7/8 Keyboard, was Piano Horse

David M. Porritt dporritt@swbell.net
Sun Feb 4 12:23 MST 2001


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Horace:

You send the original keyboard with the action stack to DS Keyboards, and
he makes a new keyboard and returns both to you.  You can simply substitute
one keyboard for the other whenever you want.  The alignment and fit are
quite amazing when you consider he has the keyboard but not the piano.
Check out his web page at http://www.dskeyboards.com/

Each keyboard is made specifically for 1 piano.  There are simply too many
variations to make a keyboard that will fit other pianos.  One added plus,
he analyzes the keyboards for geometry problems, so you can send him an
action that plays like a truck (as I did) and he'll return you a smaller
keyboard with corrected geometry.  The action I sent him had MANY leads in
the keys, and played very heavy.  The one I got back was really quite nice.
 Because of the geometry problems is was definitely the "second" piano in
this teacher's studio and seldom used.  Now it is heavily used.

I'm quite impressed with the work he does.  He holds a patent on the way he
compensates for the extreme key flair that becomes necessary to align the
narrow keys with the full stack.  It works very well.  

Do check out the web page.  It is quite informative.

dave
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On 2/2/01 at 9:44 AM Horace Greeley wrote:

Dave,

This is most interesting, I would like to send along some appropriate
information to a few teachers I know out here.  Can you let me/us know
more? Since this is aftermarket, in a sense, does the keyset care what kind
of piano it goes into (well, ok, generally, anyway)?

Also, stuff like, did you do the fitting on the B?etc.

Thanks!

Horace

At 11:32 AM 2/2/2001 -0600, you wrote:

Horace:
 
Actually, Danny didn't have anything to do with our 7/8 keyboard.  We got
it from DS Keyboards just this year.  David Steinbuhler is trying to
promote the concept of smaller keyboards for people with small hands, and
hopes recital venues will sometime get alternate keyboards for their
concert instruments.  We are already contemplating one for one of our "D"s.
 
 
We are the first University to have one of these, and this teacher is doing
a lot of research on how it affects players, how they adjust to it, how
they cope with going back and forth with full sized keyboards, how it
affects physical strain on the hands and arms, etc.  It's an interesting
project.  She is going to be teaching for a week at our summer campus in
Taos, NM, bringing 3 pianos with reduced keyboard to that campus for the
week.  I've suggested that I should go for the week to take care of the
pianos etc., but I don't think they are taking me seriously!  Oh well!  
 
I hope we can get a "D" reduced keyboard, but first we have to do some fund
raising on that.  
 
dave
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On 2/2/01 at 8:45 AM Horace Greeley wrote: 
Dave,


So, having just given Danny a sound, and, I might add, richly deserved
thrashing, about I recommend that he get you another 7/8 machine?
Perferably, a D.


Fact is, different attempts have come and gone over the years with this
problem.  None of them have been overly successful.  Obviously, part of
that is that there has not been the market push behind it that there is
now.  At the same time, the wunderkindlein do need to remember that, unless
there name is something like "Kissin", they are not going to be in a
position to do much except play whatever they find on stage - and, they
need to just learn to live with that truth.


And, no, none of us have any business moving pianos.  What we can do is one
thing.  What we should do (personally and/or professionally) is something
else again.


Best.


Horace






At 10:18 AM 2/2/2001 -0600, you wrote:
We have a reduced size keyboard piano that several students are working on.
 It is a Steinway "B" in a teacher's studio.  Naturally, these students
want to do their recitals on it so we're looking at moving it from the
studio to the recital hall 2 or 3 times a semester.  
 
I have scrupulously avoided anything that even looks like piano moving in
the past, calling professionals when we have had a need.  Fortunately we
have lots of professional movers here in Dallas, and we haven't moved
pianos all that much.  This 7/8 keyboard changes all that. 
 
Do any of you use the "piano horse" that I've seen at conventions?  Is it a
practical thing to consider?  Can one person really move a piano with one?
Can an out-of-shape 61 year old consider doing this? 
 
Help!!!!! 
 
dave




David M. Porritt 
dporritt@swbell.net 
Meadows School of the Arts 
Southern Methodist University 
Dallas, TX 75275

 



David M. Porritt
dporritt@swbell.net
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275


David M. Porritt
dporritt@swbell.net
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275


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