[CAUT] touch & tone & tuning (was why does it feel better?)

[Cy Shuster]

The current Journal has an interesting article by Anders Askenfelt (of "Five 
Lectures" fame) dealing with the question of whether a pianist can affect 
tone with different playing techniques.

He discovered that a hammershank assembly can have several different 
vibration modes: one involving primarily the shank itself, and another with 
more movement in the hammer head.  He posits that a skilled pianist can 
alter the force and timing of a keystroke in a way to emphasize one or the 
other vibration nodes.

Certainly changing the weight distribution on the hammershank assembly would 
affect vibration modes, similar to putting weights on the bridge.

--Cy--
www.shusterpiano.com