechanical aptitude. Although having over 200 strings. Secondly, setting the first 'perfect pitch' is not necessary, musical aptitude and octave on any demands the interest is essential, as is normal hearing. As in any detection and adjustment of a complicated series of profession, certain personal qualities are important, fine distinctions of sounds. The unique acoustical including tonal recognition, the ability to make properties of a piano make even the tuning of octaves judgments, physical strength and dexterity, and self- a complex affair. Thirdly, the strings are set to so high discipline. In order to have a good clientele base, a a tension, that the technique of adjusting them with the tuner will need to have a pleasant personality and tuning lever requires special skill. sense of responsibility to his customers. There are many courses all over the world, and as it is So, the piano-tuner or technician's work is possibly one an unregulated trade, many countries have their own of the most misunderstood of professions and although Piano Technicians Guild or Associations with entrance technique is used as a tool, it is in fact an art to be able exams to ensure high technical service and ethical to tune. conduct in the profession. Most courses are full-time and take two years to complete, covering piano design, The tone of a piano is complex, with the final character tuning theory, repair and general piano technology on of the piano given by the tuner. This is a result of years both upright and grand , with a high proportion of experience and intimate practical knowledge of the of the course dedicated to hands-on practical work. inner acoustics of piano tone. The production of tone The association of Registered Piano Technicians has a and intonation of a piano is different to that of a one-hour written test with two tuning and technical violinist. For string players, it is controlled by the tests that take approximately four hours each. player; for the piano, a great deal of responsibility falls  on the tuner.

The piano is probably the most complex of musical Stay Up To Date With In Tune! instruments with over 5000 working parts in the action and the combined tension on its strings approximately E-mail addresses have a way of changing frequently. 15-20 tons! The tuning pins therefore have to be set When such changes occur, please send them to us at very tightly in a strong wooden block with a special mailto:[email protected] so we can update your wrench to turn them up or down. information. It is important that we be able to reach you. Thanks!

SF PTG Newsletter IN TUNE ! 2

and board together, and also level out the multiple San Francisco Project Piano cracks and restore a fairly flat and continuous soundboard. This worked very well, so we removed Larry Lobel the screws & washers, forced glue into the cracks from above and below, then re-installed the screws and The 4 th session of the chapter's Project Piano group washers to serve as clamps. We cleaned up the glue took place on Saturday May 9 th at St. Anne's Church in squeeze-out, and will leave the clamps in place until San Francisco. Photos of the session can be viewed the next session so the glue can thoroughly dry. at: The success of the day was largely due to everyone's share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QaMWLVq3csWEF energy and enthusiasm. We couldn't have accomplished what we did without Douglas and Click the button that says "play slideshow" and keep Frank's expertise and guidance in doing major your cursor away from the bottom of the screen, so you structural repairs like this, augmented by everyone can view photo captions. else's suggestions and contributions to the large (photos courtesy of Zhiwei Huang and Larry Lobel) quantity of tools and equipment needed for the work. Everyone got to try their hand at the various Most of our usual group returned, including Douglas tasks. There's no doubt we all left the session better Braak, Craig Browning, Frank French, Dave Gordon, equipped to deal with problems like these if we Zhiwei Huang, Larry Lobel, Brenda Meng, Rob encounter them on customer's pianos. Mitchell, Richard Neiss, and Shan Yang. The session was extremely productive and we accomplished a remarkable amount in a mere 3 hours:

As a test, we rolled & twisted a couple of bass strings and noticed a marked improvement in the tone. This will be done to all the bass strings after the other repairs are complete.

Then we removed and stored the bass dampers; detached all the bass strings from their hitch pins and set them aside. We examined the bass bridge, and found that what had appeared to be a separation between the bridge and the apron was actually just a crack in the apron. But nothing was loose, and there wasn't enough separation to get any glue in, so we decided not to make any repair there. We would only address the top of the bridge.

We removed all the bass bridge pins; sanded & scraped the top of the bridge; then painted the bridge top with System 3 epoxy, which will consolidate the hairline cracks, and left it to dry until the next session, when we will re-graphite the bridge, install new pins and re-install the strings.

After that we examined the damage to the soundboard and strategized a repair plan. We briefly speculated on how the unusual damage to this board occurred; maybe when the piano was on its side during a move? Whatever it was, something punched up through the center of the board, leaving segments of soundboard at several different heights. Preparing the soundboard repair

Holes were drilled from underneath through the ribs The next Project Piano session will be Saturday, June and board, then screws with big 1" fender washers 13 th ; mark your calendar now! were inserted from the top, first without glue, to see if we would get a good repair that would bring the ribs 

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Chapter Meeting Minutes - continued from page 1

meetings, presentations and technical seminars. Larry

is asking for assistance from those who remember

Sheldon in sorting through the slides.

Treasurer's Report - $17,809 on account after receiving our annual dues disbursement from HQ.

Secretary's Report - no news

Next month we will tentatively have a presentation by Ray Chandler of Bösendorfer. There will be no chapter meeting in July.

Mark Schecter relayed the news of John Granholm's

serious accident that has been reported on the

pianotech news site. To assist John financially, there

is an initiative for those who are able to donate the

income from one tuning a month.

Technical Questions

From John Callahan: Had a pianist request an unusual damper regulation where the bass dampers would lift slightly earlier than the rest of the piano and drop last. The pianist claimed this was a technique used by the most refined players. Others at the meeting had heard of such a regulation but no one had ever done one. Consensus was that this would cause serious problems during "regular" play and suggested that the pianist slide a piece of paper or thin cardboard under the bass damper lift to create the effect. Following our efforts to bed the keybed for the project piano, Zhiwei reported two instances where he found key bedding problems. In both cases, a knocking sound was heard in the upper octaves. And in both cases, the glide bolts had been adjusted so far down that the keybed pin was bent. He was able to correct the bedding and fix the pin by rotating it to a good position. Power was significantly improved in both cases, showing the importance of good bedding.

Our Technical Session was led by Frank French, who shared his thoughts on temperaments and aural tuning. Frank discussed the importance of understanding the meaning of the ratios in the different interval checks we use. Many thanks to our host John Callahan for the refreshments and use of his facilities. 

Extra Tools? Remember to hang on to extra or unwanted tools for a future Tool Swap benefitting the SF PTG chapter. (Date TBD)

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For over 28 years offering the finest new and used pianos. New Yamaha, Fazioli, and Bechstein pianos. Fine used pianos from the Treasurer world's great makers, specializing in vintage Steinways. We stock Douglas Braak (415) 255-4737 the largest selection of fine used grand pianos in Northern California [email protected] As many SF chapter members know, we have worked for years with PTG members and their customers to provide the finest instruments at the most reasonable prices. Chapter Librarian Mark Skowronek, RPT (415) 864-4688 Current used inventory includes: Hamburg Steinway B 1908 - We have just completed an exhaustive [email protected] restoration including polished ebony finish, Stanwood system action and brand new ivory keys. This piano is in perfect condition. It has the beautiful clear sound which is unique to the German built Secretary, Webmaster & Newsletter Steinways and the perfectly balanced action makes it a joy to play.

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Used Yamaha grands: currently have second hand GH1, C1, C3, IN TUNE ! is a monthly publication of the Piano and C7 models in stock. Recent models, at very reasonable prices. Technicians Guild - San Francisco Chapter. It is Not gray market! distributed free of charge via e-mail or in paper for $15/year to non-members without e-mail. Plus dozens more including Steinway, Baldwin, Chickering, Knabe, Bechstein, Yamaha, Kawai, and others. E-mail addresses have a way of changing frequently. For more information please visit our website When such changes occur, please send them to us at www.piedmontpiano.com or e mail: [email protected] mailto:[email protected] so we can stay up to date. It is important that we be able to reach you.    Thanks! J.S. Bach, "The Well-Tempered Clavier 48 Preludes and Fugues" Deadline for newsletter submissions is 12 DAYS played in Thomas Young's Well-Temperament of 1799 by Frank before the first Tuesday of the coming month. The French. newsletter will usually be distributed 10 days before For the first time the Well-Tempered Clavier can be heard in the the upcoming Chapter Meeting. explicitly-stated, 18th Century well temperament that allows the characteristic of each major and minor key to emerge as intended Chapter website: www.ptg.org/chapters/sanfrancisco during the time of the composer. A subtle but certain difference is Send suggestions, literary contributions, or apparent when this music is played in this authentic tuning.

advertisements to the secretary or webmaster. This four-CD set contains more than four hours of music with liner notes on the history and development of tuning keyboard Disclaimer: All expressions of opinion and all instruments by Owen Jorgensen with French, Spanish and German statements of supposed fact are published on the language texts. This production, more than two years in the making, authority of the author as listed, and are not to be was expertly recorded using a Boesendorfer 225 concert piano. regarded as expressing the view of the Chapter or the Price $49.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Order your copy of Piano Technicians Guild, Inc., unless such statements this historic recording by check or money order from or opinions have been adopted by the Chapter or the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. Frank French P.O Box 225202 San Francisco CA, 94122

continued on last page

SF PTG Newsletter IN TUNE ! 5

Classified Ads - continued

or by Master or Visa Card by calling 415-731-8611. Available on-line at www.cdbaby.com or www.frankfrench.info   

Want To Buy Wanted: Concert grand in any condition for a professional pianist. Must have potential to be a concert venue instrument at a reasonable price. Christopher Ris 415 454-9009.

Piano Technicians Guild – SF Chapter c/o Rob Mitchell 17 Perego Terrace #8 San Francisco, CA 94131

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