Worldwide

Technical Reference Guide

Tuning and Voicing

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TUNING ............................................................................................................................. 3
CONCERT TUNING TECHNIQUES FROM HAMBURG ............................................... 5
VOICING TECHNIQUES .................................................................................................. 8
STICK FILING .................................................................................................................... 9
STRIP FILING .................................................................................................................. 10
FITTING HAMMERS TO THE STRINGS ...................................................................... 11
LEVELING STRINGS ....................................................................................................... 12
TESTING FOR POWER .................................................................................................. 13
LACQUER APPLICATION ............................................................................................. 13
VOICING FOR ATTACK AND NOTES ON ACETONE/KEYTOP SOLUTION.......... 15
FINAL VOICING THROUGH NEEDLING .................................................................... 16
CHECKING THE UNA CORDA VOICING ................................................................... 17
OTHER VOICING SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................ 18
ALTERNATE REGULATION OF HAMMER SPACING............................................... 19
HAMBURG VOICING TECHNIQUES ........................................................................... 22
NOTES ON BOSTON AND ESSEX PIANOS.................................................................. 26

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TUNING

Background: Solid tuning is essential. Although there are numerous temperaments, Steinway
maintains the A440 to A220 temperament. In order to achieve a solid tuning it is important that the
technician consistently use forte test blows with each strike of the key. Make sure the tuning
hammer turns the tuning pin within the wrestplank and that the tuning pin is at rest and stable
before moving on.

Steinway & Sons stresses the importance of aural tuning. Developing piano tone is a mechanical and
musical art. Solid aural tuning exercises and develops the musical ear, giving the technician a
greater ability to master the methods used in tone building.

Hints: All 4ths are wide from perfect intervals.

All 5ths are slightly narrow from perfect intervals.
All Major 3rds are wide from perfect intervals.
All Major 6ths are wide from perfect intervals.
Major 3rds and Major 6ths should accelerate when moving chromatically up the scale, and
decelerate when moving down the scale.

Step 1. Temperament Tuning

A) Tune A440 to A440 fork.

B) Tune A440 down to A220. (wide octave interval)

C) Tune A220 up to E. (narrow 5th interval)

D) Tune E down to B. (wide 4th interval)

E) Tune B up to F#. (narrow 5th interval)

Check M6th, A to F#.

F) Tune F# down to C#. (wide 4th interval)

Check M3rd, A to C# < M6th, A to F#.

G) Tune C# up to G#. (narrow 5th interval)

Check M6th, A to F# < M6th, B to G#.
Check following intervals for even and consistently
faster speed progression: M3rd, A to C# < M6th, A to
F# < M6th, B to G# < M3rd, E to G#.

H) Tune G# down to D#. (wide 4th interval)

Check M3rd, A to C# < M3rd, B to D#.

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 I) Tune D# down to A#. (wide 4th interval)

J) Tune A# up to F. (narrow 5th interval)

Check M3rd, A to C# < M3rd, C# to F < M3rd, F
to A.

K) Tune F down to C (wide 4th interval)

Check M3rd, C to E < M3rd, C# to F.
Check M6th, B to G# < M6th, C to A.

L) Tune C up to G. (narrow 5th interval)

Check M6th, A to F# < M6th, A# to G < M6th, B to
G# < M6th, C to A.
Check for fit in relation to previously tuned M3rds.

M) Tune G down to D. (wide 4th interval)

Check for fit in relation to previously tuned M3rds
and M6ths.

N) Check D up to A. (narrow 5th interval)

Check all M3rds and all M6ths.
Check all 4ths.
Check all 5ths.

Step 2. Octave Tuning

NOTE: All octaves should be stretched to some degree. In the treble, stretch the octaves
favoring progressively faster intervals of 10ths and 17ths, while keeping the 5ths
virtually beatless.

It should be noted that the ear generally tends to prefer hearing the treble sharp, and the
bass flat.

Hint: To illustrate this point, try this easy exercise:

Play a major chord in the tenor area of the piano to give a mid-range sound. Without
using the aid of interval tests, tune consecutive octave notes using only the initial
mid-range chord as an aural guide. After completing all the octaves in the scale,
compare your memory tuning to interval tests. You will most likely observe the
tendency to tune sharp.

Strive to balance between the tendencies for more aurally correct treble and bass
settings and their relation to interval tests.

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 Concert Tuning Techniques from Hamburg
Preparation for Tuning

Check strings for discoloration/corrosion and clean with a pad (like Scotch-Brite or steel wool) or
light benzene in order to minimize the occurrence of false beats.

Check strings at bridge pins and carefully tap down if necessary (also to minimize the occurrence of
false beats). Strings could also be slightly stretched with the use of a small wooden stick for the
same purpose, however this action should never be carried out shortly before the concert starts, but
only hours/days before, because the string will become somewhat restless and unstable in pitch.

Check the pitch of the instrument. If it is more than 1 Hz different from the desired pitch you
should decide to do two tunings: the first one to the necessary pitch very quickly and if time allows
the second one later after some rest time. If no rest time is available, then this fine tuning must of
course be done at once.

If you don’t know the instrument and have to tune it for the first time, it is advisable to carry out
two tunings in order to move and settle the tuning pins according to your technique and achieve a
good tuning stability! The instrument might have been tuned with a different technique before so
that one tuning alone as a matter of course won’t always work, but rather destabilize the tuning pins
and strings.

Tuning Technique

The tuning lever should sit at approximately 2 o’clock on the tuning pin, or near as possible to
parallel with the strings. If it were at a position parallel to the pinblock like approximately
3 o’clock, the tuning pin would rather be bent towards the tuner with the disadvantage that the
tension of the string would later pull the tuning pin back into its position of equilibrium with the
string going out of tune.

The lever should sit tightly on the tuning pin and is not supposed to have any side play. This
ensures that the movement of the tuning pin can be felt much better and the best force/leverage
transmission is guaranteed.

The pins should always be turned/rotated in the holes, and not bent, in order to prevent the pins
from bending back later and the strings going out of tune.

The pins should only be moved as little as possible! Even if the pitch is far under, the string should
only be tuned slightly above the desired pitch and then down to pitch! Moving and thus stretching
the strings a lot will destabilize the tuning.

It is necessary and advisable to use a strong stroke/touch in forte/fortissimo! Good listening

starts with mezzo forte anyway and through the use of force the string will best glide over all
contact/friction points like agraffes, V-bar, bridges, and duplex scale! By doing this all string tension

5
in the various areas will be equal, which guarantees a stable tuning. Using pianissimo strokes will
likely lead into different tensions in the string sections, which will even out themselves
automatically later, but leaving the string out of tune. As pianists will use fortissimo, the tuning
should be carried out under a similar force as well.

Warning: Loud tuning can damage your ears; reasonable ear protection which lowers decibels is
available and should therefore be considered an appropriate protection for your health!

The hard stroke should only be used shortly before reaching the desired pitch, and not if the
frequency is still far away! By keeping this in mind you don’t have to use loud strokes all the
time, which prevents one from getting tired early.

The same force should be used for all strings in a unison, in order to stabilize the strings evenly.

The Tuning

After adjusting pitch and doing the temperament including the relevant unisons, it is advisable first
to do the octaves down to the end of the middle section and up to the last treble note. Always tune
the unisons right away (and not only just one octave string), because a completed unison will serve
as a defined reference tone for the next octave and as a control tone for thirds, fourths, fifths and
sixths! Single strings could go out of tune during the progress of the tuning and would serve as a
wrong reference, and the tuner would recognize this only later when the work is almost done.

The bass of the instrument can be tuned in the end; however, it wouldn’t do any harm if it were
tuned earlier after the middle section, because one should not expect large bass bridge movements
and hence strings going out of tune again in other areas because of this.

It is advisable to stretch octaves in the treble, which accommodates the hearing of human beings.
Additionally, in large concert halls the stretching compensates for the sound delay caused by air
movement and listeners will have the impression of perfect octaves.

Tuning Tests

Middle and treble sections should be tested with octaves/double-octaves, tenths and double-tenths.

The bass should be controlled with tenths/double-tenths. Additionally, fifths and thirds serve well
for testing, as the intervals can be heard easily in this area.

From bass to treble the “rolling” of tenths/double-tenths should be getting evenly faster (treble) or
slower (bass).

With various chords it should be tested to hear whether the sound “stands”; a wrong tuning will
make the sound unstable.

By using forte blows the tuning stability of unisons can be tested.

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General Hints:

The third string in a unison should always be tuned without a felt mute (without dampening any
string) in order to hear all strings together and be able to define a perfect unison!

In big halls and under noisy circumstances when hearing the instrument is difficult, using the
protective cover of the instrument could serve to improve hearing while tuning. Just simply put
the cover on the piano and open the top lid to its highest position. The cover will still hang over
the rim mostly and will keep the sound like in a cave—much better to hear than without!

Felt mutes are preferred in contrast to rubber mutes, because they dampen better and will not
move out of the strings while using forte blows. (Rubber glides out.) Rubber mutes can give
irritating sounds, too.

For the middle section, a long, thick and firm felt strip can be used to dampen the left and
right strings of each unison. Always lift the dampers prior to installing the mute strip to prevent
tearing the damper felts.

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VOICING TECHNIQUES

This section will address the proper voicing techniques for New York Steinway, Hamburg
Steinway, Boston and Essex pianos.

Background: Voicing of the piano is one of the most demanding skills for a technician to develop.
Although voicing is not measurable, every instrument should be balanced and melodic, and have
variety of color. Various power ranges should be available to the musician throughout the
keyboard, blending through the bass, middle and treble scales.

It is important that the technician become familiar with the needs of the musician and be able to
make assessments in determining what characteristics each individual piano exhibits. Each piano
will have a different range in color and power. Bringing the piano to its peak, without going over
the edge normally produces the best results.

Adhering to the following procedures will be helpful; however, both experience and a conservative
approach is necessary in achieving good results.

Before beginning to voice the hammer, the instrument must be well in tune, the action must be free
from friction, well regulated, and the keyboard must be properly eased.

Steinway New York Hammers

Step 1. File hammers—Generally, the Steinway hammer should have a relatively narrow
shoulder, uniform symmetry with a narrowed and slightly pointed strike point. It is
very important to file the hammer so that the crown is straight and horizontal.
Filing also alters the regulation of the action, therefore all points of action regulation
should be checked and adjusted as necessary.

hammer shapes for Grands (all models)

bass tenor middle treble upper treble

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Stick filing—The hammers manufactured by Steinway New York require very little filing to
achieve the prescribed shape. Hammer sets are meticulously sanded and shaped in
our Action Department prior to shipping.

Start with 120-grit sandpaper and carefully ensure that hammers have a 90-degree
level at the top as shown in the photo below. This will help contribute to optimum
hammer/string fit on the two- and three-string unison notes. It is not necessary or
recommended to remove substantial layers of felt. It is best to perform this step on
hammers individually.

The surface of the hammers should be

even and at 90 degrees to the sides of
the hammers. This will help contribute
to optimum hammer/string fit on the
two- and three-string unison notes.

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Strip filing—After this initial filing is performed, the hammers should be smoothed, or cleaned, by
gang-sanding the hammers in groups of three with a finer sandpaper—220 or 320
grit works well for this. Use a narrow strip when shaping the angled hammers so
the shoulders remain perpendicular to the hammer molding. Heavy pressure on the
hammers is not necessary for this step.

The strip is used by pulling it with one hand while the other hand applies pressure
on the area of the hammer which needs shaping. Take extreme caution in
preventing the crown or strike point in becoming rounded, which will result in a
poor hammer fit to the string. This is particularly important on the last hammer in
each section due to lack of an adjacent hammer that maintains the evenly sanded
surface.

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Step 2. Fitting Hammers to the Strings

Background: Fitting the hammers to the strings is important in developing a clear, bell-like tone.
The hammer must strike the individual strings of each note uniformly. Improper hammer fitting
will result in unclear, distorted tones while at the same time reducing the overall power.

A) Block individual hammers to strings—With your finger, apply upward pressure on the fly
tender. As the tender is pressed against the let-off button, the hammer will block against
the strings. Let-off must be correctly set for this procedure to work properly. Hammers can
also be lifted with a hook under the shank but care must be taken to lift straight up and
without excessive pressure against the strings.

hammer hammer

middle string too low middle string corrected

B) Test hammer for fit—With the damper off the string and while the hammer is blocked (use
sostenuto pedal), pluck each string to check for any “open” ones. If there is an open string,
determine if the string needs to be leveled or if the hammer’s strike point needs to be filed.
If the hammer has been correctly filed, the strings will most likely need to be leveled.

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C) Level strings if necessary—Using a string hook, level the bichords or trichords by pulling up
those strings which are the lowest. This must be done without creating kinks in the wire.
This leveling will allow the hammer to contact those strings which were not previously
muted, or blocked, by the hammer. Retune the string and recheck for hammer fit. Repeat
as necessary until all strings within the note are fully “blocked” when the hammer is lifted.

Using a string hook, raise the lower

string(s) of the trichord or bichord notes
without kinking the strings.

D) Correct unleveled hammers—If the strings are level, correct any open string condition by
making note which portion of the hammer strike point needs to be reduced in height. File
the hammer strike point, re-leveling it to fit the strings. Remember to maintain the overall
shape of the hammer without widening the crucial strike point of the hammer.

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Step 3. Test Piano for Power

Background: Building power—In order to achieve this goal one must understand that the
New York–style Steinway hammer is somewhat softer than the common hard-pressed hammer
when removed from the hammer press. Adding reinforcing solutions into the hammer has been a
documented procedure that dates as far back as the 1880s when the first “hammer reinforcement”
was added to the Steinway hammer. In 1880, the reinforcement was hot animal-hide glue. In
the late 1890s and through the 1920s, shellac was used. Since 1930 the common agent has been
clear lacquer.

HOW: With hard test blows—play notes within each section of the piano. Determine
if more power is needed. Choose the weak regions in the scale and mark the
keyboard where hardening solution should be applied.

Check for correct strike point of hammers—Shift the keyboard inward, and
outward (changing the strike point) while playing notes. Aurally, determine the
desired placement of keyboard and make adjustments on the brass key block plates
if necessary. If the keyboard is relocated, recheck position of the sostenuto rod.

Step 4. Application of Lacquer

Since a combination of lacquer and lacquer thinner is mainly used both in the Steinway New York
factory and in field service we will be discussing the application of lacquer. Steinway & Sons New
York hammers are designed to use lacquer as a stiffening agent, the time-tested method by which
Steinway–New York tone is built. As power is built with the application of lacquer, so is noise, i.e. a
disproportionate distribution of energy to the upper partials. The reduction of noise is accomplished
with very careful leveling of strings and mating of hammers to strings. Then, listening to individual
strings and using a single needle precisely at the point of contact with that string, you will retain the
power of the note and reduce noise.

The comment would often arise from our communication with you, the technicians who service
Steinway pianos, that it would be convenient to have our hammer sets pre-lacquered prior to
shipping to you. Your input has been taken to heart and all New York Steinway hammers are
shipped with the first application of lacquer performed in the factory. This pre-lacquering process
was introduced in our factory during the first quarter of 2006.

This first application procedure we perform in manufacturing is a saturation of the hammer felt
followed by an appropriate drying time. This first total application is crucial to successful voicing
since elimination of this vital procedure can result in less-than-optimum results in both power and
tone. This additional process now helps to ensure that (1) this most-important application utilizes
Steinway factory-proven lacquer as the foundation for building tone, (2) you can achieve final
voicing results faster now since the required overnight drying time for you has been eliminated
from your process, and (3) the hammers retain their prescribed shape better in the manufacturing
process resulting in even more time saving for you by minimizing your hammer-shaping time.

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With the introduction of this factory lacquering, we remind you that it is important to install and
listen to the new hammers in the piano prior to any lacquering once the hammers are installed in
the piano. This is particularly important for those of you who were accustomed to lacquering of the
hammers prior to installing in the piano. You may even find that when installing hammers on
certain pianos, the need for additional lacquer may not be required.

Once installed, we suggest a first filing of the new set of hammers, fitting them to the strings and
listening before deciding on the amount of additional lacquer to be added. For many home uses,
additional lacquer applications may only be necessary in the high tenor and treble as the hammers
are much nearer to an ideal firmness out of the box. However, if the attack tone is sufficient but
lacks power, apply the lacquer at the shoulders only. (See photo below.) Please note that we use
and recommend water-white nitrocellulose lacquer. Steinway & Sons Parts Department has
available the pre-mixed voicing solution (Part No. 007726). The solution is mixed in a 4:1 ratio of
lacquer thinner to lacquer and is the same solution that we use in the factory and in our field
service. This is available in single-quart quantities and can be applied to the hammers without any
further mixing with thinner.

One final note on lacquer ... The percentage of solids content in the lacquer is the basis by which
we determine the mix of lacquer thinner to lacquer. It is the solids content in the lacquer that
remains in the felt to build the desired tone. The traditional amount of solids in the lacquer used for
voicing New York Steinway hammers is approximately 12%, thus requiring a mix with 3–4 parts of
lacquer thinner (note: acetone works as a viable alternative thinner). Therefore, if you have locally
purchased a nitrocellulose lacquer with 25% solids, you would alter your lacquer-thinner / lacquer
ratio to 8:1, thus re-establishing the correct amount of lacquer solids that would remain in the
hammers as the tone-building agent. With this in mind, it is easy to calculate the proper ratios of
lacquer-thinner / lacquer mix based on the solids content of the lacquer you are applying.

second lacquer application

for power and attack

Applying lacquer to the shoulders

will help to provide more power to
the tone of the instrument.

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Voicing for Attack Tone—Notes on Acetone/Keytop Application

Acetone and keytop solution is a commonly used mixture for increasing the brightness of the tone
of piano hammers. Most frequently, this is applied at the strike point to increase the presence of the
attack tone. However, our current preference is to use lacquer thinner and lacquer for this instead
of the acetone/keytop solution. (The previously discussed 4:1 lacquer thinner to lacquer mix works
fine for this.) We find that the resulting increase in presence is less strident while still gaining the
desired brightness. Of course, some needling may still be required to “tame” the increased
brightness. Single needling on the strike point is often the most effective technique for this.

One commonly perceived benefit of the acetone/keytop solution is the short drying time before
hearing the final result of the application. While lacquer/thinner takes longer to dry, if only a few
drops are applied as shown in the photo below, hammers can be voice-able within 20–30 minutes of
application with discernable end results.

Whether one uses acetone/keytop or lacquer/thinner for brightening, we recommend that the
hammer be pounded several times at the strike point to work the solution into the felt. Holding the
unfinished side of the keyblock (cheekblock) above the hammer and pounding the hammer against
the block with the key is an effective means to do this (as shown in the insert photo). Pounding the
strike point helps to minimize the harshness of tone that can be introduced when applying solution
directly into the strike point of the hammer.

Applying lacquer to the

strike point will help to
provide more attack to the
tone of the instrument.
Normally just a few drops
are sufficient to adjust the
attack tone.

We recommend avoiding
the bass corner of the
hammer when applying
the lacquer. This will
assist in better responsive-
ness to shift-voicing by Pounding-in the lacquer
minimizing the possibility application on the strike point
of a pronounced sharp
unpleasant tone as the
hammer shifts and the
corner travels under the
string.

15
Step 6. Re-evaluate power—Again, use forte test blows and evaluate the power within the
instrument. At this point it is important to differentiate between overall “power”
and “noise.” Do not be concerned with the “noise” at this time. The “noise” will be
dealt with later through needling. Decide if more power is needed and where.
Apply another application of lacquer solution if needed.

Step 7. Begin Final Voicing through Needling Techniques

Background: After the lacquering operations, the piano may be described as powerful and noisy.
The goal of the final voicing is to remove the noise with needling while retaining the power.

HOW: Remember, the final goal is to remove the noise while retaining the power. This is achieved
by using the following guidelines:

Maximum needle placement—deep needling directly into the area of the hammer
where the lacquer solution has been applied (crown and/or shoulders).

Minimum number of needles—If the hammer has lacquer noise, it must be needled
on the strike point. Use one needle in the string grooves, and deep needle those
strings which are creating the most noise. (Use a tuning mute and hard test blows to
determine which strings in the note are noisy.)

16
 Push the hammer downward
and support on the backcheck.

Note: Single needling through the strings (chopstick

voicing) can be a fast, effective way to touch up VERY lightly break
individual hammer voicing on the strike point. the bass-side
(See photos above.) corner where
circled on the
trichord hammers
to provide better
una-corda tone on
a full shift.

Step 8. Break left corner—With very light stick filing, gently “break” the sharp,
left-side corner of the hammer. This will allow the hammer to hammer
easily clear the left string when the shift pedal is applied and min- end view
imize noise on the left edge of the hammer when the una-corda
effect is used.

Step 9. Check soft pedal shift—At this time make sure that the soft pedal shift
clears the left string of the trichords. Adjust the shift screw as
needed to accomplish this.
Hint: If a full shift is desired, the hammer’s surface will have 5 individual string
grooves: 3 grooves for the hammer in its normal position and
2 grooves for the hammer in its shifted position.

17
Step 10. Clean hammer surface—Using a fine grade, cloth-backed sanding strip, hammers should
be lightly strip-filed to remove any chalk, graphite or needle marks. Then, hammers
can be brushed with a fine, short-bristled wire brush which will remove felt
particles and restore a cosmetically polished hammer surface. Listen again to ensure
that the tone has not changed due to this brushing.

Step 11. Thin hammer molding in treble—If a woody tone is present

in the high treble (approximately upper 6 notes), reduce
the hammer mass by removing a small amount of wood
from the hammer molding. Use a rounded wood file.

OTHER VOICING SUGGESTIONS

Hint: It is suggested that initial passes of “bulk

needling” be performed, bringing
down the extremes.

Hint: Try needling the hammer in the shifted position first, as crown needling the “shifted”
string grooves will have some effect on the voicing in the normal playing position.

Hint: Use carbon paper to mark the

string/hammer contact
position. Place the paper
carbon-side-up as shown,
slide the action in and play
groups of keys. Carbon
will transfer to the strings.
Take out the paper and
play the keys with the
action in the rest position,
very lightly marking
hammers: then with the
action removed, clean the
strings with a soft cloth
and dampers raised to prevent damage to the felts.

Hint: Needling should be approached with voicing the loudest notes first, with each pass. Then,
repeat passes until the tone is even and free from distortion. Do not attempt to even
out the voicing with a minimal amount of passes.

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 Alternate Regulation of Hammer Spacing

The traditional factory specification for spacing hammers to strings in New York Steinway grands
has placed the hammer so that when it is blocked against the strings with the action in the rest
position, approximately .045” of felt (about the diameter of a tenor plain string) is visible on the
bass or left side of the hammer*. This allowed for the hammer to shift in the una-corda or shift
position so as to miss the third string and alter the volume and timbre of the sound.

* .045 inch of
hammer showing
on the bass side
of the unisons
without the shift
pedal depressed.

An alternate spacing used in many concert instruments places the hammer slightly more to the left,
approaching being centered under the strings. In the shift position, the third string is still struck.
The change of timbre and volume is produced by the way in which the hammer is voiced in that
part of the hammer that strikes the strings. Regulation of the shift pedal is set to move the hammer
to strike the strings in different felt.

19
A transfer mark of string/hammer contact made in the rest position
will move just past centering between the strings of a trichord.

The hammers of the bass trichords can be regulated in the same way.
20
 There is no change in the bass hammer spacing from the traditional methods.

Regulating the shift and the spacing in this way allows for very shallow needling in the felt between
the strings without affecting either timbre or volume in the rest position. This can be done because
of shallow needling and because the hammers allow very careful needling which does not affect the
felt very far beyond the needle.

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Hamburg Voicing Techniques
Steinway Hamburg uses considerably different hammer felts for the creation of the Steinway tone
compared to Steinway New York. Whereas the latter felts are rather soft and require the building
up of the tone by means of applying lacquer, the Hamburg hammers usually need extensive needling
of the compressed felt in order to reduce hardness and achieve elasticity in the felt!

The Hamburg voicing procedure is separated into two steps—pre-voicing and final voicing—with
the final action regulation in between.

Step 1. Pre-Voicing:

Before starting with the work it is a must that the action is well-regulated (during first action
regulation) and the instrument is in tune! Prior to tuning, all unisons must be perfectly levelled
at the agraffes by means of a string hook. This work is very important, because it will ensure a
perfect fitting of hammers to strings later. Finally, all strings should be seated carefully at the
bridge pins before starting to tune.

The voicing procedure begins by first playing the instrument in all sections (bass, middle, treble)
with pianissimo to fortissimo strokes in order to get an overall impression of the tone and the
character/firmness of the hammer felt. (The density of the felt can vary from set to set, making
individual treatment/voicing of the felt necessary!) Both treble sections must be played as well
and the keyframe (with the action stack on) carefully moved in and out at the same time in order
to determine the best striking position (strikepoint) for the hammers.

Keyblock Plate Adjustment

Accordingly, the keyblock plate must be
adjusted in the treble keyblock, which
fixes the position of the keyframe on the
keybed and thus the strikepoint of the
hammers. (See photo.)

22
Now sample hammers must be chosen
in each section, and both shoulders of
these hammers needled, starting to
stitch as low as just above the staple
and going up to the top of the hammer,
leaving approximately 5–7 mm of the
striking area (depending upon whether
bass or treble hammers are in work)
untouched. For this purpose the key-
board with action needs to be placed
on a workbench and the sample ham-
mers supported by hardwood hammer
rails. (See photo to the right.)
Shallow needle in these
Deep needle in
areas during final
these areas during
voicing. pre-voicing.
Note: The sample hammer and the two left and
right adjacent hammers must be firmly held
together while voicing (see photo above); this
supplies additional support against the force of
the needles. Never take more than 3 hammers
at a time, because this would bend and thus
damage the center pinning and bushings of the
hammershank flanges.

Deep radial needling into the direction

of the hammer core is required, the needles
sticking out of the tool some 8 mm as shown in
the photo on the right. The hammer felt must be
treated evenly on both sides (shoulders) in order
to achieve a balanced result. Listen to these
samples and try to determine the reaction of the
felt. It should obviously be a big difference in
tone depth. The needling should produce
elasticity in the felt and the hammer felt
shouldn’t loose its tension, either.

Note: The Hamburg hammer felt usually

consists of long-fiber material under tension.
If the felt is needled the fibers will shift upwards
to the striking point in most cases, increasing the
density there. So the needling can gain power and brilliance for the tone while increasing the
elasticity for more dynamics at the same time! The more elastic the felt is, the more dynamically
variable the tone will be.

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If the samples produce the desired sound, all of the hammers in between can then be voiced
accordingly. It should be done by section (bass, middle, treble). Inexperienced technicians can
count the number of stitches per hammer shoulder necessary in the samples and duplicate this for
every hammer in the section in order to achieve an even result. Experienced technicians will feel
the resistance of the felt and the changes in elasticity, and needle accordingly without counting
the stitches.

After all hammers have been treated,

action and keyboard must be adjusted
back into the grand and all notes played
and checked accordingly to hear whether
the desired sound level has been
achieved. If certain notes or sections
don’t fit to the level, they must be
reworked individually. Mark these notes
on the corresponding keys with chalk
and needle them while having the
keyboard and action on your lap.
Support the hammers with the voicing
rail or block.

The next step will be the filing of the hammer felts. Please follow all instructions laid out for the
New York hammers. The hammer shape and the techniques are identical between New York and
Hamburg. The Hamburg felt should be sanded twice, first with an 80-grit rough paper, and
afterwards with 180-grit paper. Fitting hammers to strings will be the next work to do. Follow the
instructions for the New York hammers. This work is identical as well! The result should be as
perfect as possible, because open strings have a negative impact on tone development.

Afterwards, all notes should be played again

and differences in power and brilliance
evened out by additional voicing. Listen to
individual strings per unison as well and
mark desired changes on the keys with chalk.
Single-string needling is required now in
order to achieve an even result within the
unison and among all notes. Remember only
to scarcely work the striking area while
voicing; only shallow needling is allowed. By
doing this a firm, dense felt “wedge” remains
on top of the hammer, which moves on the
elastic shoulders. Playing pianissimo should
produce a clear tone, which won’t become
harsh while playing fortissimo. The tone
should vary dynamically.

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After every voicing of the hammers, always clean up the felt with fine sandpaper, preferably with
used 180-grit paper. The striking area must be as clean as possible in order to produce a clean tone.
Needling will change the felt, make the fibers stand up and influence the tone.

If certain sections, like usually the upper treble or low bass, don’t really reach the desired tone level/
power through voicing, individual hardening/“juicing” of the felts may be necessary. A thin Zapon
lacquer solution (for example, a 10:1 solution of thinner to lacquer) applied to striking area and
shoulders will help to build up tone. Make sure to use a thin solution, even if the juicing has to be
repeated until reaching the level. A thick solution can prevent from further needling, making it
impossible to insert needles into the felt. After juicing allow an overnight drying time before
judging the results.

Step 2. Final Voicing:

The final voicing can be carried out when the action is perfectly regulated and the instrument in
tune. Note: Any imperfection in the action regulation will result in energy loss and hence in less
tone—or in more effort during voicing! In other words, “A perfect action is the foundation for a
perfect tone.”

In principle, the pre-voicing techniques and steps are repeated during final voicing. However, the
shaping of the hammers and the deep, radial shoulder needling should not be necessary (but could
in rare cases if the felt lacks quality and drastically changes after pre-voicing). The focus now is in
the upper hammer area close to the strike point. Shallow needling is required here in general, in
order to preserve the felt density of the almost untreated striking area of the hammer!

The philosophy behind this procedure is to achieve a dense/hard strike point area, which “sits” on
the elastic hammer shoulders. Playing such a hammer pianissimo produces a soft but clear tone,
which can be augmented dynamically with fortissimo then producing a powerful, brilliant tone
without exaggeration. The brilliant character of the sound stays the same in all dynamic ranges due
to the flexibility of the hammer felt.

The work should be started by listening to “open” strings and then perfectly fitting the hammer felt
to the strings. We refer to the New York chapter for detailed description of this important work!
Very fine, used sandpaper of 180 grit should be used for this purpose.

Chromatically playing all notes now will reveal good and bad, loud and soft tones. Needling the bad
ones in the shoulders as necessary again and carefully the others closer to the strikepoint with
shallower needling will produce an even sound range. Afterwards, single-string voicing should
follow, which will “clean” the sound of every note: With the use of a felt wedge listen to every
string in a unison and mark (with chalk on the key) the part of the striking point (left, middle, right)
which needs attention. Those felt spots should then be needled accordingly (shallow stitches!),
preferably with one needle in the tool for precise work.

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After each step the action must be installed back into the piano and the tone result checked.
Repeated 3-needle stitching, checking and filing the hammer strike point and single-string voicing
will be necessary until an even sound is achieved throughout the whole keyboard.

During final voicing the shift/left pedal voicing must be carried out as well. Please see the relevant
New York chapter for instructions. While adjusting the shift of the keyboard please make sure
(where possible) that the strike point of the hammers will have 5 string grooves. By doing this,
separate voicings for both the normal position and the shift are possible, resulting in different sound
characteristics.

Notes on Boston and Essex Hammers

In principle, most of the techniques described for the voicing of Steinway Hamburg hammers apply
to Boston and Essex hammers as well.

The form of the hammers should be filed with sandpaper to achieve an egg shape, where the striking
area is slightly pointed.

Needling of Boston hammers can be done with deep radial treatment in the shoulders, while going
up to the striking area with rather shallow needling. (Please see description of Hamburg Steinway
voicing.)

After levelling strings at the strikepoint, care should be taken to fit the hammers to the strings, i.e.
filing the hammer felt striking area for perfect fit to all unisons. The hammer must strike the indi-
vidual strings of each note uniformly. “Open” strings will negatively influence the tonal character.

Ironing the hammer felts will improve the appearance of the hammers, however the striking area
should not be touched while ironing, because it could change the voicing.

In cases of a Boston requiring more power and brilliance of tone, the hammer felt can be hardened
(“juiced”) with a mixture of nitro thinner and styrophor. The material must be of a rough grit,
very white in colour. Take a big bottle with a lid (for closing) and fill it halfway with nitro thinner.
Take styrophor and put enough into the bottle until all of it is saturated by the nitro. Close the
bottle and wait until the material is dissolved. Now you can open the bottle and pour the solution
into another bottle without using the sediment material on the bottom of the bottle. (Styrophor
always carries some sediment which should not be used for our purposes.) Finally the solution must
now be thinned with nitro at a ratio of 1:1. Just fill an equal amount of nitro into the solution, and
the hammer juice is ready!

 Note: A mixture of keytop material and acetone can be used in the same manner. Steinway
recommends 1 keytop per 8 ounces of acetone. Prior to use, the solution should set overnight to
ensure that the keytop has thoroughly dissolved.

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It must be a thin/liquid solution, because it must be applied to the hammers by means of a syringe.
Not much more than a drop of the juice needs to be put directly onto the striking area. Allow a
minimum drying time of approximately 2 hours before testing the tone and carrying on with
voicing/needling. Preferably and if possible let it dry overnight, which ensures that the hammer
felt is dry and no late drying reaction will change the sound after the final voicing. The juicing of
the felt with the nitro-solution is invisible, by the way, as it is colorless material.

While the hardening of the felt was done directly in the striking area, the needling after drying
must naturally be done there too. At this stage of the voicing, each single string of the unison
should be listened to and accordingly needled individually with shallow (not deep) treatment in the
striking area. The felt can still be needled nicely although it was hardened! Listen for “open” strings
again and file the striking area accordingly. If the building of tone is not enough, the treatment can
be repeated completely or partially.

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