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How does this sound

Discussion in 'Works in Progress' started by techneut, Sep 7, 2015.

  1. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Yesterday I made a recording on the nice Feurich in the church I play. Just wondering what you think of the sound. It seems to sound better on the recording than when actually playing it. The instrument plays very smoothly, much easier than my Gaveau although it does not seem to have the same character and depth. I think I'll want to do more recordings on this one.

    https://youtu.be/G4n9BvcAnTg

    Comments welcome.
     
    techneut, Sep 7, 2015
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  2. MarkieUK

    MarkieUK Member Piano Society Artist

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    I like the sound of this piano. There's a bit of the fortepiano in it - I think it would be great for Chopin Nocturnes. It seems to have a better dynamic range than the piano you usually use for recordings on the site. Very nice playing in this video as well.
     
    MarkieUK, Sep 7, 2015
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  3. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Thanks Mark. I can certainly play far more quietly on this one, and therefore get more dynamic contrast, than I can ever do on my Gaveau. This is purely thanks to the lighter and more responsive action. If I were to have such an action on my Gaveau I would be really happy. I guess it is not to be unless I shell out big time for a Renner action.
     
    techneut, Sep 7, 2015
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  4. Rachfan

    Rachfan Active Member Piano Society Artist

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    Rachfan, Sep 8, 2015
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  5. Rachfan

    Rachfan Active Member Piano Society Artist

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    Hi Chris,

    That Feurich piano sounds very good to me. It has a bit of a nasal tone that I like in a piano. I believe that the Feurich might have a versatility in handling music of different styles, more so than the Gaveau. One potential but important consideration: Church owned pianos too often tend to be neglected. Church budgets are usually threadbare, meaning that tuning and regulation will not be regularly scheduled due to lack of funds. The piano becomes a low priority. Cyclical heating and cooling in churches, especially during winter, present a hardship on any piano. I like to tune my Baldwin quarterly, and probably you have a similar pattern with the Gaveau. In a church, the piano might see the tuner once a year--if that. Where you're doing permanent recordings, these factors become all the more important. If this church has deep pockets, well, that would count for a lot in making a decision. You might want to speak to the church secretary/treasurer to see if a reasonable arrangement might be possible. Good luck on that!

    David
     
    Rachfan, Sep 8, 2015
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  6. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Thanks David. Even if I had the budget to replace my action, I am not sure I would put a high-tech carbon thingy in a historic instrument. I fully believe it if they say it's much better technically than the wooden contraption used of yore, but somehow it would not feel right.

    The church Feurich seems in surprisingly good state. I am not sure how often it's tuned, probably not too often, and I have only known it since spring this year, but I know it is not being used very much. I'll have to see how this develops once I get my hands on it regularly.

    Quarterly tuning, ha ! Good on you... Twice will have to do for me, it's dreadfully costly (though I could get a cheaper and more nearby tuner which is maybe worth a try).
     
    techneut, Sep 8, 2015
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  7. pianolady

    pianolady Monica Hart, Administrator Staff Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    I think the sound is acceptable. It has a little bit of the qualities as your own piano. Maybe not as much bass sound as your piano though. Fyi - my piano holds a tuning much longer since the Dampp Chaser was installed.
     
    pianolady, Sep 9, 2015
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  8. andrew

    andrew Administrator Staff Member Piano Society Artist

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    The piano sounds quite Germanic (not just the name!) I'm not sure how good it would be for French impressionism, and personally I would prefer something a little more mellow, but it sounds fine in the piece in question. If you wanted to consider it further, I would think about testing it out at the extremes of the dynamic spectrum and see how you feel about the sound at each end.
     
    andrew, Sep 9, 2015
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  9. jlr43

    jlr43 Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    The sound seems quite nice! For my taste, the sound seems a bit fuller in this setting than in your regular recordings. The larger acoustic, of course, always seems to help. My only piece of advice would be to maybe especially considering easing up a bit on the pedal in the larger hall. The piece seemed as though it could have a bit more bite, and, well, sarcasm.
     
    jlr43, Sep 10, 2015
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  10. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Thanks all for the comments. It seems like there is some potential in using this piano for recordings.
     
    techneut, Sep 10, 2015
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  11. richard66

    richard66 Richard Willmer Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    I had listened to that reocrding on Facebook, but I thought this was only a favour to the composer. It is perhaprs the best piece by this composer.

    I did like the sound of the piano. If you will not expel me from the Society for insubordination ( :p), I will dare to say I like it better than your Gaveau.
     
    richard66, Sep 15, 2015
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  12. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    No expulsions here. You are entitled to your opinion. But go henceforth and sin no more ;-)
     
    techneut, Sep 15, 2015
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  13. musicrecovery

    musicrecovery Member Piano Society Artist

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    Hi Chris,

    To me the sound is bright and yet has a really beautiful warm glow to it at the same time.

    The playing is really good. There is a lot of dynamic nuance within the forte itself.

    Thank you,
    Kaila
     
    musicrecovery, Sep 28, 2015
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  14. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Thanks Kaila ! I shall be recording more on this nice instrument.
     
    techneut, Sep 28, 2015
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