The Meaning of Key Length

[David Stanwood]

Hi Y'all,

As Ed says Voicing is central also hammer weight.  Overall ratio is 
certainly a major consideration especially in Steinways because it varies so 
much from piano to piano and the culprit is various key ratios (as Terry 
points out) that exist from piano to piano depending on how the plate was 
set and the capstan line positioned.  Then there is front weight (Key leads) 
and the resulting balance weight and don't foget to factor in friction 
weight.  So if all these are the same I suppose we can compare S actions to 
D actions.... Whew!

Perhaps a basic difference that always exists is the fact that as you play 
further back on the key the ratio increases and the leverage decreases the 
closer you get to the balance rail pivot point.  Because the S key is 
shorter this change happens more rapidly than on a D and maybe this effects 
basic quality.

David C. Stanwood


>From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: The Meaning of Key Length
>Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 08:45:39 -0500
>
>Something has been bugging me. Key length. I do not play piano beyond a
>couple cords. My understanding is that, everything else being equal, the
>Steinway D will play/feel better than the Steinway S. The action stack is
>pretty much the same on these two instruments (right?), so the only
>major/significant difference that might explain the better feel is the key
>length.
>
>Key ratios would presumably be similar (keyfront to centerpin
>length/centerpin to capstan length), so there would not be an advantage in
>leverage. The only thing I can identify would be that for the same 3/8" (or
>so) dip in the keystroke there would be less rotational motion in the long
>key and more of an arc traveled in the short key. The increased arc in the
>short key would perhaps cause more friction at the capstan to wippen 
>cushion
>contact point because there would be more front-to-back movement in the
>short key compared to the long key because of the increased arc traveled in
>the short key.
>
>Is this part of the reason? Is there more? Put your thinking caps on and
>explain. Please. Thanks.
>
>Terry Farrell
>Piano Tuning & Service
>Tampa, Florida
>mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
>

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com