That's very cool Tim. When I was studying playing the drums I had a very good teacher who taught me to choose drum sticks by pitch. We listened to the pitch by scratching the sticks next to our ears. I suspect this will work for shanks as well. Later I had an ear training teacher who had us identify the pitch of any solid object in the room. I used the scratching method then too to great advantage. I really hope there is a direct correlation between pitch and weight. OK I'll stop til after the experiments. sorry folks. Chris solliday ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Coates" <tcoates1 at sio.midco.net> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 9:37 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Shank to Hammer weight spreadsheet > Hi Alan, > > I will do my best to describe my method. In making the shank show > its pitch my desire is to somewhat replicate the shank on the action > rail. That means being as consistent as possible in the way I hold > the shank: firmly on the flange hole just before the flange would > stop its contact with the rail. This provides a dampening affect on > the flange, but allow the rest of the shank to show its pitch. I > like to use a wood surface to moderately tap the hammer end of the > shank onto. The same wood target or spot is used for all tapping. > As you tap the shank several times you find it always gives the same > pitch. It takes some practice to make the same motion, but it feels > like an artistic movement. > > The first run through sorting the entire set creates two groups: low > and high. The two groups are then sorted into two subgroups of low > and high creating four groups. The four groups are then sorted into > eight groups. Once you have them in eight groups of low to high the > individual shanks within each group are sequenced, low to high. The > final test is to go through the entire set from low to high. There > should be very few changes made. Sorting this way really opens up > your ears for the final run through. > > Tim Coates > > On Feb 18, 2008, at 12:01 PM, Alan McCoy wrote: > > > Tim, > > > > Could you describe how you sort shanks by sound? I've done vertical > > shanks > > that way for a long time by just dropping them on the table and > > listening. > > Grand shanks, though, are "contaminated" by the flange connection, so > > dropping them doesn't necessarily give a good "plink" or "plonk." I > > suppose > > by holding the flange and letting the shank fall onto the table, > > you'll get > > a comparable "plink." > > > > Alan > > > > > > -- Alan McCoy, RPT > > Eastern Washington University > > amccoy at mail.ewu.edu > > 509-359-4627 > > > > > >> From: Tim Coates <tcoates1 at sio.midco.net> > >> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" > >> <caut at ptg.org> > >> Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:55:24 -0600 > >> To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" > >> <caut at ptg.org> > >> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Shank to Hammer weight spreadsheet > >> > >> Keith, > >> > >> Listening and sequencing the shanks is very fast if done correctly. > >> I don't agree with Grotian's sequencing method. I've been sorting > >> low pitches to the bass end and high pitches to the top for over > >> twenty years. One basic principle I follow is a low pitched knock > >> associated with a movement within the piano reduces power. It is one > >> of the main reasons I change front rail felt punchings. Hard felt > >> punchings create a low knock that robs power from the sound. I find > >> the same to be true with the pitch of the shanks. > >> > >> But as I have said before: to each his own. Grotian does it their > >> way and that's fine. I know what works for me. > >> > >> Tim Coates > >> > >> > >> On Feb 16, 2008, at 8:07 PM, Keith Roberts wrote: > >> > >>> My question is, if you are weighing the whole shank and flange, how > >>> do you know the distribution of the difference in weight? If 90% of > >>> the weight difference is from the knuckle through the flange, the > >>> SW wouldn't change much and so the presumed evening out of the > >>> weights is not there. The distribution of the mass could vary from > >>> shank to shank at all the different weights. > >>> > >>> I like the idea of listening to the sound of the shanks. A thinner > >>> light shank should produce a higher sound. Very quick too. > >>> > >>> Keith Roberts > >>> > >>> On Feb 16, 2008 5:48 PM, Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net> wrote: > >>>> It takes too long. Just dry fit the hammers to the shanks > >>>> right after you've tapered them with the table saw ... > >>> > >>> I don't think you get the idea. Mating a shank's SW with a > >>> hammer weight will require less hammer mass alteration > >>> to achieve a smooth SW curve. > >>> -- > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> > >>> Jon Page > >>> > >> > > > > > >
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