Coloration (was: String breakage)

[Ron Nossaman]

Hi Jon,

Here's my 1 1/2 cents. What I'm thinking here seems a little off the wall,=
 but it might be a factor. In the last years of the Aeolian dy-nasty and in=
 low-end Kimballs (I know, I know) the letoff rail brackets in verticals=
 were so flimsy that it was possible to block hammers with the letoff set at=
 over 1/8". This didn't happen with a straight finger blow, but rather when=
 striking octaves. There was something about the resilient pressure of=
 fingers spread out like that that kept the jack buried in the butt deeply=
 enough to deflect the whole letoff rail enough for the hammer to block=
 solidly. Maybe the power curve is important after all. Back to grands. The=
 hammer shanks will=20flex quite a bit when played, according to an old slow=
 motion film that's knocking about somewhere. The terminal velocity of a=
 hammer can be identical whether the power was applied with a smooth=
 acceleration, through a long stroke, or a short chop. I would think the=
 tone coloration could be considerably affected by technique as it relates=
 to how the shank is flexing under power. Understrike, overstrike, scrub, or=
 dead square are going to produce slightly different sounds. Whether the=
 differences are enough to account for the observed aural effects, I can't=
 say. I must admit I haven't been following this thread that closely, so I=
 hope I'm not flogging a point that's already=20been raised. If not...=
 comments?

Regards, Ron Nossaman =20

At 08:35 AM 4/13/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Some time ago I had the good fortune to have a teacher retire
>to the Cape. His B needed regulating and I needed lessons.
>He had traveled to either London or Paris in the '20's to study
>with Tobias Matthey to learn his technique.  It was amazing the
>variations produced by articulation. He had no explaination of
>why playing the note a certain way changed the shape, he just
>gave me the technique which has facilitated my playing. I am not
>a great player but I sound like one on the few meager pieces I play.
>As I recall the method is controlling speed of key decent. (It's not
>how hard or light you press the key, but how fast or slow to control
>volume). Plam springs are another element, having your finger on
>the key before you play it (tricky),  rolling your hand thru... There's
>a lot to it, I can't remember it all right now, I need practice.
>
>Perhaps if this question were brought to rmmp, the teachers
>and pianophiles there may have better insight.
>Jon Page
>Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>At 02:02 PM 4/12/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>> From: Kenneth W. Burton <kwburton@freenet.calgary.ab.ca>
>>> 	I have wondered if the differences could be accounted for
>>>by the fact that the hammer may be accelerating in speed as it
>>>strikes the string or decelerating in it speed. Perhaps this possibility,
>>>along with widely differing rates of acceleration and deceleration may
>>>provide the answer.
>>>=20
>>Interesting point.  Once again the laws of physics must be
>>considered.  Perhaps the hammer is actually decelerating since it
>>lets off.  When the force that causes acceleration ceases, I think
>>you begin deceleration at that moment.  Maybe someone from physics
>>101 can say.=20
>>	But suppose a decelerating hammer made a difference, could you
>>control it? To decelerate you first have to accelerate.  Maybe then
>>the let off should be 12.5 mm instead of 2.5 eh?      --x(-;=DE =20
>>
>>
>>
>
>Jon Page
>Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>=09
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> Ron Nossaman