In a message dated 98-03-12 10:12:13 EST, you write: << It's very possible that the competition piano that I refered to, could have been out of regulation enough that it was difficult to play. >> This is the forum in which it is proper to be candid. You are most likely correct about this, especially if it was a Teflon action. Any number of times I have had people ask me to make their action "heavier" so that they can learn to play on a "heavy" action. This is a perplexing request. The figures you cite are well within the normal range. See my previous post and any others who suggest a longer blow distance and minimum after touch. I'll bet that the touch weight of the piano in question was a good 85 grams or more. Because it is a Steinway, people accept it as a standard in and of itself. Too many people are afraid to try to make any corrections to the "king" of all pianos. If anything, the student who had the difficulty should understand that the piano he had the trouble with was not within normal tolerences. If the counter remark is, "But it was a STEINWAY from XYZ Pianos!" (implying that there could not possibly be anything WRONG with it), it must be made gently known that not every expectation is always fulfilled. Let the customer be assured that you can maintain the piano that is being used presently to the best of all possible standards and that certain things can be done to change the way it sounds and feels but that you can also only go so far before more is being asked from the piano than it can deliver. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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