aftertouch/front rail punchings

[Delwin D Fandrich]

dpitsch wrote:

>  Del, when you mentioned that the key level must be exact, do you level the sharps to
> the naturals, using a specified height that the sharps are to be higher at rest than the
> naturals?
> Or are we speaking of even key level measured behind the sharps, all keys the same
> height as measurement with a straight edge.  Maybe there is a 3rd way key leveling can
> be accomplished.  I would love to hear what different ways there are for different
> technicians.

Well, I was actually referring to all of the naturals being exactly the same level and all
of the sharps being exactly the same level. Relative to each other. But now that you
mention it, unless there is some compelling reason to do otherwise, I usually set the
height of the sharps -- at the front end -- to be 12.0 mm above the top of the naturals.
The sharps on new Steinway actions with their 10.7+ mm key dip specification would get set
to 12.5 mm.

I don't particularly care what is taking place behind the sharps. No one ever plays the
keys back there. The key cover always seems to get in the way. (Although, come to think of
it -- maybe that's why those key covers always get so scratched up....)



> On your comment not being able to feel small differences in aftertouch, all else in the
> action being correct, I disagree.  I'm not that good of a performer, but even I can tell
> when playing + - 0.005.  Am I alone here in picking these differences up?

Again, I have to ask. Are you feeling the variation in key dip or in aftertouch. They are
not at all the same thing. I've known many pianists that could feel very slight
differences in key dip -- or, more properly, key travel or key stroke -- but not so with
aftertouch. Except, perhaps, when testing the action very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that
the hammer is not actually striking the string. Once the key, and the associated action
parts are traveling fast enough so that the hammer is actually able to strike the strings
and produce meaningful music, the tactile feedback from the jack tripping out from
underneath the knuckle kind of gets lost in the confusion of all of the other motions and
bumps and things that are taking place with the key and the action. I still maintain that
it is the total amount of key dip, or key travel, that is being felt. And when it comes to
key travel, many pianists are very sensitive indeed.

Del