Friends,
This morning I had to dash off to "fix some stuck keys" on a local
piano teachers' Kawai GE-1 grand. I expected that it was the absolute
neglect of action regulation on her part (which when I remind her of
the need to do some work, she says "I'm not going to put any money into
this piano; I'm going to sell it and get a really good piano" -- she's
been saying this for more than 10 years).
Turns out it was just the keyslip binding on some keys. Now, the
dramatic fix that is usually demonstrated in Kawai classes has been
taking the keyslip out, putting on end on the floor, the other on a
bench, and putting one's foot and a good part of one's weight on the
midpoint (inside surface of course), bending it from concave to
straight. I remember Jim Harvey doing this with a big smile on his
face. Somehow it's difficult to pull this off in front of the customer.
Especially when you know that if something nasty happened (CRACK!) to a
Kawai tech like Jim or Don Mannino, they would look so much more self
assured than I, as they intoned ("Hmm, this part doesn't seem to be up
to standard specs -- I'll have another Fedexed out tomorrow ..."),
rather that (me: "OMIGAWD!").
So -- are you all wildly successful with the Controlled Stomp
Technique? My attempts at the whimpy version (one end on the rug, and
pushing hard with one hand) seems rather futile.
This time around I shimmed behind the "shims" (I can't find a proper
name for 'em in Mason's <Piano Parts> -- quick Tom D, what's the name?)
that are attached to the back of the keyslip and are clamped down by
the cheekblocks. I don't recall this ever being suggested as a "proper
repair."
With proper clearance achieved, I could head home & try to enjoy my
Saturday ....
So: what is the Correct Fix?
Patrick Draine
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