Unison Width - was stability issue

[thepianoarts]

Hi Roger,

This is some interesting stuff...

Soft sholders vs soft crown

    I think there is an exception to your rebond theory. The voicing method
of needling the crown of a hammer, (common practice I think)  will soften
the face of the hammer, where it contacts the wire.  (Think in ultra slow
motion)  It will contact the wire, compress, un-goosh, and then go south.
While it is un-gooshing, some of these higher frequencies are killed, by the
fact that the 'soft' hammer is still touching the wire. I agree that a
softer sholdered hammer may rebound more quickly.  (To my detrement, I am
not a practiced shoulder voicer, and I have yet to steam voice.)

     A harder hammer, gooshes and un-gooshes less. It may rebound slower, as
you suggest, but I don't think the hammer face is on the wire longer.
    
    Compare a wooden mallet hitting a drum, and a wooden mallet covered with
leather hitting a drum.
     The bare 'drum stick' snaps off of the drum quickly. The leather
covered stick acts like a shock absorber. (It seems that the softer drum
stick could both rebound quicker, but actually stay on the surface of the
drum longer than the harder stick.)
   
   Shoulder voicing, and softer shouldered hammers fit your description
well. Steam voicing to the crown though, would seem to have an effect
somewhat related to crown needle voicing, with the added effect of a more
broad but subtle softenng of the complete crown area, where the steam has
reached. 
    Lots of good stuff Roger! Thanks for your chart.

 Dan wrote...
> In the mean time...softening a hammer, allows it to linger-longer on the
> wire before rebounding...Yes?
> 
Roger wrote in response...
> I don't think so,  a softer hammer will flex at the shoulders and aid the
> rebound.
> Kind of like comparing a base ball and tennis ball, thrown against a brick
> wall.
> The tennis ball will rebound faster and farther.