Drop

[Bradley M. Snook]

> > >-A larger amount of drop will increase the chances of the hammers
checking
> > >properly, which also allows for springs to be set slightly higher.
>
> hmmm.

Try it out: once the action is in good condition, watch what happens when
the drop is slightly raised or lowered. An excessively high drop will
generally not check at ppp, but once the drop is lowered to a certain point,
it is possible to get the hammer to check at ppp level consistently.


> > > -A small amount of drop will slightly increase repetition (i.e., the
jack
> > >can slip under the knuckle with less return of the key).
>
> Suppose this is right...tho I have always thought of this as << the less
the jack
> travels after reaching escapement, the less distance it has to return >>

Ahh . . . this is slightly different. You are basically talking about
aftertouch. And I think that you are completly correct; the less distance
that the jack travels after escapement, the less distance it has to return
(i.e., then action has the possibility to repeat faster because there is
less distance covered).  This is one of the main reasons that I try and set
the aftertouch to a minimal amount.

But the same idea is true for the drop: with an excessive drop, the jack
will be much higher than the repetition arm. The result is that the key will
need to return a farther distance to allow the jack to reposition itself
under the knuckle.

> If checking is a problem because of too strong a rep spring... then the
whip
> spring is way stronger then I would ever set it anyways. I find pianists
don't
> allow for much push in the key from whip rep springs.... so you don't have
a lot
> you can get away with to begin with.

Would you please explain this further . . . I'm not sure I understand. What
is a whip spring?


> btw... didn't somebody say something to the effect recently that
repetition speed
> was somehow dependant on how far the hammer blow distance left the shank
from the
> rest cushion ? Went by so fast I didn't get time to react really, but
isn't
> "repetition" supposed to happen way before the hammer gets even close to
the
> cushion ?. Anyone care to comment on that one ?

Yes, the quick repetition that most people are talking about deals with a
hammer that never even touches the cushion during repetition. Although,
sometimes pianists will talk about repetition in terms of the quickness of
the key's return.


Bradley M. Snook