Review of Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007) by Steve Y — 06 Jul 2010
"Note by Note" is a necessary viewing for piano addicts. It made me giddy. Ben Niles records the birth and "rearing" of L1037 (the ID number of a specific Steinway Grand) from lumber to wood to frame to soundboard to storage to mechanism-sanding to pounding, tuning and delivery.
.. one piano takes a year to build, and all tuning is done by hand. It's a captivating process. The doc also features performances by Helene Grimaud and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, as well as Marcus Roberts (one of my favorite jazz pianists and an encyclopedia of jazz history) and a whole stable of technicians and artists (the line is blurred here).
I love the portions where the artists choose their instruments, noting the particular differences in each grand piano they play ("blech!" "this is more like it..."). This is more than a record of the building an instrument.
It's a statement of the value of artisan musicianship in a world that increasingly labels it excessive and frivolous.
This review of Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007) was written by Steve Y on 06 Jul 2010.
Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 has generally received very positive reviews.
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