Stanwood Standards

[Bill Ballard]

At 8:49 PM +0200 4/8/03, Richard Brekne wrote:
>Seems like there are a lot of folks who are spending a good deal of 
>energy trying to find reasons why the Stanwood system, or his set of 
>standards do not work, or are erroneous in relation to some other 
>perspectives, or why its worthless. Most of the criticisms I've seen 
>are really based on too little understanding of Stanwood Touchweight 
>Design to begin with.

Folks who haven't been through the entire system may also find it 
easy to echo some of the earliest detractors of David's system. Bill 
Spurlock was right to point out that the friction adjust shank should 
in no way replace good, clean and thorough action prep. But by not 
spending a few days with an action thus equipped, Bill missed the 
chance to explore the real role of friction in an action, and the 
response of real pianists to incremental changes in friction offered 
by this modification.

The friction control shank was one of many logical extensions which 
David pursued. Others didn't make a freckle of a difference (large 
countersinks in rep bodies, and the substitution of upright hammer 
butt felts for grand jack buttons and screws). These got let behind 
as David's explorations drew him to where the real action was (pun 
intended). Unfortunately, the snickers of David's detractors didn't 
get left behind.

The Stanwood System is what it is. Although based on static 
measurements (and easily judged naive by folks with real engineering 
background), it is a complete system, and as logically sound as 
algebra. But it is also the first weight-based system of hanging an 
action around, and that's what I had been waiting for but couldn't 
have guessed at. I've never had a pianist put a complaint about an 
hard-to-play action in linear terms ("Gee, do you think it has 
something to do with the fact that the keys don't go down as deeply 
as they do on pianos which I like to play?"). They always describe it 
in terms of weight. Which I how prefer to measure and correct the 
situation.

As far as a language for describing actions, we've already got a half 
dozen people on this list speaking it.

>Have to ask.... is this a female type physical abuse professional  ?? :)

Is that a trick question or just a question about a trick?

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.

"I go, two plus like, three is pretty much totally five. Whatever"
     ...........The new math
+++++++++++++++++++++