[CAUT] Lighter Touchweight

[David Love]

All these things should indeed be checked out.  However, I'm seeing a
tendency in this thread to address the customer complaint of too heavy an
action by pursuing certain perceptual tricks (adding dip, making the piano
brighter, etc.) which may end up to be chasing the untamed ornithoid, as it
were.  Granted, there is not quite enough information in the original post
to make a real diagnosis, but assuming the voicing is where they want it,
the regulation is correct for that action (increasing the dip may result in
excess aftertouch and increasing the blow distance to compensate will only
increase the resistance at the outset of the keystroke), and damper timing
is correct (which they can also test by seeing if the action still feels
heavy when they play with the sustain pedal engaged), then it just might be
that the problem is as the customer reports--the action is too heavy for
them.  If that's the case, then the choices are 1.) add lead if the front
weights are not already too high so as to adversely affect inertia--though
reducing the DW by four grams means a small lead about halfway between the
balance rail and key front which is not likely to adversely impact
inertia--and assuming, as it sounds, that there is adequate upweight. 2.)
Take weight off the hammers but the amount of weight needed to be removed
will affect the tone and is probably too much and too sloppy a way to go
anyway. 3.) Adjust the leverage which will lower the touchweight, have the
benefit of increasing the dip without increasing the blow distance, allow
you to possibly remove lead which will lower the inertia and possibly (in my
experience with those pianos) put the capstan/wippen flange center line in a
better place.  

Some more in depth analysis and questions to the customer are in order, to
be sure, but I would be cautious about wasting the customer's time and money
by assuming that they can be tricked into thinking the action is lighter by
pursuing some more obscure avenue to address the problem.  While that may
work once in awhile, my experience says that when a customer says the action
is too heavy and the piano is otherwise in good order, most of the time,
it's too heavy--at least for them.  The danger in going this other route is
that you may end up with a piano that is still heavy but now is too bright
and poorly regulated on top of it.

Getting to the heart of the matter can usually be done with some in depth
questions and discussion with the customer combined with some accurate
measurements which will better outline what exists as well as the available
options.    

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of James
Ellis
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:14 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lighter Touchweight

I have been reading the mail, reluctant to weigh in, but now I will.

Jeff, the static measurements you mention look good to me, and you say the
friction is low.  I would be very slow about making any drastic changes
like moving capstans, or anything like that.  Don Mannino and Alan McCoy
make some good points.  Ric Brekne is correct too when he says your window
for damper lift timing is narrow.  But if damper lift is significantly too
early, that will contribute to the heavy feel, especially if the upstop
rail to too high, and the pianist feels the damper rebound on the keys.
Tight damper guide bushings and tight underlevers will also contribute.

What is too often not understood is that two different parameters are at
play here - "static" and "dynamic".  Static has to do with those key weight
measurements.  Dynamic has to do with the inertia in the whole system.  The
two are related, but not the same thing by any means.

In this particular case, if you lighten the down-weight very much, you may
be in trouble with insufficient up-weight, and you may not be addressing
the actual problem either.  

I'm not sure there is a problem.  It just may be that the pianist wants
something that is not proctical to provide, without giving up something
else he wants to keep.

Sincerely, Jim Ellis