Key Height

[Isaac OLEG SIMANOT]

Well, why not, but the action on its way down helps the repetition (the key
may go up).

And fast repetition is something done a little before half blow if possible.

So I believe it is important to have the minimal friction at half blow (in
grand as in vertical)

All un proved self thinking.

Regards.

Isaac OLEG

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]De la part
> de Phillip Ford
> Envoyé : mardi 7 mai 2002 20:44
> À : pianotech@ptg.org
> Objet : Re: Key Height
>
>
> >X-Sender: delacour@mail.freenetname.co.uk
> >Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 21:26:26 +0100
> >To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >From: John Delacour <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk>
> >Subject: Re: Key Height
> >
> >The alignment at half-blow I have described is traditional and accepted
> >practice.  It has often occurred to me that it might be better
> to have the
> >points aligned not at half-blow but at key rest, since the frictional
> >forces are generally many times greater when the key is first
> struck than
> >at half-blow.  According to the accepted practice, the sliding motion is
> >greatest when the frictional force is at its maximum.
>
> >JD
>
> John,
>
> I've had the same thought.  It seems that you might want the minimum
> starting, or breakaway friction, even if it means accepting more friction
> later in the keystroke.  It seems to me that the pianist's sense of the
> keystroke might be something like pulling a trigger.  There is an initial
> load which gets greater as the damper is picked up and gets greater still
> as letoff is engaged until, pop, you snap through the letoff and
> the hammer
> has been 'fired'.  If you have a relatively smooth increase in
> force as the
> key is going down it would be controllable.  If you have an initial
> starting force, which then drops off suddenly, and then builds back up
> again, I would think that this would be harder to control.  So,
> having the
> action geometry set up to give minimum friction at the start of the
> keystroke might be a desirable thing.  One consequence of this
> may be more
> wear on the action, as there would be more rubbing at the friction
> points.  But this might be a price that the pianist is willing to
> pay for a
> better feeling action.
>
> Phil F
>
>
>