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Well folks...what a fantastic 4 days we have had here. We were not able to get to any ET on the M&H due to equipment problems and some minor piano issues which took up a lot of time.... although we did record the Yamaha Disklavier, which is ET.

First of all, I want to thank Bill for his generosity in offering to fly out here and to work on my piano. I have never heard my piano sound better..it is truly a magical experience to hear it now....the timbre, resonance, and overall tone of the piano is above and beyond anything I have ever heard. Bill re-worked his original tuning and it is now even better. My thanks also to Patrick Wingren (pppat) and Gregg Punswick for their great contributions. It was great to meet Patrick and put a face to a name. My thanks also to Randy Cox, the rebuilder of my piano...what a genius he is with the Ampico. Everyone there had something to contribute in their appropriate fields. Thanks!!!

Now on to the music.....Every time a piece was played, I sat there in awe of the sound coming from the piano. Here is a sampling of some of the first music we recorded. We ended up with a LOT of recorded music....more music to come!

Patrick set up my 2 Rode NT5 mics (cardioid) in a new configuration I was not aware of.....much better than what I had been doing.:)


To begin with, here is the theme from Dvorak's New World Symphony,"Going Home" played in several keys by Patrick Wingren. I have left some of the talking on the recordings....'unplugged' as they say on MTV.

1."Going Home" played by Patrick Wingren in EBVT III http://www.box.net/shared/hhneejfcyv

2."Going Home" played by Patric Wingren in EBVT III http://www.box.net/shared/6449gepa5i

3."Going Home" played by Patrick Wingren in EBVT III http://www.box.net/shared/kcvk0dhf2p


Here is Gregg Punswick playing "Music Box Dancer", first recorded on the Yamaha Disklavier, then played back on the LX in C Major, then in C# Major.

1. "Music Box Dancer" played by Gregg Punswick in EBVT III (C Major) http://www.box.net/shared/431pbvuepu

2. "Music Box Dancer" played by Gregg Punswick in EBVT III (C# Major) http://www.box.net/shared/6sljlde8up

Here is a very short file of Patrick improvising on the M&H BB...you can hear all of us in the background, and Patrick exclaiming: "I can play all through the night" which he just about did... http://www.box.net/shared/uhmv9g5dvh


To add to the above, I recorded this Clair de Lune last night...after Bill had refreshed the tuning for the last time that morning. It's interesting to note....Bill really had to kick my piano in the you-know-what in that 5th-6th octave to get some stability going...it took the full 4 days to finally get those sections to stabilize to some degree.

Clair de Lune p/b Bob Ralston http://www.box.net/shared/lbusnc0tif



Stay tuned for more music.......:)

Hi GP and Happy 4th!

I loved both versions of MBD:

The C-Major version was very sweet sounding. I heard it more as a composition, if that makes sense.

The C-sharp version sounded more like an actual music box... More mechanical and articulated.

Since this was a mechanical reproduction of the performance, the profound differences (profound at least to me) can only be ascribed to the temperament.

This also answered some questions I had about EBVT III. For instance, I wondered if the pipe organ effect in C-Major would appear and how it would affect the sound of the pedaled C-Major chords during an actual performance. Obviously, it was not an issue. This is one reason I requested MBD.

I also happen to like Music Box Dancer

Thanks again!
-Joe

Hi Joe,

Thanks for chiming in, and happy 4th to you! I forgot to add the "Pipe Organ Effect" recording we did with Bill doing the honors. It was the very first thing we recorded.

I should point out that at the end of the 4 days, Bill had adjusted the last 5-6 bass notes and added some hardener to the last 7 or 8 notes of the treble section. Those two procedures added to the pipe organ effect, but we forgot to record them. So, what you are hearing below does not include those 2 adjustments.

Pipe Organ Effect M&H RBB, 6/2/2010 http://www.box.net/shared/9tjgokp3a9

Grandpianoman, the recordings sound wonderful, as usual, but I do notice a kind of added dimension or 'space' to the recording.

Could you describe the new configuration? I'd love to know how it was arranged and test it out with my Rode mics.

I actually wish there were a way to arrange your recordings in automatic playlists, like is possible on Youtube. They're absolutely worth listening to for pleasure. (I see that I can download them - is there maybe a kind of 'master folder' where all the titles are listed?)

Hi charleslang, I think I can answer that. The added dimension comes from recording at 3-4 ft from the piano, with a NOS stereo standard (two cardioid mics, at a 90 degree angle, 12" between the capsules.

NOS is a classic stereo standard developed by the Dutch National Radio. I really like it, as it gives a remarkably accurate stereo picture. If you listen through headphones, sometimes you could swear that you what you hear comes from close around you, not from the mics

Since a picture says more than a thousand words... GPM - did you happen to take any pictures of the way the mics were set up? If so, could you post them here?

Patrick,, GPM, Bill, et. al~

Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing the most excellent recordings.

Glen

Inlanding...you're welcome! It was a great experience...meeting everyone, and hearing how incredible Bill's EBVT III transformed my piano to another level, yet again. The bass is more sonorous and resonant now, it literally sounds like a 9ft Grand. This did not happen until Bill flattened the last 5-6 bass notes lower...the treble which sparkles with such a clarity and beauty now, was also stretched even more than the last time....with both of those changes, the whole piano opened up even more.

Here is a short example of this...I asked Patrick to improvise some low and high notes, and here is the result:

Patrick improvising on the M&H RBB 6/2/2010 http://www.box.net/shared/8y3bq0c13a
WAV file 30MB (worth it to hear some pristine sound) http://www.box.net/shared/ej8ulodif3

Charles, unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the mic config. I do however know how to position them...and will re-position them and take a picture for you. The position of the mics made quite a difference. Also, Bill's tuning EBVT III made my piano sound more resonant, with more beauty of tone and sustain than I have ever heard. Bill also worked with Ari's hammers, smoothing out the grooves and adding some plexiglass/acetone solution to the top 7-8 hammers in the treble.

I can arrange this whole Tune-a-Thon recording session in one folder and give you/everyone the link....will take some time to do that, but will do it!

More music to come!

Thank you - with your information I was able to find a diagram of the NOS microphone arrangement online. However, the relation to the piano is not in the diagram, so it will still be great to see a picture. It sounds gorgeous!

Hi Charles,

Great.....Patrick gave me a wonderful tip for positioning the mics in this NOS config.....listen with your ears...in other words, position your head facing the piano, and move around until YOU hear the best sound, balance etc....then you place the mics in that spot with the NOS configuration...that's exactly what Patrick did.

To put this tuning/stretch into some perspective, here are some of the values for the low bass and high treble from the first EBVT III tuning Bill did for me back in Feb,2010

Treble
F7 29.5
F#7 28.5
G7 39.0
G#7 33.0
A7 40.0
A#7 44.0
B7 44.0
C8 50.0

BASS
A0 -23.0
A#0 -20.0
B0 -20.5
C1 -17.5
C#1 -18.0
D1 -7.5
D# -4.0
E -4.0



Now here are the same notes with the updated tuning a few days ago.

Treble
F7 37.0
F#7 37.5
G7 44.0
G#7 46.0
A7 54.0
A#7 54.0
B7 56.5
C8 76.5


Bass
A0 -26.5
A#0 -35.5
B0 -25.0
C1 -27.0
C#1 -24.5
D1 -17.0
D#1 -8.0
E1 -12.0


You can see how different the 2 tunings are....the end result is that the piano sounds so much more resonant, especially in the bass, however, the whole piano now has an even more rich, warm and a full vibrant sound, and the treble has a clean, clear and sweet sound.

I think that the combination of all these factors, the M&H BB, the Isaac bass strings and hammers, the Wapin, and Bill's EBVT III, have come together to produce this incredible sound...but it's the EBVT III that is really putting the icing on the cake so to speak. Bravo Bill!

Hmmm, the last note seems to beat at over 3bps. I have no musical objection here, a nice vibrato, but would this not be considered to be grossly out of tune in other contexts?

Kees

Hi Kees,

Sorry we missed you over the weekend....perhaps another time!

It's funny...I perceive that last chord/note as a pleasant type of "resonance" as opposed to an out of tune sound. It must be the musician in me as opposed to the tuner side. Maybe it's due to the extra stretch in the bass and treble that contributes to that type of sound.

Hey, Kees!

Well, you know I'm not a tuner... And, I do trust you, and have to believe you about the 3bps thing!... But, can you please elucidate? I'm not sure what you mean about "grossly out of tune in other contexts." Do you mean, "to ET ears?"

After listening to the MP3, and then reading GP's comment, I downloaded the .wav file and listened several times. What I hear is what I've come to know as classic EBVT III! In other words, there is an energy to the sound that is very pleasing. Whenever I hear EBVT III, I feel like I've just gotten new glasses, and I can see clearly again--there are no scratches on the lenses and everything is in focus again.

GP, Patrick--what key was this in? Do you remember? And BTW, nice improv, Patrick!

Thanks!
--Andy

Excellent work, Patrick. Sounds like you are having a great time playing, no question!

Glen

Andy, if I may on Patrick's behalf, the intro is in F, but the piece settles down into E flat.

Given that this key is practically identical in EBVT and ET, i.e. that the M3 is, for all intents and purposes, the same size in both, I would venture that in this case you are enthusing more about Bill's mindless octaves than the actual temperament.

Kees, between which notes do you hear that beat? I hear it only after the low Eb in the bass is struck, i.e. between Eb1 and G3.

Thank you, Mark, for the key(s)!

Here's an honest question from a clueless person (that would be me...)--aren't the mindless octaves an extension of the temperament? In other words, don't the mindless octaves simply carry the setting of the temperament to completion?

I know I enthuse a lot , but I really like the sound of the tuning, however it gets done!

Thanks!
--Andy

Yes. I'm sure the last note will sound the similar in ET. The vibrato effect is cute as I said before, but 1/4' MT would really shine here (just on the last note). Or you could tune that low note up to make a perfect 2oct+3d just for this piece.

Kees

As I go through the recordings we made, I am struck by the purity of sound coming from the piano....surely a combination of EBVT III, Ari's excellent bass strings and hammers, the Wapin bridge mod, and the M&H BB design all come together beautifully. There is something to be said about keeping the original sound board if it's still good. This has been the case for this 1925 piano.

I should have tomorrow, some early music played by Gregg Punswick, recorded on the Disklavier in ET, then on the LX in EBVT III.

Here is Patrick playing a beautiful improvisation on the M&H. It sounds so good, it could be on a Windam Hill piano album. Very sensitive playing Patrick, and a beautiful composition! This is a great example of what EBVT III is about. Listen through a pair of headphones, and you will be transported.

All these recordings so far are in their raw state, no processing of any kind has been used!.

http://www.box.net/shared/afkxg3yln2

This is an interesting sound....Patrick proposed that he play 4 diminished chords, then transposing them at the end of each chord....the result in EBVT III is quite beautiful and very revealing at the same time.

I forgot to mention....that's Patrick speaking at the beginning of 1.


1. http://www.box.net/shared/5dhsvufjge

2. http://www.box.net/shared/9gh67aqris

Those chords sound good with that tuning.....or that tuning sounds good with those chords....or, it creates a BIG sound.