This month's technical was presented by Brian Whiton. Brian is a member of the NYC chapter, he has a storefront in Brooklyn where he rebuilds and refurbishes pianos. He recently had a three part article in the journal on repairing and rebuilding old pianos. Brian discussed upright dampers and said they are very difficult to adjust. Depending on the piano, to rebuild, is it worth it? Old Steinway uprights are worth rebuilding. As you start rebuilding the dampers, make sure that you have the right parts that fit. Buy samples to test before buying a whole set. Brian emphasized that damper wire bending is very difficult to do and takes a lot of practice. If possible, get round damper heads because they're easier to line up as the job goes on. One hint, set damper timing with pedal first. Brian concluded his lecture discussing squeaks and noises all around and in the piano. First thing to do is to tighten all the screws. Make sure timing and lost motion are correct before anything else is done. Brian's technical was very informative and the members enjoyed his expertise on piano repair.

The meeting adjourned at 8:15PM.