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<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Touch doesn't get nearly the respect and
attention it deserves; almost everybody takes it for granted.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Electronic Gizmo Guys & Gals of
the Old School used to scour their fingerpads with sandpaper to enhance
their touch sensitivity, for turning knobs ever so slightly -- trying
to tune in a hard-to-get Short Wave station. (These days, all the "vernier" --
teeny-tiny -- adjustments are done by digital computer arithmetic, so
0.000000005 is as easy to ask for as 0.5)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">But obviously a fine keyboardist is going
to pay a lot of attention to his/her sense of touch, and grow more and more
conscious and observant of its nuances.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Once I was offstage next to a very talented
pianist about to perform, and she was very anxious and unhappy because her
hands were cold. I offered to warm them in mine, and she eagerly let me. It's
now clear how much keyboardists depend on tactile feedback -- all sorts of
information from their fingertips -- to play well, and depend
on tricks like sandpaper -- or a Hand-Warming Boy -- to play at their
best. GG also perceived that he was plagued by chilly hands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">The Oriental board game Go uses
a square wooden board, and players place stones -- small disks -- on
the intersections of the 19 x 19 rectangular lines.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">The board can cost $50,000 (or, if you
prefer, $50), and the most desired stones are polished slate
(black stones) and polished mother-of-pearl (white stones).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Players love the distinctive KLIK
sound of stone placed on board, but they also love the fingertip feel of
placing the stone on the board. (If you close your eyes, a big Go
tournament sounds like a knitting convention.) Go is harder to
master than chess, and has sensory dimensions chess
lacks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">There's the exquisite mosaic beauty of the
stone pattern of a completed game -- some players say they often turn their
backs on winning to concentrate on cooperating with their opponent to
create a beautiful stone pattern, without a word
exchanged -- there's the hypnotic, reassuring KLIK sound, and the
lovely, satisfying tactile moment of placing each stone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">My philosophy professor shared bits of his
specialty, Medieval philosophy, and taught us why the palm of each hand has a
big M on it. Our hands are the instruments of almost every Sin we might be
contemplating. As we reach toward every Sin, we read one final
warning from God: Momento Mori -- Remember That You Will Die (and be
judged for your Sins).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Hope all are having a great Summer (or, in
the Antipodes, Winter), with lots of Haptic Fun. If ya know of any great live
performances upcoming in North America, give a shoutout.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Bob</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=velfred@sbcglobal.net
href="mailto:velfred@sbcglobal.net">velfred@sbcglobal.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=f_minor@glenngould.org
href="mailto:f_minor@glenngould.org">Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn
Gould.</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, June 28, 2010 12:33
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [f_minor] book</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
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<DIV>Thank you very much for the explnation.</DIV>
<DIV>Fred<BR><BR>--- On <B>Mon, 6/28/10, michael macelletti <I><<A
href="mailto:mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net">mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net</A>></I></B>
wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From:
michael macelletti <<A
href="mailto:mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net">mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net</A>><BR>Subject:
Re: [f_minor] book<BR>To: "Robert Merkin" <<A
href="mailto:bobmerk@earthlink.net">bobmerk@earthlink.net</A>>,
"Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould." <<A
href="mailto:f_minor@glenngould.org">f_minor@glenngould.org</A>>,
"gail paynter" <gmadoodat@hotmail.com><BR>Date: Monday, June 28,
2010, 7:53 AM<BR><BR>
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<DIV>sorry about getting a little excited about the word haptic,
but it does seem to provide the missing term which describes the type
of memory which most pianists use. ( and often with disastrous results
! ) and i'm happy to say, bob, that mr webster would
totally agree with you is his fine book. no difference to him either.
but , if i might be excused for a little personal
interpretation, there may be a great difference. the term
tactile seems to have been sullied by previous use, it's connection
with the " feel " of , say, a fabric or smooth piano keys. (
providing they aren't worn ivories ! ). haptic, on the
other hand, happily ( sorry about that ) because of it's lack of
familiarity, can easily make the bridge between touch and mind to my
way of thinking. it even sounds
psychological ! i mentioned
the disaster that can result in using this type of memory for a
concert. it's always a temptation to rely upon it because
most pianists will find that they can play a sonata without music (
and without mind !! ) in just a few months. then they try to play it
for a jury exam or recital, they start to " think " about the
connections, and lo and behold, all is lost. their hand memory,
or haptic memory was an illusion. and they slink away in
disgrace. </DIV>
<DIV>i have a feeling that gg relied upon this type of memory to a
certain extent, in addition to his using great additional analytical
skills. this might explain his shaking in bed on the afternoon before
a evening concert. ( i mean, there are rather more than a few
unnatural memory spots in the goldberg, as anybody would admit who
plays it ) it might also explain why he used the loud
vacuum cleaner to distract his mind temporally so that he
could get through the ascending sixths passage in the last
movement ( var 5 ) of op 109. ( when suddenly, one day, he
couldn't play it ! )</DIV>
<DIV>well, just a little digression on a day when it's honestly too
hot in connecticut to do anything but think and then bother the f
minors. stay cool if you happen to be on the unfortunate side
of the equator. </DIV>
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<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Robert Merkin
<bobmerk@earthlink.net><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Discussion of the Canadian
pianist Glenn Gould. <f_minor@glenngould.org><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sun, June 27, 2010 11:39:10
PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re:
[f_minor] book<BR></FONT><BR>
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<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"><STRONG>Thanks for the cool new
word! But ... how does "haptic" differ from
"tactile"?</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4
face="Courier New"><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face="Courier New"><STRONG>Bob</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
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style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4"><B>From:</B> <A
title=mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net
href="http://us.mc824.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net"
rel=nofollow target=_blank
ymailto="mailto:mmacelletti@sbcglobal.net">michael macelletti</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=f_minor@glenngould.org
href="http://us.mc824.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=f_minor@glenngould.org"
rel=nofollow target=_blank
ymailto="mailto:f_minor@glenngould.org">f_minor@glenngould.org</A> ;
<A title=gmadoodat@hotmail.com
href="http://us.mc824.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=gmadoodat@hotmail.com"
rel=nofollow target=_blank
ymailto="mailto:gmadoodat@hotmail.com">gail paynter</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, June 27, 2010
9:30 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [f_minor] book</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV>a " must have " book for all gouldians : "
BRAVO FORTISSIMO " GLENN GOULD , THE MIND OF A CANADIAN VIRTUOSO ,
by helen mesaros. and , believe me, i've got them
all. this volume is a veritable treasury of minutiae.
i.e. where and when did he practice on the nassau trip. ( and who
was there to witness it. ) , where was he when his teacher died,
what bothered him the most about retirement. the word, haptic ( i
never saw it before! ) and the beethoven 5.
enjoy! </DIV>
<DIV></DIV></DIV>
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