Piano Technicians Guild
WESTPAC - Western and Pacific Regional Conference
March 7-10, 2013
Hyatt Regency Downtown, Phoenix, AZ
Voicing Classes
NOTE: Click on an instructor's name to see a bio.
Treble Voicing, Themes in Action Regulating,
and the Usefulness of
Imagination
Eric Schandall, RPT
Eric
Schandall graduated from the North Bennet Street School in 1967. He worked
privately in Boston and California, starting work as a University Technician
in 1975 in Victoria, British Columbia. From 2001 to 2008 he worked as the Administrator
of Technical Training and Education at Steinway & Sons in New York City,
teaching the curriculum of the CF Theodore Steinway Technical Academy. In 2008
he moved to Oslo Norway to be with his family, working at the Norwegian Opera
and Ballet as Concert Technician, and freelance for the Steinway Dealership
in Norway. www.ericschandall.com
This class will offer a variety of techniques, discussions, and demonstrations of grand piano voicing in the treble, with some new ideas and approaches, demonstrating techniques as much as is practical in the class. Additionally we will discuss dynamic, in contrast with static action regulation, novel uses of transfer jig concepts, and the importance of imagination in our work and continued development.
Choosing Hammers
David Love, RPT
David
Love has lived and worked in the San Francisco area for nearly 35 years. His
business focusses on all aspects of piano rebuilding and servicing including
action and soundboard design and installation and concert work. His contributions
on various topics have been published in the PTJ and he is a frequent contributor
to the Pianotech Listserve. In 2011 he was invited by the AIARP (Associazione
Italiana Accordatori Riparatori Pianoforti) to their national convention in
Cavalese, Italy to lecture on piano rebuilding and restoration, theory and
practice.
With so many hammer choices how do we decide what is appropriate for the piano we have in front of us? What factors and criteria might impact our choice? We’ll explore these and other issues, sample various hammers and discuss how to be sure that the choice we make is the right one.
Voicing New Hammers: From Needles to Lacquer
David Love, RPT
David
Love has lived and worked in the San Francisco area for nearly 35 years. His
business focusses on all aspects of piano rebuilding and servicing including
action and soundboard design and installation and concert work. His contributions
on various topics have been published in the PTJ and he is a frequent contributor
to the Pianotech Listserve. In 2011 he was invited by the AIARP (Associazione
Italiana Accordatori Riparatori Pianoforti) to their national convention in
Cavalese, Italy to lecture on piano rebuilding and restoration, theory and
practice.
This class will explore and demonstrate basic voicing techniques for new hammers: needles and lacquer. We will discuss commonality between these seemingly disparate approaches that will help define our goals. We’ll discuss other methods such as Angel Shot Voicing and Compass Point voicing to see how they fit into the larger scheme.
Voicing the Renner Blue Point Hammer
Rick Baldassin, RPT and Michael Spreeman, RPT
Michael Spreeman, RPT, Klavierbauer
Michael
is the creator of Ravenscroft Pianos and founder of Spreeman Piano Innovations,
LLC. Experience includes: 35 years as a concert technician, rebuilder, service
technician, and instructor. He has also worked as a technical consultant for
Renner, Fazioli, Yamaha, Steinway, and Baldwin. Education includes: apprenticeship
with Jim Coleman Sr., specialized Fazioli concert technician training in Sacile,
Italy, concert technician and Disklavier training with Yamaha Corporation of
America, and music studies at Arizona State University. Michael teaches nationally
and internationally at PTG and BDK conferences. www.RavenscroftPianos.com
Rick Baldassin, RPT - Renner USA
Rick
received his education and piano technology training from Brigham Young University.
He is the author of the book On Pitch, which was recently re-published.
Rick served as the Tuning Editor for the Journal from 1987 to 1991.
His teaching has taken him to piano factories and conventions throughout the
United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Korea and Australia. Rick has served
as the Concert Technician for the Utah Symphony for over 20 years, and has
been the Teaching and Technical Consultant for Renner since 1989. He has been
trained in the concert and artist programs of Fazioli, Steinway and Yamaha,
and has been a consultant to the Falcone, Mason & Hamlin, and Pramberger
Piano Companies. Rick also serves as the Technical Support Director for Fazioli
in North America. He is a Member of Note, Jim Burton, and Hall of Fame award
winner. Rick and his wife Cindy currently operate Baldassin Pianos, a full-line
rebuilding and retail showroom located in Salt Lake City.
In this class, a full set of newly installed Renner Blue Point hammers will be voiced on a Ravenscroft piano. Rick and Michael will present an effective, easy to assimilate, step-by-step voicing procedure that is the culmination of nearly 70 years of combined education and experience in symphony and university concert work, piano restoration, consulting to manufacturers, and production. This new hammer allows the voicing to be achieved predictably in a very short amount of time. The class will conclude with a short performance on the Ravenscroft piano, allowing the class an opportunity to hear and evaluate the voicing. The Renner Blue Point hammer is a new product featuring the Weickert Special felt.
The "Weickert Special" Hammer Felt by Wurzen Co.
Jack Brand - Wurzen Felt Company
Jack
is a master felt maker in his own rite. His family owns three felt factories,
including the Wurzen Felt Co., Germany, formerly the legendary J.D Weickert
felt factory. This factory is the oldest felt making facility in the world.
The hammer felts and other felts are produced combining Jack's vast expertise
with original J.D. Weickert felt formulas passed on to him in 1992 when the
family purchased the plant in Wurzen. Jack's passion is making piano felts,
especially hammer top felt. He is the piano technician's best ally and is ever
trying to improve the product.
In the last 3 years the re-introduction of the Weickert Special hammer felt has been exciting news. For approx. 90 years, and until WWII, the J.D. Weickert Felt Co. of Germany produced the hammer felt of choice for Steinway and countless American & European piano makers. Experience why this legendary felt making method is unique. Master felt maker/owner Jack Brand takes us on a fascinating and historic journey of felt making from the 1800s to the present. From sheep to end product, you will learn volumes about the manufacture of piano hammer felt. Complete with slide show of the factory and the different steps necessary to make fine wool felt. Class members will receive a wide variety of complimentary samples to feel and compare. A must see event.