These are just a few links I would like to share with you. I hope you will enjoy visiting them as much as I do.
Please, come back soon as I will add more sites.
You will find some links about the pianos I love. But I do not know them all (!) and it is a very personal choice.
I added the page "My favorite pianos" recently, and I will create in the near future a page called "my favorite books about pianos".
So, as we say in the world of piano technicians: "Stay tuned!"
My first site will be about THE best correspondance school of piano technology in the USA, the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology. I did it, I loved it and I can recommend it to whoever would like to be trained in the field.
http://www.pianotuning.com/
Well, there is actually a dream school for those who can go very far (Western Ontario...) for two years. I think it is the best school in the world. Not that the others are bad, but this is the best school. The Randy Potter school if more than fine but it is a correspondance course, so during and after graduating, you need to join the Piano Technician Guild and apprentice for the hands on. At the end of the day, you can be as good a technician after doing either school. It is just a matter of choice and convenience. All the information on the address below:
http://www.pianotech.uwo.ca/index.htm
A very good and technical site about Tuning the Bach Temperament. I had the privilege to meet with Mr. Lehman in 2006 and listen to him playing on a clavichord he had built. I was amazed at his discovery, and his musical talent. http://www.larips.com
I was a math lover when I was at school. So, understanding the math of a piano action is something I find fascinating. I found an Italian thesis that was published on the web.
Needless to say, I was captivated. I must admit I passed on the computer part as I have not been trained in that field and so could not understand it, but found the description of the various forces in the piano action through the use of equations absolutely fascinating.
/Documents/doctoral thesis on piano action.pdf
One of my favorite pianist: Vladimir Horowitz
This is site with everything you want to know about him:
http://web.telia.com/~u85420275/index.htm
If you read music, I mean really read music, and want to experiment your limits, then you can download for free basically everything from Horowitz.
I played some and it is what keeps you humble when you think you know... Almost 800 pages in PDF format.
http://vkgfx.com/
I found a wonderful site where you can download probably close to a million music pages from several hundred composers, for free. This site belongs to a piano teacher who had the wonderful idea to compile all the music you love, from Beethoven, Bach, Chopin or Rachmaninov, or Scriabine. (That's only 5 composers...) You can download, print, and break no law, which is most important. If like me, you want to play Ravel, you will have to order online on go to a store as there are still some copyrights. (I will give some good places to order later).
http://waltercosand.com/CosandScores/
This is one of my favorite tuning websites. A complete mine of information about the history of tuning and everything related to piano. All that in only one screen with links. Just explore those links and enjoy!
Renner is one of the major manufacturer of piano actions in the world. You are about to visit a very nicely designed site with more information about piano action than you need. Their virtual action model is a wonder.
If you wonder what "tuning" means, here is a great site from a tuner I do not know in Massachusetts. Click on "tuning tutorials" and you will read and hear about how to tune a piano. This is not something an inexperienced person should try to do without serious advice from a professional tuner as you could break strings and get an ugly result in terms of tuning. But it is very didactic and kept simple.
I do not think tuning is something easy or quick to learn, and I think being a musician is important to have a chance to become a good tuner one day. Many people might not agree with me though, but I really think that learning this craft can quickly get overwhelming if you are by yourself.
I love this tuner's website as it is very well designed, clear and gives you all the right information about pianos. Obviously, this tuner is an experienced professional who knows what he is talking about.
http://www.blackstonepiano.com
A Historical perspective on the evolution of the piano forte and the notion of Pitch as stated in 1911 in the Encyclopedia Britannica...
But remember, the best piano will only play as well as it is in tune and finely regulated. A grand action is a work of art and regulating one is an art in itself. (Click on the drawing at the bottom of this page and read my final word in PDF format...)