[CAUT] F..riction

[Fred Sturm]

On Nov 30, 2010, at 12:11 PM, Zeno Wood wrote:

> It was easier to play the expressive pianissimo on the pianofortes  
> and fortepianos of yesteryear, as those were quieter instruments.   
> Perhaps as pianos got louder and louder and the hammers got heavier  
> and heavier, pianists needed to have the friction thrown in to  
> enable pianissimo playing on instruments that were primed to play  
> loud.


	Well, maybe, but why would that be? The fingers are needing to work  
harder, accelerate more mass, so everything is ramped up. Even to play  
pianissimo requires more oomph, and I guess one could say that the  
amount of difference of touch to produce different levels of tone is  
magnified. But when it comes to producing pianissimo, it really comes  
down to feeling what is the least effort that can be applied (least  
velocity achieved) and actually get a blow (the hammer goes beyond  
escapement to the string). In terms of having "something pressing back  
at you," the weight of the hammer is plenty, no need to add a wee bit  
of friction. (Interesting question: how much does the finger on the  
key feel 4 grams difference in hammerflange friction? How big an  
element is that in comparison with the inertia to be overcome and the  
mass to be accelerated?)
	In any case, assuming let off is set close enough, I personally have  
no problem achieving the lightest pianissimo (tending to be almost  
inaudible on recordings) with low friction. I'm sure it has to do with  
what any given pianist is accustomed to, but I think I can say  
positively that it isn't cut and dried, that "friction is necessary  
for control" is not an absolute truth.
	The far bigger difference between the early Viennese piano and that  
of today, from the point of view of "expression," is ratio. Far  
smaller differences in "touch" produced far larger differences in  
velocity, which means a wider tonal palette. The power of weight comes  
at a cost.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Twain