[CAUT] Natural key width

[Ron Overs]

Hi all,

>No, to the best of my knowledge there is no key headscale standard. 
>There was supposed to have been a movement toward a standard in the 
>late 1940s (overall width of 1220 mm, or approximately 48") but it 
>doesn't seem to have caught on.

Indeed, although there seems to be two more common sized headscales. 
Most European made pianos use 1230, which seems to be another case of 
the rest of the world cloning the Hamburg S&S protocol, while a 
number of US makers, certainly Baldwin, have used 1218 as their 
standard (according my measurements at least). The Japanese, and now 
lately the Koreans, seem to have simply fallen into the European line 
with this matter as well. They both build their keyboards to 1230 mm.

>  The last keyset I was asked to lay out had a headscale width of 
>1223 mm. This made the naturals 22.0 mm wide with the gap between 
>them 1.55 mm wide.

A couple of years ago I rebuilt a Baldwin SD-10, and we refitted the 
piano with one of our actions. Rather that use the original keyboard, 
which was poorly made anyhow, I designed a new keyboard for the 
purpose. I used the original 1218 head scale as a starting point.

>  For some unexplained reason key headscales seem to have become a 
>bit wider over the decades and/or centuries. Yet, while I have never 
>received a request from a pianist for a key headscale to be made 
>wider I have had inquiries about making them narrower--though not as 
>narrow as the 7/8-size keyset.

Indeed, I've had several enquiries regarding a smaller keyboard.

>I have laid out a new headscale that I intend to have built Real 
>Soon Now that is 1194.0 mm wide overall, 1173.0 center-to-center. 
>This makes the naturals 21.5 mm wide with a 1.5 mm gap. The gap 
>between C# and D# is 16.5 mm and between F# and G#/G# and A# it is 
>15.8 mm. All pretty standard but reaching a tenth is just a bit 
>easier.
>
>It strikes me as odd that some of the folks possessing the smallest 
>hands build pianos having the widest octave spread. 

A great number of modern pianos are laid out with strike scale widths 
which already require some keystick sets to spread at each end to 
accommodate it. When a smaller-headscale-keyboard is fitted to these 
instruments it makes a bad situation worse, regarding key geometry 
and friction at the balance pin. However, I do still believe that an 
unoccupied niche in the world of pianos is that no manufacturer 
currently offers a smaller keyboard as an option.

Ron O.
-- 
OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY
    Grand Piano Manufacturers
_______________________

Web http://overspianos.com.au
mailto:ron at overspianos.com.au
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