Piano Technicians Guild
WESTPAC - Western and Pacific Regional Conference
February 27-March 2, 2014
Sofitel Hotel, Redwood City, CA
Rebuilding, Action Work, Modification, and Design Classes
NOTE: Click on an instructor's name to see a bio.
All About Hammers
Melanie Brooks and Norbert Abel
Norbert Abel
Norbert
Abel has been working in the hammer making business for more than 25 years.
He learned his skills for making hammers from his father Helmut. Besides his
daily work in production, Norbert is responsible for the commercial part of
the Abel Hammer Company. In the past 15 years, Norbert has taught at more than
50 seminars in the United States, Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe. Norbert's
goal is to steadily improve the felt material and hammer production process.
From 2003 to 2006, he was largely involved in a felt research project sponsored
by the European community. The first goal of this research was to find out
the status of the felt quality from different manufacturers. The second goal
was to develop a high quality felt material. This felt is now used in the hammer
production of the Abel Hammer Company under the name Abel Natural Felt.
Melanie Brooks - Brooks LTD
Melanie
is a third generation PTG member. After obtaining a BA degree in Economics
and Business and working in the corporate arena for nearly a decade, she returned
to Brooks LTD a family owned piano parts business in 1995, focusing on
marketing and technical services. In 2009 she purchased Brooks LTD,
carrying into a second generation a close collaboration with technicians and
rebuilders providing innovative and specialized products.
Take a microscopic tour into the depths of a piano hammer. Learn about the making of felt, the process of manufacturing piano hammers and what’s different about Natural Felt. We will discuss how to control weight and touch through hammer selection and information needed for boring hammers. You will also learn grand hammer hanging on old and new shanks and flanges as well as using pre-hung hammers.
Analyzing the Not-So-Grand Action
Nick Gravagne, RPT
Nick
Gravagne has been a prolific writer for the Piano Technicians Journal, as well
as a frequent teacher at P.T.G. National and State Conventions, and many regional
seminars and technicals nationwide. A technician since 1973, and an RPT since
1975, much of Nick's business currently revolves around rebuilding and soundboard
manufacture for the trade, and is active in concert prep and maintenance of
fine grand pianos. Nick has also served as the Technical Service Manager for
Kawai America Pianos. His credentials and awards include a BA from William
Paterson University, an AST in Mechanical Engineering, and the PTG Member of
Note Award. Nick most recently received the Hall of Fame Award at the Annual
Convention in Seattle.
A typical scenario is this: you are called in because the action doesn't feel right. Or, perhaps, an action has been restored by a tech in another city and the customer isn't really happy with it. The complaint is vague; "it just doesn't feel smooth to me", or "it's too hard to play". Well, what is an objective approach to analyzing an action in the field? The tech must begin by eliminating the possible problem items in an orderly and efficient way.
This class will offer a checklist of procedures for evaluation (along with required tools and measuring devices), followed by suggestions as to what needs to be done to correct the problem(s). For fun the attendees will tear into a few action models in order to get a feel for the process.
Nick has become known for his imaginative PowerPoint and in-class demos, so you don’t want to miss this informative class. As a special bonus attendees will receive a comprehensive online and interactive handout.
Burning& Traveling - What's the Difference?
Joel Rappaport
Joel
worked for over five years in the piano factories of Bechstein in Berlin and
Boesendorfer in Vienna, covering all facets of production. He attended
the School for Piano Builders in Ludwigsburg, Germany, graduated with honors,
and passed the State Examinations for the Master Piano Builders Diploma. He
has had technical training with Steinway personnel in New York, Hamburg, and
London as well as specialized training on Shigeru pianos at the Kawai factory
in Japan. Other experience is as the Chief Piano Technician at Tanglewood
(summer home of the Boston Symphony), extensive rebuilding in his own shop,
concert services at Van Cliburn Competitions and for numerous symphony orchestras.
Confused? These operations are used in spacing and alignment of the hammers to the strings. Methods of how and why this work affects regulation and voicing will be discussed and demonstrated. Techniques and standards of good shank/flange prep and hammer gluing will also be covered, since these make "Burning & Traveling" easier.
Drill 'Em and Fill 'Em
Ever feel like you are just "plugging" along in the shop and not getting where you want to go fast enough? Well, this class is for you! Whenever you drill a hole in a piano you usually have to put something into it - right? Areas of interest include: Pinblocks, tuning pins, action holes, bushings, damper guide rails, hole in keys for weighing off the keys and much more. You can't buy or sell holes; you have to make them.
Priscilla Rappaport, RPT
Priscilla
Rappaport likes anything with strings and pegs. As the saying does: "If
it has tires or tuning pins, you are bound to have trouble with it." She
also likes bikes and airplanes. Her specialty is rebuilding wrecked instruments
that have had a bad life in the past, creating a fine musical instrument using
conventional woodworking basics. She attended the trade school in Ludwigsburg,
Germany and has a diploma in piano construction from the Handswerskammer in
Stuttgart, Germany.
Getting the Hang of Hanging Hammers
Richard Davenport, RPT
Richard Davenport, RPT, is a concert technician, formerly
a Technical Service Consultant for 24 years with Yamaha. He received advanced
training at Yamaha's concert grand factory in Japan and, more recently, at
the Fazioli factory in Italy. Since 1980, he has serviced pianos for 20th Century
Fox Studios as well as installing a new soundboard, action and pinblock in
their 1928 Steinway D. He regularly teaches PTG chapter seminars, regional
and national convention classes. Richard is a recipient of the PTG 2008 Hall
of Fame Award.
The class deals with details and techniques involved in grand hammer replacement. We prepare an estimate. We examine the hanging process. Action ratio, touch weight, and weigh-off will play a major role. If you want to replace grand hammers, find out what you’re up against. You may change your mind!
Grand Action Rebuilding
Kathy Smith, RPT and David Vanderlip, RPT
Kathy Smith, RPT
David
Vanderlip and Kathy Smith are a husband-and-wife team with a varied business
in Southern California. They have both been in the piano tech business for
over 30 years. They work with schools, concert halls and private clients, and
have a small rebuilding shop at their home in Anaheim. They are both active
with the local exam board, giving tuning and technical exams to six chapters.
They have both been teaching, together and separately, at local chapter meetings
and regional and national conventions, for 20 years.
David Vanderlip, RPT
David
Vanderlip and Kathy Smith are a husband-and-wife team with a varied business
in Southern California. They have both been in the piano tech business for
over 30 years. They work with schools, concert halls and private clients, and
have a small rebuilding shop at their home in Anaheim. They are both active
with the local exam board, giving tuning and technical exams to six chapters.
They have both been teaching, together and separately, at local chapter meetings
and regional and national conventions, for 20 years.
Rebuild a grand action, starting with thorough key frame work, including key bushing, polishing pins and capstans, backcheck work and much more. Then emphasizing efficiency, we cover parts prep, installation, alignment and regulation. Other great classes describe parts selection and geometry - this class takes it forward from there, for a quick, accurate way to get a stable action working at its best, with many slides of tools, jigs and techniques.
Installation of the Full-Fitted Pinblock
Christian Bolduc
Christian
Bolduc is a technician specialized in soundboards and pinblocks (belly man).
Christian is a cabinet and furniture expert. He studied cabinet making at
the Ecole du Meuble de Victoriaville and spent one year at the Schimmel factory
in Braunschweig, Germany studying piano structure and design. He is a constant
searcher for new ideas and methods to make your rebuilding projects easier.
Christian is the factory manager at Pianos Bolduc.
Christian shows how to replace a full-fitted grand pinblock from A to Z: How to take necessary references before removing the plate, the use of the Plate-Puller, removing the pinblock using the Bolduc’s pinblock extractor, fit the new block to the plate, drilling it, glue and dowel in the case. Many tips and tricks to simplify the work. DVD of the class will be available for purchase.
Natural Felt
Norbert Abel and Alexander Abel
Alexander Abel
Alexander Abel is the third generation to produce hammerheads in the Abel
Hammer Company. His career started 6.5 years ago with a one year apprenticeship
as a carpenter followed 3.5 years apprenticing as a piano technician in several
workshops and a piano manufacturer in Germany. The last 2 years he studied
at the Ludwigsburg school for piano technology in Germany to finish his apprenticeship
as a German Klavierbaumeister. Beside his own piano business Alexander is also
working in the Abel
Hammer Company focused on improving the automation of the
hammer making process.
Norbert Abel
Norbert
Abel has been working in the hammer making business for more than 25 years.
He learned his skills for making hammers from his father Helmut. Besides his
daily work in production, Norbert is responsible for the commercial part of
the Abel Hammer Company. In the past 15 years, Norbert has taught at more than
50 seminars in the United States, Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe. Norbert's
goal is to steadily improve the felt material and hammer production process.
From 2003 to 2006, he was largely involved in a felt research project sponsored
by the European community. The first goal of this research was to find out
the status of the felt quality from different manufacturers. The second goal
was to develop a high quality felt material. This felt is now used in the hammer
production of the Abel Hammer Company under the name Abel Natural Felt.
Technicians are often confused and unsure when it comes to hammer selection when action rebuilding. Are all Abel Hammers the same? Are the hammers I get from one supplier the same as another? What makes them different? What components effect the end outcome of a piano hammer? What exactly is NATURAL FELT and how is it different from the other hammers on the market? 30 years of quality hammer making allows the ABEL HAMMER COMPANY to offer a full service for all technicians and hammers in soft, medium or hard densities - according to your particular preferences. Get a true sense of the construction of a piano hammer with live video tours of felt production and hammer making.
New Touch Tools
PitchLock Inc. continues to develop tools and techniques that improve both piano performance and service. In addition to our popular TOUCHRAIL, we'll see how the new DIALaPRESS, TOUCHSCALE and FELT KEY PLUGS (as seen in our recent PTG journal ads) can make touch weight adjustment more accurate and profitable.
Scott Jones, RPT - Touchrail
Scott
Jones began his career as a piano technician in 1984, after receiving a BM
degree in music composition from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
From 1989 to 2001, he was employed by Steinway & Sons, New York, where
he held positions as concert technician, technical seminar instructor and product
development technician. From 2001 to present, he developed the PitchLock string
coupler and TouchRail systems. Scott has authored 6 U.S. patents in the field
of Piano Technology, most recently receiving a patent for the TouchRail concept.
Practical Touch: Grand Touch Optimization for the Rest of Us
Mario Igrec
Mario
Igrec,
a native of Croatia, taught piano technology and served as piano technician
during his eight-year tenure at Louisiana State University. As an independent
concert technician and master rebuilder, he has serviced and rebuilt many pianos
in southern Louisiana, and has worked for Richard Goode, Jon Kimura Parker,
Garrick Ohlsson, and other renowned pianists. Himself an award-winning pianist,
with a Master of Music degree from SUNY Stony Brook, he brings to the field
a unique perspective that bridges piano technology and pianism.
Playability of grand piano actions is a complex subject that intimidates many technicians, and that they haven't pursued because they perceive it s either too complex or prohibitively time consuming. In this class, the author of a recently published book "Pianos Inside Out," Mario Igrec assesses the importance and practical value of each playability-improvement technique, from reducing friction and adjusting touchweight to modifying action leverage and controlling inertia, allowing you to realistically prioritize your action and touch work for maximum impact within a given budget. Mario offers alternate methods for measuring friction, weights, and forces without the need to dismantle action parts. For example, you will learn to: estimate the hammer strike weight before the hammers are drilled and shaped, or after they are installed, without removing the shanks from the rail; predict the key front weight based on the "lead factor"; measure front weight without removing the action and keys; adjust wippen assist springs before or after the wippens are installed. Whether you are starting with brand new parts or analyzing a completely assembled action, these time-saving techniques will allow you to improve the outcome of your work without adding significant time--and cost--to your projects.
Practical Touchweight Analysis
Melanie Brooks - Brooks LTD
Melanie
is a third generation PTG member. After obtaining a BA degree in Economics
and Business and working in the corporate arena for nearly a decade, she returned
to Brooks LTD a family owned piano parts business in 1995, focusing on
marketing and technical services. In 2009 she purchased Brooks LTD,
carrying into a second generation a close collaboration with technicians and
rebuilders providing innovative and specialized products.
This class provides a practical approach to touch weight and its use in grand hammer and action parts replacement. This class will prepare you with the proper technical knowledge of weight measurements and parts selection and their effects on tone and touch and leave you with a straightforward procedure for use on your next grand piano action rebuild. We will also discuss using pre-hung hammers.
Recapping the Vertical Bass Bridge Without Removing the Plate
Christian Bolduc
Christian
Bolduc is a technician specialized in soundboards and pinblocks (belly man).
Christian is a cabinet and furniture expert. He studied cabinet making at
the Ecole du Meuble de Victoriaville and spent one year at the Schimmel factory
in Braunschweig, Germany studying piano structure and design. He is a constant
searcher for new ideas and methods to make your rebuilding projects easier.
Christian is the factory manager at Pianos Bolduc.
Learn an easy way to replace split bridge caps on uprights without using epoxy or other glues to fix bridge pin problems. This class will also cover how to build a jig over the plate to remove the old cap and glue on the new one. This technique can also be applied to grand pianos.
Shank Deflection
Wessell, Nickel & Gross
Bruce Clark and Mark Burgett, RPT
Bruce Clark
Bruce
grew up working in the shop at his father’s piano store in Kansas. After
college, he began his associations with several manufacturers including Falcone
and the Mason & Hamlin division of the Aeolian American Corp. Today he
is a senior Design Engineer at Mason & Hamlin and Wessell, Nickel & Gross. Bruce
was the lead design engineer on the new Mason & Hamlin AA-64, B-54 and
CC-94, and also for the Wessell, Nickel & Gross Composite Action project. Most
recently, he has achieved a WN&G solution for the old uprights that need
new actions.
Mark Burgett, RPT
Mark
Burgett started his career in the piano business in 1981 with his brothers
Gary and Kirk under the tutoring of Paul Magee in the Sacramento Chapter. In
1988 when PianoDisc was established, Mark was active in training technicians
in installation, technical support and development and testing of new product.
In 2007 when the company started development of the composite action parts
under the name of Wessell, Nickel and Gross, Mark took an active part of educating,
marketing and quality control this revolutionary product.
Do we really benefit from a whipping shank? In this class we will demonstrate a wide variation on the strength of wooden shanks, and how this directly affects tonal quality, clarity and transfer of energy.
Soundboard by Design
Dale Erwin, RPT
Dale is a second-generation piano technician. His father, Harold, received training
from the venerable William Braid White in 1950. Belonging to a deeply musical
family prepared Dale for a career in custom piano restoration and rebuilding.
His wife Trix and son Dennis work together with Dale at the family business,
Erwin's Piano Restorations in Modesto, California.
Although he started out as a field technician for his dad's Yamaha franchise, his passion for creating his own sound and touch took him out of the field and into the shop full time. His 35-year journey has been one of incredible discovery, high enthusiasm and rich experience -- both personal and musical -- and a steep, constant learning curve, in pursuit of what he terms the "golden piano tone".
His newest ventures are building soundboard panels and pinblocks for the trade, as well as being a Ronsen sales & technical rep. His trademark soundboard design, the "variable radius" soundboard, has been displayed and heard at conventions since the early1990s, including Rochester 2006 and Anaheim 2008.
Have you ever wondered why some pianos make music magical and inspirational while others seem to be just noise? What gives each piano its unique voice? What are the dynamic forces responsible for tone in our beloved pianos?
This class is about pushing the envelope tonally and exploring questions that swirl around the subject of piano soundboards. What materials are used, why does a soundboard fail, and what is rib design all about? How are soundboard crown and down-bearing related, and how much crown is enough? Why is this important?
Methods to set down bearing, practical soundboard diagnostics, and analysis and construction techniques will all be discussed as we explore this amazing device, critical to our craft. Gaining control over this subject brings confidence and deep personal satisfaction allowing us to serve our clients more knowledgeably, ethically and professionally.
Take a visual journey from the forest to the piano. Dale provides custom made soundboards & material to the trade. He produces all there own wood products in house including soundboard panels, pinblocks, rib stock and bridge cap material.