key width

[Larry J. Messerly]

This may be due to wanting to make the tail on the D the same width as
the tails on the G and A keys.  There was an article in the Journal some
time back on this and the difficulty of mathematically fitting the 5 key
C-E and the 7 key F-B in the octave.  I have found on all the pianos that
I try that the D tail is larger than the others and have fun pointing
this out to clients who can feel the difference. No ruler needed.

On a side note, I am continually amazed (shouldn't be anymore) that
graphic designers and artists who I believed to be visually oriented,
continually get keyboards wrong.  They seem to want to make the spaces
between the white keys meet the center of the sharps, and this only
happens with the G#.  This makes for some very unplayable  keys for
anyone who would want to play between the sharps instead of on the fronts
of the keys.  Manufacturers of pianos who have graphic designers draw
keyboards are just as bad as others.

Larry Messerly,RPT
Phoenix, Prescott

On Sat, 29 Jan 2000 09:25:05 -0500 "Frank Weston"
<klavier@annap.infi.net> writes:
> On some turn-of-the century Steinways, the width of C# and D# is 
> about
> 5/100" larger than the rest of the sharps.  On some it is not.  
> Don't ask me
> why.  I've discussed this observation with the guys who make 
> keyboards at
> Pianotek and they were aware of it, but could give no reason.  Maybe 
> someone
> else here has an explanation.  And while we're at it, what's the 
> deal with
> tapered sharps?
> 
> Frank Weston
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pianogreig@AOL.COM <Pianogreig@AOL.COM>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: Friday, January 28, 2000 5:53 PM
> Subject: Re: key width
> 
> 
> >Very interesting.  I was aware of the other variances but not of 
> different
> >widths within the octave.  Would you be more specific - as to which 
> ones
> are
> >wider or narrower and by how much and how does it compare to 
> contemporary
> >dimensions.  It must have been intentionally to widen the space for 
> thicker
> >fingers.  Thanks.
> >
> >Bruce Greig, RPT
> >NYC
> >
>