Letoff vs. drop

[BobDavis88@aol.com]

>The other thing I've noticed is
>that perfecting the relationship between drop and let-off is probably more
>important than having the let-off at the "optimum" point. I set drop so
>that, with the key fully depressed, the hammer rises (during aftertouch)
>to the point of let-off.

I agree with Steve Brady on the first part of this, but I think "drop"
regulation can be used for subtle touch differences.

Referring to Bill Garlick's "ghosting" method of setting letoff, Charles Ball
wrote, "you first push the key down to the let-off point, so that there is
little momentum, and then "click" it on through let-off."  Actually, what we
are usually feeling is the drop screw contact rather than the letoff contact.
While a subtle distinction, this is an important one. Yamaha's design
approach is that the drop screw touches the balancier at the same time the
jack heel contacts the regulating button. On Steinways, this is practically
impossible if the drop is to be set below the letoff, so changing the drop
screw contact changes the "snappiness" at the bottom of a soft stroke.

Drop regulation is often spoken of in terms of the final resting place of the
hammer, but I  think more important is the contact timing of the drop screw
on the way down (on a very soft blow). For instance, if the letoff is set at
1/16 and the drop at 1/8, increasing the aftertouch either by shortening the
blow or increasing the dip will, of course, make the hammer higher at the end
of the stroke, necessitating lowering the drop screw. But the important part
of this is that the drop screw now contacts earlier, making the letoff feel
springier (or spongier, depending on your point of view). Decreasing the
aftertouch will put the jack and drop screw contacts closer together,
decreasing the feel of resistance at letoff and making a longer letoff feel
like it's happening closer to the string. This is not splitting hairs - I
have made changes in this for artists who liked a certain feel at the bottom
of the stroke when they play soft. It doesn't take very long and can make
quite a difference.

Bob Davis
Stockton, CA