key width

[Clark]

Hi,

A uniform size of natural fronts is desirable, including the spaces between
them. If we take the width of a natural front including an adjacent space,
the Halberstadt-style, chromatic modal topology has seven natural keys before
the occurrence of the octave equivalent of the starting note.

This span divides into two groups, bordered by pairs of adjacent naturals
without raised keys between them (3 and 4 keys). To fit raised keys within
these groups (2 and 3 respectively for a total of 12 keys), the width of the
sharps must be considered as well so that if they are all the same with
uniform natural tail widths in each section, the tail widths are not the same
in both.

Now, uniform sharp width and sectionally uniform tail width is only one of
the possible devices. As mentioned, wider sharps may be employed to reduce
the wide tails in the smaller section; as sometimes observed in antique
keyboards, one very wide tail will allow uniform sharps and equalizes the
remaining tails. Most frequently irregular tail/sharp spacing simply is
masked by an illusion from shadows.

It's all in the D-tails. ;)

Clark

"Name your octave and take it away" - Harry Partch on a maker of enharmonic
harmoniums.