I was at a failed stadium in Arkansas once and there was this grand piano on the stage open to the elements and you could tell how it looked it was there in the open on the stage open to the elements and rain was tearing it up but I sat down and started playing it and I knew it was going to be hard with some keys permanently pressed down and did my best with it. Today I wonder how that piano is doing. qqqqq
Oh I see it now - the difference between the damper movement indicates that the keymechanism absorbs more energy; but still, the non-adjusted C also has the little pop and then fallback as it should. Actually I have played uprights which repeated faster than a Steinway Grand. The history of the piano is interesting, in early 1900 years piano key weight (the weight needed to get the key to go down) were less than now, and thus playing was lighter, but the instruments did not have so much volume (needed if you try to compete with a big orchestra!)
That's my experience with piano tuners in general. They love their work, they visit only people who really care for a very nice piece of equipment, they next to never work in poor conditions, they have a very quick (some hours) of work to achieve a visible (okay, rather audible) result and they next to always know more about the equipment than their customers, so they always have the feeling of competence and appreciation. All these are perfect reasons to be very VERY satisfied with your job which helps a lot to be a nice guy :)
You don't often hear Bach's Prelude in C maj. played without pedal but on a personal level, I recently discovered that, if played technically correct, it sounds nicer. It was great listening to it.
Sterling Nykamp practise with pedal and without pedal. How to pedal is also a skill which needs a different "touch" ,,,,for different pieces. Not just on - off.
@@cheshirecat111 You sound like a candidate to O.T. rather than E.T. I recently tuned for a Rhapsody in Blue Concerto and used O.T. where the 5ths had no beats. Both Orchestra (strings particularly) and Conductor were delighted. Piano= S&S 'D' I also tuned (many times) for LPO - and in a recording of Porgy (in London where the pedestrian crossing has fame from Beatles) the 'Jasbo Brown' on-stage piano I collaborated with the pianist to make that old piano sound dreadful - yet . . . at A=440. Simon Rattle's face was a delight . . .
The tuned one doesn’t have the sound resonate or bleed like the first. It seems that the second one is shorter and cleaner so that sounds don’t lag on.
Im a piano player too, and im so happy to listen to this tune, after the tuning session the sound of the piano become much more clearer. I absolutely love the piano after tuning 😁👌 and the way she played the piano is perfecto 🙈
I love that piece, it was my introduction to Bach. I could definitely hear a difference. The middle register was clearer and rung out more. The bass was bolder and clearer as well. I use the a pedal when I play this piece. My piano teachers best friend was a piano tuner and he used to come to my house every 2 or 3 months to fine tune my piano. Your 100% correct, piano tuners are indeed interesting people. The really good ones have all kinds of tricks to make your piano sound better. I enjoyed this blog very much Tiffany, keep them coming. 🎼🎶🎵
That's what I noticed. A lot of people don't play it with pedal because of the whole Bach and clavier thing, but I love it with pedal! Regardless it's beautiful and she does it justice.
Fahima Abawi I've seen you before, you're from this comment chain aren't you ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OFpYj0E-yb4.html&lc=z23kj5yy5lrfc5sjv04t1aokgm1mv3s0ja21t5qe4xczbk0h00410.1535188862919948
She has really good ears. Plus she has perfect pitch... Mine went so off (like a semitone? I only come to realize when my technician strike on the A tuning fork and play A4, poof, it's totally out of my mind why didn't I realize earlier o.O) before I call up my technician? And my mum didn't feel anything wrong with the out-of-tune and keep convincing me that it's still okay LMAO
For me (unfortunately), I hear zero difference. You folks who can distinguish a difference are truly blessed. I'm in my early 70s and had several head injuries as a child. Consequently, there is hearing loss in both ears with lifelong severe double tinnitus. Ironically, I've always been enamored listening to classical music. However, I can't help to wonder what it must sound like to hear the lovely nuances heard by those with gifted sound acuity. Thank you for sharing a lovely and informative video! Kind regards.
Bless you, sound acuity can be worked on deliberately, even for the brain damaged, and hearing impaired! You sound like you are actually a lovely person. I heard there was a cure for tinnitus now? I wonder if everyone, is an equal candidate?
In my school one of the 6th grade classrooms has an upright Piano which first of all is "tuned" almost a half step lower and also sounds like it hasn't been tuned at least since i was born... Literally a Piano Tuner's Nightmare
Actually most pianos of that vintage can be rebuilt with new dowels, felts, and the results can be fantastic if they were not subject to huge cycles of humidity and dry which cracks the soundboard. If the soundboard is in good shape, the remainder can be re-felted and tuned.
I feel the piano in my school has not been tuned for at least the last 35 years. You can't play one of the notes and every other note makes a horrible sound.
This guys knowledge and passion are impressive. Its very enjoyable to interface with people that are so warm and passionate and willing to share their knowledge with people.
To be perfectly honest, I did not notice the difference. But you are an artist demanding perfection. Of course you should tune your piano every six months or so. You are an incredible musician, far be it for me to judge. I trust your judgement. Keep playing and I'll keep listening!!!
It wasn’t TOO out of tune, more like the timbre was off. You could tell by how after adjusting, the melody was more richer and finer than the first which sounded thin and ache-y. If you get what I mean.
At Yamaha we tuners were regularly "invited" to tuning contest. Locked in soundproof cabins and a Japanese guy noted the timing with a stopwatch. Then he checked every of the 88 notes. It struck me he could enumerate every note without looking at the keys. I only know that a1 = #49 😄
This randomly showed up in my recommended but I’m so glad it did. Clicked on this expecting just to be able to say I can hear it which I could but what I didn’t expect was to be so delighted just to hear him talk about the piano. I love music so much and have sang choral and barbershop music for years now and you can just hear his passion for music as he talks about the piano. He reminds so much of my director from high school and his passion for music
wow, the difference is HUGE.. So soft but bright still with a bit of hardness....WONDERFUL! I've been tuning for 8 years now and i'm getting into regulation now..
Thank you to those who made a quick reference possible. I can't say that I hear much in the difference in the actual tuning of the piano, but I can hear a noticeable difference in the tonality. The notes on the lower end particularly sound clearer and not so muffled, and there is just the slightest but noticeable difference in the notes ringing out a little farther after being played. Nice to have someone there to teach a little bit more about what all is involved in tuning a piano, and it's not all just about pitches.
I love how you make this prelude flow in and out by varying the dynamic level, while keeping a mostly clockwork-like pacing. You make the piano sound like a jewelled music box. Very nice!
Great video! Keep in mind folks, I doubt Tiffany ever lets her piano get too far away from her. I am a very mediocre pianist with not much of an ear but I just had my piano tuned two weeks ago and I just happened to play this same Bach piece after the tuner was done and my wife and I were amazed at the difference. My piano was far more out of tune beforehand though...
Very nice, the way the tuner was explaining keydip, hammerblow and aftertouch to Tiffany. When I used to tune & regulate (yes, that's what the "Keys" come from in my handle), I would do that if I thought the customer was really showing interest in the process. Generally, the more dedication a player had to their playing, the more interest they had in the instrument.
Hey Tiffany, lovely video! About ¾ years back I graduated from the only piano technician school in the Netherlands and haven't been able to do much with my education since. Hearing your tuner explain these concepts, even though in a different language, was a delight. Thanks so much for this.
I'll have to get my piano back in tune very soon too... I definitely can tell a difference between your Piano before and after the tuning, especially when comparing the two recording side by side 😂
This was a great, great vlog! I have always enjoyed the times the piano tuner came to adjust the piano. Your performance before and after-to my ears after tuning, the tone was richer and fuller, and the legatos sounded more connected and not as short/abrupt as soon as the finger left the key. The sound is warmer and well-rounded. And, this is one of my most favorite Bach pieces that my brother plays; I’m going to learn it some time so I can enjoy it. I loved your performance. But, I’m always partial to your interpretation anyway. Well, that’s what I noticed anyway. This was very informative and I had fun. It was funny when you commented on his color coordination. I was impressed with his expertise and it is hard to find a really good piano tuner who is trained the traditional way. When he told you for whom he tuned in the past, that said it all. My new and current piano tuner apprenticed with a senior tuner and though he is good, he should be better after more years. But, he told me that sadly, this has become a lost art. Love Peanut. Peanut got an education, too! 😄
I’m not the most well versed in this area, but out of curiosity what do you mean? Can the feeling of the keys change after tuning? I can hear that there is a difference is sound but not in touch.
@@LegendTheAnonymous A difference in sound can also subjectively change the feeling of playing. In my experience, if the tuning is just right, it can feel like you have more control over the dynamics - and perhaps you actually do. It may be because of interference of the frequencies of the 3 strings when playing a note. Also when playing with pedal, the tuning will have an effect on the sympathetic resonance of the strings and may lead to better clarity. And this may also have an effect on the perceived dynamic depth.
the difference is screaming. Before it sounds like it have some sound effects, really awfull. after it just sound crisp, and inline, just correct! and i love the way Mr.Christopher speaks, he really passes the *feel* of what the thing is. really passionated!
No doubt, apparently, the strings are in tune after all. In addtion, the part where you record about the felt filing made the hammers softer to hit the strings which my ears don't really hurt by the hard-feeling sounding anymore. Good one.
Gosh...Bach blows my mind. It was a little difficult to hear the difference through my speakers but the sourness was gone after the tuning. You play like a real champ. Love these videos:)
Before the tuning, the striking of the hammers were too independent. After tuning the hammers had a distinctive blending of richness that made the strings resonate ever so slightly together, without that individual tinny distinctive sound. The attack of each string or note was softened and the decay was enhanced with more follow up resonance, giving it a richer fuller sound. A visual waveform of each note using an oscilloscope would make it easier to explain this resonating phenomenon.
I heard long ago that concert venues told Horowitz to bring his own piano next time because his special tuner wrecked the instrument for everyone else. It might be the wire brushing of the hammers that could not be undone without removal and gluing new felt. Big dollar repair to a concert grand.
Definitely could hear a difference. Before it sounded fine till after it was tuned. Then the before rendition sounded a little tinny. Much more rich sounding afterwards!!!!
This video is so lovely. The sound of the piano is even more beautiful after the tuning, wow it's just such a treat to listen to. Thank you for sharing this!!
the inner workings on piano's are soooooo interesting to me. I grab a really old piano someone was giving away and I've been Joyfully working on it ever since.
The only way I can describe the difference is that it sounds “correct” and clear. When things are slightly out of tune I feel a subtle tension and darkness. In my guitar playing I intentionally very slightly push certain notes during solos to make them a tiny bit sharp and give them more vibrancy. But that’s not appropriate in this style of music. For those interested in a technical description of the piano that’s mostly understandable by non-scientific people, Nicholas Giordano Sr.’s book “Physics of the Piano” is very interesting.
I recently watch a video which described the difference between the action of a grand piano versus the action of an upright, and I believe they described the "after touch". Fascinating information.
Hahaha so fun, my dad is a piano tuner and when you played I was like "you need to do brush those hammers, the felt is compressed"... years later and that shit is still in my ears.. :D
0:04 before 8:25 after The piano sounds more mellow after. As Chris, the technician explained, brushing the hammerheads is a temporary fix but works well on older pianos. Aside, I love when Tiff talks to the animals in Kantonese - I talk to my cat in Spanish 🙂 even after all those years in the U.S.
Can I tell when a piano is out of tune? Of course. It drives me crazy. I grew up in the '50s and '60s self-teaching on a junker upright that was a half step out of tune and in my early teens saved money for a tuning hammer and mutes, got a book from the library on how to tune a piano, and taught myself. My parents were not going to pay to have it tuned, or even pay for piano lessons for that matter. But even having a few strings a few vibrations out of tune kind of bothers me, to the degree that it is one thing which I like about digital pianos which are in other ways awful compared to a good acoustic piano. But, digital pianos are getting better, including ones that simulate/calculate cross vibration harmonics, escapement sounds, etc. Still, digital pianos have a long way to go, and are mostly not considered usable by serious pianists like yourself. However, I think if Mozart were alive today he would use digital instruments. I saved a lot of money over the years tuning my own piano but did find the work time-consuming and tedious. It is especially handy to own a tuning hammer if you have an older piano that has a few notes or strings which tend to go out of tune before others, so, spot-tuning. Although I saved money tuning myself, I still hired a tuner to do mechanical work or voicing because that was way beyond my abilities. Also, reasonably-priced digital tuners made for piano tuning made it much easier. And then I just got tired of not playing the piano but having it grin at me like a maniac, so I sold it to a friend.
The ES8 sounds great in videos, and very promising, what they say about the new action. I think I tried the much-acclaimed Kawai MP11 some years ago in a store, but although I like a heavy action, it was too sluggish. If I ever buy a full size keyboard I think I'll just get a weighted controller to save money. I'm old and cheap. I don't want to pay for built-in gewgaws like other instruments or even more than one piano sound, since I can do all that with software, like the Pianoteq piano VST, which is different because it's synthesized, not sampled.
Timzart7 - It sounds good in headphones too and when connected to good speakers (I have Bose). It boasts the sound of a Shigeru Kawai grand piano and let me tell you, those things sound gorgeous!! It also has a lot more touch response dynamics. I have a Roland Juno 88 I can definitely feel the extra dynamics. But you're right, these VST's are very good. I intend to get Keyscape for my travel keyboard (I'm a truck driver). Good luck :)
Now you know about aftertouch and saw the tuner work the felt on the hammers a bit, you will appreciate this story. Enigmatic pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (ABM) was to perform at Carnegie Hall. It has, I believe, some 6,500 seats and with that the hall is very large for a European. ABM knew a couple things so in preparation for the performance, he instructed the tuner to make the piano brighter. With all the people with their clothes, women maybe with fur coats, etc., he was afraid that the piano would sound dull for most people in the hall. The tuner worked the felt. ABM asked "brighter". This may have repeated a couple times. The day after the performance, a music reviewer of a leading newspaper (like NYT or WJ) wrote that ABM played beautifully but the piano was awfully bright. Or, it helps to know these tuning things.
That was neat with the tuner guy and all the technical explanations and stories. The stuff about aftertouch was particularly interesting, because I mostly remember learning about aftertouch with some MIDI keyboard controllers where you can re-emphasize a note, creating little crecsendos or vibrato after playing the note, which I remember seeing done with harpsichords too. Skipping from the start to the to the end section and back, the tuning and re-voicing definitely made for a cleaner sound.
Man, you’d think that at that cost, it’d stay perfectly in tune. I’m glad you have a professional talking about tuning in different seasons and exactly how it gets out of tune. and I enjoyed this video!👍🏻 tuning is the tedious part of a quality instrument. It’s like a luxury watch, if you will. My favorite instrument is my purple epiphone les Paul guitar. I have played a piano before though, I don’t own one.
What a great job ! Thats why he tunes voices regulates etc at the Met and I don't.. I don't hunch over like that to turn the capstans, I sit on a low stool. . He kept "harping" on about "after touch" He is SO "spot on. ! What a professional !
we’re getting our piano tuned for the first time and im so excited!! it used to be my grandma’s and she never had it tuned and we’ve had it for a while and now we’re FINALLY getting it tuned!! it sounds so horrible right now and i dont like playing it, so im really excited to have an in-tune piano
Love the part where he's talking about aftertouch As an up and coming piano technician, I've really learned to appreciate the aftertouch on pianos. It's one of the things that really sets real pianos aside from digital pianos. They don't have aftertouch, and I have a big fat callous on my left thumb to prove it until I can get room for a real piano.
Wow watching you play in the beginning really made me think of who I wanna become, im a beginner and honestly i cant stay on tempo for the life of me so watching that made me think you were like a superhero/robot 😂💗
I certainly did and enjoyed your wonderful personality as well as your playing. Your piano does sound really good. Best wishes and enjoy playing - You're worth it! Bye.❤
I wasn't as serious a performer, I wanted to compose and playing was a necessary evil for me, but I took a piano tuning class and found it was a great help to my composing but surprisingly also to playing. I recommend every serious piano player to learn at least a bit about it. I think knowledge of tuning is one of the differentiators that makes Krystian Zimerman's playing so amazing.
The thing with the brush is a good idea, gonnna try this. After some time you must increase the aftertouch AND the letoff, because of the hammerweaer and the compression of the roles. I prefer minimal aftertouch, as indicated in the Steinway manual. It feels harder, thats true, but improves the repetition. The most important thing for precise regulation is the letoff as near as possible to the strings. This allows you really soft playing.
I love this channel, I'm just an odd crossover from the sinix art community though so I don't know lots about music. But I really enjoyed learning all this stuff about pianos, pianists, and their technicians.
It kind of blows my mind how many pianist I've met do not know their instrument. I know there are a lot of parts that constitutes in building a piano. I say this in comparison to the wind or string players I've met who know their instruments very well. I was fortunate to have a semester of tuning lessons while finishing my piano performance degree. It really opened up a whole world of listening. And no, one does not need perfect pitch to know if a piano is tuned. Simply put you just listen to the beats from various intervals such as 4th and 5th.
I've got perfect pitch, and to be honest I didn't hear any (major) lack of intonation the first time you played it. But I could definitely hear the difference after it was tuned!
Verdi tuning? Don't know that one - For Verdi it should still be A=440 but to make it any different there would need to be adjustments in the 'bearings' like in Kellner &c.
