STIFFER ACTION

[Richard Brekne]

Brian...

Things are a bit more complicated then just asking whether or not you 
can increase touchweight... get a stiffer action... or whatever. Of 
course you can change the touchweight and playing characteristics of an 
action. Doing so purposefully requires insight and information about the 
existing action configuration together with the players own evaluation 
of how the instrument feels.  Often enough you have to use your insight 
into action performance to prod the customer for more information.  
Diagnostics and communication skills are key points here.

First thing I would suggest is doing a basic touchweight evaluation.  
Measure UW and DW,  hammer strike weight (SW), whippen radius weight 
(WRW), key front weight and ratio  (FW), & (KR) are the quantities for a 
grand.  This will give you (and us) a great deal of information from 
which to draw conclusions with in order to help your customer find that 
touch she is after.

Cheers
RicB


Brian Doepke wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I have a customer who claims that her touchweight is too light and is
>asking if there is a way to change the feel of the piano so the keys
>"don't go down as easy".  ( she did not use the word "touchweight", she
>does not know what that is)
>
>I have read past articles in the Journal and all I have found is
>information regarding repining places in the whippen.
>
>Is that ALL I need to look at ...or are there other ways to change the
>feel?
>
>BD
>
>  
>