pianoforte hammers

[Richard Moody]

The "hollow paper" hammers of the Christofori is an absolute intrigue
to me.  How did he ever come up with the idea?   Nothing but solid
objects had been used in striking strings, or so I would suppose.  It
is strange enough that the dulcimer strikers are thin and look like
wooden feathers.  Yet I have never heard of keyboard striking
instruments using that formation.  There is scant evidence that the
earliest strikers were simply modified harpsichord  jacks that had no
tangents but were blunt sticks propelled to the strings when the key
reached its dip,  left the key and bounced off of the string.
    One would think  after the clavichord an inventor would think to
propell the tangent to strike the string rather than leaving it
connected to the end of the key.
    I think from  the dulcimer players a "hammer" on a swinging shank
was the inspiration for Christofori.  But how did he get to a hollow
hammer from a thin wooden "feather" ?
     Interesting that a toy piano of today uses a wooden ball on a
ribbon projected from the end of the key.  It doesn't block, nor
blubber.  I wonder why it took so long to think of this?    ---ric



----- Original Message -----
From: Clark <caccola@net1plus.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 8:22 AM
Subject: Re: pianoforte hammers


| Hi,
|
| Two pals put covered hollow dowels to their pseudo Hubbard fp
(pseudo
| Stein?) which I think sounds nicer - brighter - than most
reproductions
| I've heard. Though I'm not sure of the historical authenticity of
what
| inspired this change, a recording where somebody did this to a '30s
| Pleyel piccolo...
|
|
| Clark