This reminds me of the days I could casually walk into a violin builders workshop (a good friend of mine), where at the end of the build, he'd maticulously take the instrument apart to glue in and remove thin patches of wood on the soundboard to stiffen it in order to suppress unwanted harmonics from the highest strings. He really did a great job, even in the hands of an idiot (me) after this process those violins sounded incredibly smooth and easy to listen to
In short - the bell is a compensation measure for Steinway's design flaw in the scale that causes the killer octave, yet isnt guaranteed to fix it, and is then touted as a unique feature for marketing purposes
@@residentspirit6023 That's the first time I ever heard that. I've heard about the "killer octave"; it is notorious among technicians for being extremely difficult to voice, but there are some Steinways that have an incredibly clear and sharp killer octave. Are there any brands that don't have this design flaw?
@@extremepianochannel Yes - it's interesting to note that Steinway's scale and plate designs haven't really changed in over 100 years. Indeed, some don't have the killer octave, and some do - it is both design related and also inconsistencies in their assembly method. It is not to say that a well-built Steinway isn't a fantastic piano - but it is sometimes more luck than by pure design. Fazioli, Bechstein, Yamaha, Mason & Hamlin, have less of this issue - from discussing the issue of the killer octave with pianists and technicians, it's almost always in relation to a Steinway piano.
This reminds me of the days I could casually walk into a violin builders workshop (a good friend of mine), where at the end of the build, he'd maticulously take the instrument apart to glue in and remove thin patches of wood on the soundboard to stiffen it in order to suppress unwanted harmonics from the highest strings. He really did a great job, even in the hands of an idiot (me) after this process those violins sounded incredibly smooth and easy to listen to
@@BeesKneesBenjamin That's so interesting, thanks for sharing!
In short - the bell is a compensation measure for Steinway's design flaw in the scale that causes the killer octave, yet isnt guaranteed to fix it, and is then touted as a unique feature for marketing purposes
@@residentspirit6023 That's the first time I ever heard that. I've heard about the "killer octave"; it is notorious among technicians for being extremely difficult to voice, but there are some Steinways that have an incredibly clear and sharp killer octave. Are there any brands that don't have this design flaw?
@@extremepianochannel Yes - it's interesting to note that Steinway's scale and plate designs haven't really changed in over 100 years. Indeed, some don't have the killer octave, and some do - it is both design related and also inconsistencies in their assembly method. It is not to say that a well-built Steinway isn't a fantastic piano - but it is sometimes more luck than by pure design. Fazioli, Bechstein, Yamaha, Mason & Hamlin, have less of this issue - from discussing the issue of the killer octave with pianists and technicians, it's almost always in relation to a Steinway piano.
@@residentspirit6023 Thanks, that was very informative!
great video
Very interesting!
@@scherzomazeppa726 Hey, what did you mean when you wrote on my video about haters, 'Gay pianists have the best sense of humor'?