my mouth is still on the floor

[Newton Hunt]

Dear Michelle,

You don't _need_ a visual que.  The ultimate test of an action is it's
consistence of performance.  This essentially means that ALL procedures need to
be done by touch first and sight second.  Not just dip or level, but ALL
operations.  It is by touch it is evaluated it must be touch the way it was
done.

As to jacks to knuckles, the basic criteria is how much the jack rubs on the
knuckle when it is being tripped out by let off.

If you lightly rest a finger upon the shank and use a thumb to move the jack toe
out from under the knuckle (or not knuckle) you can actually feel the amount of
rub there is which is a VERY accurate measure of jack location and engagement
which accommodates different knuckle sizes and locations and will, ultimately
give you a better touch.

Along these same lines, the measure of the height of the rep. lever to the jack
is determined the same way, tripping out the jack and setting rep. lever height
so you can _just_ barely feel the jack rub the knuckle _AND_ the jack can get
back under the knuckle under it's own spring tension.  No guessing, no
measuring, no accidents, no hang-ups.  Works every time and if it doesn't you
need to carefully look as to why it is not working.

Regulating, like so many other things in life, is the art of consistency.  It is
not important if you use 2 mm or 3 mm or 4 mm for letoff, it is only important
that you use the same measurement for every note, unless you are tapering letoff
then there is an art to that as well.  Consistency is more important than
measurements. 

Measurements are great, for a beginning, but actions vary quite a lot so using
measurements for a foundation is great but you must go further to discover,
within certain limits, what works best for that action, then use the same values
across the keyboard.

This is fun isn't it?

		Newton