At 05:18 PM 5/7/2006 -0500, you wrote: >Conrad, What is a thumper? Is that something used to strike the key? >Marshall >----- Original Message ----- From: "Conrad Hoffsommer" <hoffsoco at luther.edu> >To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> >Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 3:35 PM >Subject: Re: Loss and Piano Tuning ( was: hearing etc.) Folks, My "thumper" is philosophically different than Farrell's. My left hand isn't large enough to hold his type and play an octave without doing a nasty tone cluster. (forsooth, my span is only an octave) Mine started life as simply a thumper to check key bedding and soundboard integrity. I morphed it into something more useful after my carpal surgeries. What I do is to hold it as shown until it's thumping time, then (first letting go of the tuning hammer) do a karate chop to the key. Enroute the key, I change the grip from pinky to thumb and forefinger. When the key is struck, my hand slides down the dowel (which has lead weighting in it). This means that the force of the blow is taken by the thumper _not_ my wrist. Sorry I didn't have my wristband on for the picture to show my full "road warrior" regalia... ;-} It is simply a 5/8" x 5" dowel with a chunk of hammerfelt on the end, partially bored out and lead weighted (I had some 1/4' weights laying around at the time). You can also see that a ball ended tuning handle won't work for me. As they say, "different strokes for different folks". YMMV -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: P1000095.JPG Type: application/octet-stream Size: 149571 bytes Desc: not available Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20060508/a709e727/attachment-0001.obj -------------- next part -------------- Conrad Hoffsommer - Keyboard Technician Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045 1-(563)-387-1204 // Fax 1-(563)-387-1076 - Right now, I'm hoping to live until my age matches my golf score, - Until then, I'll have to be content to have my IQ match my handicap.
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC