Bob Carver technology at guitar pickups

glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:

   ...

> There have been statements that some pianists have extra
> ability as far as the keys, that is, more than just how
> hard the key is pressed but maybe how smoothly is is pressed.
> Since when the hammer hits the string it has been released from
> the rest of the mechanism, the important variable is the velocity
> when it hits the string.  ...

Some pianists will tell you that they can change the sound of a passage 
by clenching their teeth while playing. You can change what you hear 
that way, but not the sound you make. Vladimir Horowitz is my authority 
on this subject. He said, "There is such a thing as pianistic touch, but 
it cannot be demonstrated with one note."

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:04:03 -0400, Jerry Avins <jya@ieee.org> wrote:

>glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:
>
>   ...
>
>> There have been statements that some pianists have extra
>> ability as far as the keys, that is, more than just how
>> hard the key is pressed but maybe how smoothly is is pressed.
>> Since when the hammer hits the string it has been released from
>> the rest of the mechanism, the important variable is the velocity
>> when it hits the string.  ...
>
>Some pianists will tell you that they can change the sound of a passage 
>by clenching their teeth while playing. You can change what you hear 
>that way, but not the sound you make. Vladimir Horowitz is my authority 
>on this subject. He said, "There is such a thing as pianistic touch, but 
>it cannot be demonstrated with one note."
>
>Jerry

Absolutely.   A lot of the subtleties in playing between a "good"
player and a "fantastic" virtuoso is in timing differences.  You can
put a score into a MIDI box and get it played perfectly, but if you
really want it to have a soul you get somebody who knows how to put
the soul into it.

Eric Jacobsen
Minister of Algorithms
Abineau Communications
http://www.ericjacobsen.org