Well, I s'pose it'd be useful for somebody who's wiggling their finger on the key trying to give it vibrato or something... Not that they're hurting themselves or anything - it just looks stupid
I've just begun reading through [Abby Whiteside's] writings, and would like to hear others' opinions on her. I have to say I don't agree with most of what I've read so far. In fact some of it sounds downright crazy(to me anyway). That we pianists have no control over the quality of tone, is news to me.
now, try play the A note, with a very solid tonenow, whilst keeping the same dynamics, play the A note with a floating, empty and hollow tone.There.Hope it helps.
How would that be possible? Maybe you are deluding yourself.Get someone in the room with you. Have them blindfolded or looking the other way. Then, play a solid tone A, then play a hollow tone A. Then another hollow tone A. Etc, do it a couple of times.The blinded listener will write down if a tone is hollow or solid.Then after you have done 40 notes check to see if the person got more than 70% right.Maybe yoú'll succeed in using volume to trick the blinded listener into thinking a tone is supposed to be recognised as hollow or solid. But there are possible solutions to this.
David's league, let's give another round to this nonsense:Just like scientific knowledge at one time held as truth that the earth was flat, and that the earth was the center of the universe, your limited analysis very likely is leaving out the very variables that matter to the question of tone production. The empirical evidence is inescapable, and if you can't hear it, it surprises me you have any interest in the piano, as the enormous variety of color in piano playing is what makes it most beautiful to me.Examples of what I think this "one color only" analysis is ignoring are the effect of the mass applied to the key, and its effect on acceleration of the hammer. If you can't hear it, perhaps it would be worth getting very expensive equipment to measure the various partials arounsed one way or the other.Another example is the vibrating quality of the mechanism. It does make a great difference to hold the keys of a chord played with pedal, or to play the chord staccato and let is vibrate with the pedal only, or even to re-press the keys without sending the hammer back to the strings. Naturally the first step of the conversation is whether you accept this is true, for if you don't, I have nothing else to tell you than there is something perceivable that is escaping your perception, sorry. If you do accept the fact, though, then the question is how does your analysis account for these differences?Pianogeek and Invictuous are right on the money. If you have tried these experiments and remain entrenched in your belief that the piano sound has only but one variable, well, I have a volume of Ortman that you may like too.
Since there is no force acing on it except for that of friction and gravity (both of which pull it downwards) it is safe to say that on a grand the hammer should be deacclerating when it produces the tone.
(Ahem. Danny, I still expect an argument of yours to clarify your views on the aforementioned issue of the hammer accelerating/slowing down. You seem to consistently ignore the thesis, even though it (at least partially) disproves your argumentation. This is not nit-picking, I really want to see what you have to say about it.)
Well, my point is that this might -not- be all there is to it. The peg atop which the head of the hammer is perched flexes when it's thrown forward by the action, physically, it has to do it, albeit sleightly. The question is, whether it's significant enough... I -think- it could be. It would explain a lot of things.My reference for this claim would be https://members.aol.com/chang8828/techniqueIII.htm, section Tone: single vs. multiple notes.Of course I (e. g. he) might not be right.
A musical phrase can be played with different character and tone.A single note can be played with different volume.It's so simple...
Chang has already been disproved on other forums in which he was pointed out direct sources of evidence that the flex is absolutely minimal and by no mean enough.
Well, I'm intrigued. Link, please..? Or if you don't have the specific link, which forum(s)?
Danny, no confusion. Your understanding of this question is simply limited. I was referring you to Ortman precisely because his writing is the epithome of narrow thinking about piano playing.At teh same decibles (volume) different approaches to tone production will produce different sets of partials. It is a combination of tiny things, like hammer angle (which depends on shank flex) and time of contact, mostly governed by the axis of mass and speed of attack.
I hear it. What else matters?
Do you know what harmonics are? I'm curious to know if you're using the word you really want to use.
Pitchbending is only one of the virtually limitless abilities of keyboard technology