[CAUT] lighter touchweight

[Chris Solliday]

"Break away resistance," I'm sure there is a more proper technical term, in
fact I think I remember Jim Ellis or someone floating one in a post or two,
so I apologize for being too busy to do proper research at the moment.
Anyway it is that overcoming of the inertia at rest of the the piano action
necesssary for the player to start the key into motion. This is particularly
felt by the player when more or less than usual amounts of lead are present
in the key, thereby increasing or decreasing the mass in the key. One
extreme is the "accelerated action" weigh off Steinway did for  years and
the other extreme is the use of assist springs to reduce the necessity of
leads. Even more pronounced reduction of this resistance at break away is
felt with the MBA actions.
 We (myself, Piantoek, and few others) are now using only a minimal
involvement of the assist springs due to the fact that it does create an
atypical feel. By only involving the springs 6-8 grams we can still put
enough lead in the key for a close to typical feel at break away and yet get
the control of precision dialing in of the touchweight and a friction
reduction that we like to have. Everything is a trade off in this biz and
over time with experience with a number of good players  both in the
NYC/Philadelphia area and out in Detroit we have developed this approach.
Measuring the friction reduction just supplied an ability to articulate some
part of a  reason for it. But we and "they" sure can feel it. Personally I
like it and "feel" that the more playing I do on such actions the better I
like it. Others are not so inclined and prefer the traditional. Just getting
a good marriage of R and SW, nailing the geometry, controlling friction and
supplying a consistent touch weight is usually "atypical" enough to shock
most players. David Stanwood once received the criticism/compliment(??) that
the action was "too smooth." Go figure.
Chris Solliday
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Brekne" <ricb at pianostemmer.no>
To: <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 3:23 AM
Subject: [CAUT] lighter touchweight


> Ah, then I see we are pretty much on the same page after all.  Swiss
> cheesing the whippens seems like a lot of trouble to go through for
> nearly (if not so) neglible affect unless one has some other reason to
> remove the whippens anyways.  Springs get much more into this friction
> issue, but have a touch-wise side affect that some may find ... we'll
> use the word you chose... atypical.
>
> Break away resistance... I am still unsure of what you mean by this...
> has to be a dynamic componet I suppose.... can you expound a bit ?
>
> As far as the Nordic.  I'll see what I can do. Norway has three more
> years before its our turn to arrange again, but perhaps the Danes can be
> coaxed next year.  It would be cool.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
>
>     Ric,
>      you are right the difference is small when only removing WW but
>     much more
>     so with assist springs, which I may have mentioned in my previous
>     posts on
>     the subject. Is it as much as other removers/affecters? no. Does it
>     (use of
>     springs) cause an atypical feel from that loss of friction and less
>     break
>     away resistance (with less lead/key mass)? yes.
>     As for Nordic you have only to ask.
>     C