Stéphane Collin

[Isaac OLEG]

Stéphane ,

First let me insist on one fact, very important, you may absolutely be
able to regulate the key frame with the correct (even and minimal or
medium) pressure , or weight, of the action on the keybed (balance
rail). You may be able to lift the balance with the bedding screws
with 2 fingers (with a little hurting in the fingers), and hear a
light knock while lightly tapping on the capsule with one or 2 fingers
(springy feel in the fingers).  No bumping, you can roughly check with
the palm of your hand, the sensation is more pushing fast on the
keyframe than knocking on it. Then, for a fine tuning of the balance
and the bedding, push lightly on the left pedal, and bump with your
fist on the stretcher, if you hear a rattle, check where it come from
by lightly putting your finger on the different bedding screws, or
different parts of the frame. You can find and suppress all the
knocking, and obtain then the perfect bedding). Without that a good
regulation is not possible. The frame is often warping a little with
time, I always check it before a tuning.

While regulating your bedding, check the key height, and the dip,
sometime compromising is necessary, but if you have too much pressure
on the frame, the tone will be closed more , if not enough pressure it
will be weak.

Some lousy techs use that condition if the hammers are too hard, to
open the tone, at the detriment of the touch.
On the other side they sometime put way too much pressure on the frame
with shot hammers, to give a "whip" effect.

After 4 years working on these lousy regulations, I finally checked
pianos regulated by a real master, and have some good clearing done by
Andre, so I absolutely know what is (a perfect) good touch now.
If your frame is not bedded well, the tone will be bad, you will try
to correct it with voicing and it will not work.

THE DROP IS RELATED TO JACKS POSITION (& LETOFF) THESE DETERMINE WHAT
YOUR DROP WILL BE.

So the drop 'shows the truth about the precedent regulations.

I regulate the drop screw from above so it stop the lever when the
jack begin to move off the roller ( You can feel the jacks move
beginning ). If I feel the jack bumping on the roller I am gone too
far.

If the drop is more than the letoff dimension you can begin to check
the jack's position. A rule of thumb drop=letoff.

Drop lower = more friction, but sometime you may allow low drop low
letoff because the hammers are too short. I've seen pianos with a good
touch while letoff at 0.4 mm because then it happened in the friction
zone (remember the line between hammer pin and whippen pin) If the
drop & letoff can't be felt pianists are more prone to play wrong
notes.

Having the drop happening too early will lighten adversely the touch,
while when you regulate it slowly you feel than you have a clear hard
spot, when playing it is too light.


Then I can check slowly the letoff moment and ascertain there is no
play before drop moment and letoff beginning moment.
That is better understandable with your own fingers than your brain,
as I noticed when asking detailed explanations to Andre an innumerous
number of times (thanks for all Antares).

What Andre explained me that was really useful is to "count" one -two
(one for jack's contact, two for drop contact, and synchronize them)
The difficulty is to keep that feeling , as the hammer may go up
slowly and regularly for that job. You can go really slow but it is
tiring, if you do that by feel you can regulate all the keyboard very
quick, then do a second pass to refine.
All in all that may take less than 1/2 hour.

You may compare with neighboring keys when regulating, that means
having one key down (without too much press ion) , and moving the
neighbor for regulation. Then you catch immediately little
differences, and correct on the fly jack's position or letoff, so you
may have your tools at hand.

Don't compress the punching when regulating drop, that is the feel,
the good drop shows the hammer opening at letoff !

More after touch means too more spring compression, depending of the
hammer weight, the pinning,  it is sometime necessary.

The way the hammer "land" show you (visually) if your drop is well
regulated, but you may have a somewhat good springs tension, not too
much play in the lever window (enough to see the hammer move when the
jack reengage (too much move, not enough play), perfectly even white
keys dip, and roughly check, even if the hammer does not go in check
usually when regulating drop, but because you may check some notes and
that the checking may not be really off then.

Anyway, actually : first pass by feel 1---2 >> 1--2 1-2 1-1 , some
tweaking on jacks position, , window play, letoff, when too much or
too little. Then a second pass to refine, after the after touch have
been evened and regulated for the sharps. The drop is always moving so
don't worry too much about it on the first pass, it is easier the
second time, but the first pass when well done is enough before a
tuning for example.

Checking after touch is checking the move of the jack disengaged, so
you first bottom the key clearly without hammer in check (slow
enough), and then you regulate the freeness of the key at its bottom
( up and down) that freeness is the move of the jack back and forth,
one side the key is bottom, the other side the jack touch the roller.

If your drop have been well regulated you obtain what is called "clear
touch". Even on old actions we may look for that.

For a long time I concentrate on a stop moment in hammer travel  ,
thinking it was the desired sensation.

In fact the more important sensation I believe is that you have only
one point of beginning for the friction, generally if the stop is too
much felt under the key, if you check the beginning of the hammer
letoff you will discover that the drop  is limiting the lever before
the jack moves. Looking at the hammer movement is more precise in this
case that feeling under the finger, as when regulating, we don't play
with enough speed the key.

It is useful not to Teflon knuckles before the end of the regulation,
as to keep a good feel of the jacks friction.

Hope that helps.

Isaac OLEG





> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De la
> part de Stéphane Collin
> Envoyé : mercredi 18 septembre 2002 10:12
> À : Pianotech
> Objet : Regulate by feel (was : Bechstein grand spread dimension)
>
>
> Thank you David.
>
> Am I right assuming that the more drop, the more and for
> longer time friction between the jack and the knuckle ?  Is
> it this friction that you feel when regulating drop ?
> While we are on that subject, do you regulate let off by
> feel also, or with a gauge ?
>
> Just another thaught : I sometimes feel that good touch
> feel is playing against good performance.  I.e. : I think I
> can achieve much better repetition when reducing aftertouch
> (but loosing the good feeling of the notch).  Or, I can
> achieve a better touch when completely disabling the
> repetition spring (but loosing repetition performance).  I
> also feel that pianists are more often disturbed by hard
> touch feel, than by poor repetition.  Many times, when I
> chose to favor the quick repetition to the extreme,
> pianists don't even notice that (even very good ones).
> This makes me favor indeed the feel approach that you
> recommend, and makes me want to develop my abilities in
> that direction.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Stéphane Collin.
>
> try this : alt + 0233
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Andersen" <bigda@gte.net>
> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 7:35 AM
> Subject: Re: Bechstein grand spread dimension,
>
>
> | >Can I ask you how you define a good aftertouch ? By feel
> at the key ? by
> | >precise measuring (at the key or at the jack) ?
> |
> |  By feel at the key.  The "notch" has a certain,
> unmistakable good
> | feeling when it is "right."
> | Drop, regulated properly, has a crucial effect on a good
> feeling in the
> | "notch," or aftertouch.
> | Drop is also something i regulate both visually, but
> mostly by feel.
> | Regulation is a web of interacting sensations in "test mode" that
> | translate into evenness and pleasure of touch. Every
> aspect of regulation
> | has an effect on the eventual feel of the instrument, and
> that's why you
> | can't drop anything out , and why one should challenge
> oneself to focus
> | on every regulation step on every note.  This is easier
> when you focus on
> | a feeling, sound, or visual, rather than doing the
> protocol "on automatic"
> | and focusing your attention on your thoughts.
> |
> | Another David---David Andersen
> | _______________________________________________
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> |
>
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