Brigham’s Piano Blog
Brigham’s latest video of a Hailun HU1P for sale.
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &Hailun Information &Piano Sales
We loved attending NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants Convention in Anaheim, CA) recently and captured these videos to share with our viewers. We went to NAMM seeking the latest and greatest in the piano world of music, but with nearly 100,000 musicians, suppliers and vendors in attendance, we got much more that we anticipated! The entertainment was constant and varied! Here are two very different samples we enjoyed, a Sunday morning gospel choir and a smokey rock concert.
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &Just For Fun... &NAMM
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Category : About Brigham &Brigham's Piano Blog
(These hammers are being reshaped to prep them for voicing… sent via Brigham’s cell phone camera during a recent job)
We often have clients come to our piano shop saying they want a bright piano or a warm and full sound. These are different tones that can be adjusted through voicing of a piano. This blog post will explain and answer the following questions that frequently arise about modifying a piano’s tone, or “voicing”.
- What is the difference between tuning and voicing?
- What is good tone?
- Does my piano need voicing?
- How does a technician voice a piano?
- Getting the most enjoyment from your piano.
Every piano has its own unique sound. One might be described as ‘glassy,’ another as ‘warm’. One might have a ‘full singing’ tone, and yet another sounds ‘thin.’ Although the original design establishes the basic character of your piano’s tone, your technician can modify it to better suit your taste or restore its original tone if it has deteriorated with age. The process of modifying a piano’s tone is called voicing.
What is the difference between tuning and voicing?
Tuning is the adjustment of the tension of all of your piano’s 220 (or more) strings to the correct pitch or frequency. This ensures that notes played in a musical interval (octaves, chords, etc.) will sound in harmony.
Voicing is the adjustment of a piano’s tone or quality of sound. Tone can be changed without affecting the pitch. For example, turning the bass or treble knobs on your stereo changes the tone but does not alter the notes the musician recorded. A skilled piano technician can voice a piano to change its tonal personality from mellow to bright or robust to delicate. The degree of change possible depends upon the piano’s design and condition.
What is good tone?
Tone varies, even among pianos of the same make and model. No matter what its size or cost, any good piano should provide a wide range of tone, from soft and sweet to loud and bright. The tone should be even from the lowest to the highest notes. Most of all, it should sound musical.
What does the perfect piano tone sound like? There is no single answer, because everyone’s taste varies. Also, certain tonal characteristics are more suited to specific styles of music. A bright, lively tone might be best for jazz, whereas you might prefer a rich and dark sound for Beethoven’s music. There are many different sizes and models of piano available in the market place; you chose your piano because it sounded good to you.
But a piano’s tone changes with use. As the hammers wear and compact, the tone often becomes too bright and harsh, robbing the pianist of the ability to produce a sweet sound. As parts wear, the regulation (adjustment of the mechanical parts that transmit motion from the fingers to the hammers) becomes uneven, and the pianist loses control over volume and tone. This is most noticeable in quiet playing. A delicate pianissimo passage becomes very difficult or impossible to play, and some keys may not sound at all if played very lightly.
Aging of the piano’s strings and structure also can diminish its tone.
Other factors that affect the sound you hear from your piano are:
- ROOM ACOUSTICS — Hard shiny surfaces such as windows and bare floors reflect high frequencies, making a piano sound bright and loud. High ceilings or large adjoining rooms add resonance. Rugs and upholstered furniture soften tone and add warmth.
- THE LID — Both grands and verticals sound louder and brighter if the lid is opened.
- YOU — Your ears are sensitive, and will perceive sound differently if you have spent all day in a quiet office or at a loud construction site.
Does my piano need voicing?
- Your piano may benefit from voicing if:
- Your piano sounds different than when you purchased it.
- You don’t like the sound even after it has been tuned.
- Tone varies radically from note to note.
- You cannot achieve a range of tone (mellow to bright) at different volumes.
- The piano has lost its ability to play softly.
Before deciding if a new piano needs voicing, make sure it is well-tuned and well-regulated. Then, play a wide variety of music on it. Most voicing procedures are long-lasting, so give yourself some time to explore the sound of a new instrument before deciding to change it.
How often voicing is needed depends upon the piano’s usage and its intended audience. Pianos in concert halls and recording studios often receive minor refinement of the voicing before each performance. A home piano may need some initial voicing to customize it to the owner’s taste, then once every one to five years to maintain its tone.
Your piano and your musical needs are unique — your own schedule for periodic voicing is a matter for you and your technician to decide. To find out how voicing might improve the tone of your piano, ask for a demonstration on one or two notes.
How does a technician voice a piano?
Before you or your technician can fully evaluate then tone of your piano, it must be well-tuned. Tuning is the first step in improving the sound of any piano and may actually provide the tone you desire. If the tone is still not satisfactory. Your technician will inspect the action, hammers and strings. If these components are severely worn, major repairs may be required before an improved tone is possible.
Moderately worn hammers can be re-shaped with sandpaper to remove string grooves and restore their original rounded shape. Next, the hammers are aligned to strike each string squarely.
Action regulation should be checked or adjusted. This ensures an even, powerful response from each key.
If tuning, hammer shaping and regulation are correct, the tone probably will be balanced but still may be too bright or mellow for your taste. If so, your technician might recommend voicing the hammers.
For a tone that is too loud, too bright or seems to die out too quickly, softening the hammers felt often is recommended. This is usually done by inserting needles into specific areas of the hammer to increase flexibility.
For a tone that is too weak or too mellow, hardening of the hammer felt may be necessary. This is usually done by filing away soft outer layers of hammer felt or by applying a chemical hardening solution.
Once the overall tone is correct, individual notes are voiced to make the tone as even as possible from one end of the keyboard to the other. In some pianos certain notes still may sound different from their neighbors, no matter how skillfully the technician voiced the piano. This most commonly occurs about an octave below middle C, where the strings change from steel wires wrapped with copper to plain steel. Such irregularities are a result of design compromises, and usually cannot be corrected by voicing.
Getting the most enjoyment from your piano
One of your piano’s most important assets is its tone. Properly voiced, your piano can offer you a rich palette of music expression, and inspire good practice habits in every member of your family. However, piano owners are not always aware that tone can be customized to their own tastes and room acoustics, and to correct for deterioration and age. If the only service your piano has received is tuning, the sound can likely be improved by voicing.
The preceding article is Technical Bulletin #4 published by the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. It is provided on the Internet as a resource to Registered Piano Technicians to provide the best service to piano owners.
© 1992 & 1994 The Piano Technicians Guild, Inc.
[ Visit the PTG Web Site ] [ Additional Bulletin Credits ]
Brigham is a Registered Piano Technician and member of the local and national PTG.
Category : Additional Services &Brigham On The Job &Brigham's Piano Blog &Voicing
Many of our clients contact Brigham for professional advice on how to select a new or used piano. He welcomes these calls and is always happy to offer his technical advice. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a professional opinion other than that of the commission paid salesman. Feel free to call Brigham if you are in the market for a piano, new or used, 801-830-0011. (whether you intend to buy from us or not, the advice is free! We realize that we don’t always have in our warehouse what you might be looking for)
In addition, here’s an article form the PTG with specific tips on buying a new piano.
Q. What is the first step towards purchasing a
piano for my family?
A. Purchasing a piano for your family can create a
lifetime of enjoyment and intellectual stimulation.
Before you spend money for either a new or used
piano, a little preparation is helpful so that you
purchase a piano that is appropriate for your needs
and will insure your family’s musical success. The
first step in choosing a piano involves (more…)
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &FAQ &Piano Sales
We are encouraging piano buyers to not take our word about how AMAZING Hailun pianos are… rather do your own research and see what EVERYONE is saying and raving about them. May we recommend www.pianoworld.com to begin your research. They are the leading forum for discussion on pianos on the internet. You can also google Hailun to find many positive blog posts. You may also want to visit the Hailun site to see their latest innovations and expanding factory tour, www.Hailun-Pianos.com.
Once you’ve done your on-line homework, you’ll want to come and play one! Brigham is the only Hailun Dealer in UT, so call him to schedule a private consultation at our piano warehouse in UT County. 801.830.0011.
You’ll notice he’s holding a piano action in the video above. This is a Hailun piano action model that was selected by the National Piano Technician’s Guild to be used as their official piano model for all piano technician’s to be tested on when taking their exams to become Registered Piano Technicians. That says something about Hailun’s quality don’t you think??? WE DO!! Our clients have really been liking the quality/price ratio! Yamaha/Kawai quality at a super low price for a brand new high performance instrument. Call Brigham to come and play one for yourself 801.830.0011!
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &Hailun Information &Piano Sales
There are of course many technical and financial reasons to visit our piano shop…. but one benefit you may not have known about are the free hot cookies! We have an Otis Spunkmeyer oven and it bakes warm cookies to perfection in just minutes. If Karmel is in the office… you are sure to get some warm cookies. So let us know when you are on your way and we’ll turn the oven on and get out the cookie dough!!
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &Just For Fun...
I really benefit from being a part of the local and national guild of Piano Technicians. Today I thought that I would highlight point 5 of the national Guild’s Code of Ethics, “I will strive to upgrade my professional skills and I will encourage and help others to do the same.” I really believe in this principle and do my best to act upon both ends of it.
I have several professional mentors who provide regular and ongoing training for me to further refine and perfect my skills as an artisan. As with so many other areas of life, I’ve found that the more my skills are developed, the more I realize the more there is to learn and perfect. Here is a photo of me with Jim, one of my mentors, at a recent PTG meeting where we team taught on regulation.
On the other side of the spectrum, I regularly open my shop and my schedule to aspiring technicians (more…)
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &Guild Meetings &Professional Training &PTG Code of Ethics
Here’s the short answer:
Every 3 months for musically sensitive: studios, professional musicians, etc.
Four times in the first year for a brand new piano.
Every 6 months for families with children in lessons or regularly played pianos.
Every year for maintaining a playable quality instrument.
Here’s a longer answer provided by the Piano Technician’s Guild.
Your piano is an investment in your future. It can bring you and your family a lifetime of music, adding immeasurable joy and beauty to your home. Since it is also such a large investment, it should be maintained with the utmost care. Regular servicing by a qualified technician will preserve your instrument and help you avoid costly repairs in the future. (more…)
Category : Brigham's Piano Blog &FAQ
Today Brigham got a call from a woman who’s mother had just died and she was beginning to clean out their home and figuring out what to do with all of their belongings. The old piano pictured above was one item that she needed to get rid of but wasn’t in any condition to be sold. So she called Brigham to see how much he would charge to remove it for her. She was thrilled to learn that he would come and take it for FREE (especially considering that it was down some stairs as well… that would normally cost extra for a professional moving service).
A win-win… now we have another piano project waiting in line in our warehouse and this nice lady is one step closer to getting her parent’s belongings taken care of at no charge to her.
Sooooo-if it’s not worth selling and you want to get rid of it: We’ll take it FOR FREE! I happen to know a very good technician who is an expert at resurrecting old pianos that seem fit only for a junkyard or spare parts. (well, to be honest a few really are good only for parts!)
Category : Brigham On The Job &Brigham's Piano Blog &Piano Sales &Restoration-Refurbishing-Rebuilding
