Mahaffey lever

[barre46@ibm.net]

Hello Ken,

I'll try to describe how to use the Mahaffey lever for fine tuning. You used the
term, "flip the lever" and that gave me the idea of how to describe this.

Hold the tip firmly on the tuning pin with the heel of your hand and use your
wrist and fingers to rotate the lever and bump the stop. A hard bump moves the
pin more than a soft one (obvious). With practice you can move the tuning pin in
very small increments which results in fine tuning. This very same technique
will work on grands but it does seem to take more practice.

I hope this makes sense

Norm Barrett
Memphis, TN

Ken Burton wrote:

>             Fabrizio,
>
>             This unusual tuning lever is designed so that the whole head and
> tip can rotate 50 or 60 degrees with a solid stopping mechanism at both ends
> of the rotation. The handle is often weighted.
>             You use the lever by holding the handle at or near the head with
> the handle pointing upwards (only useable on vertical pianos.) Then, by
> twisting your wrist, you flip the handle left or right, causing it to bump
> against the stops. These impacts cause the tuning pin to turn clockwise or
> counter-clockwise.
>             I have been asking for suggestions about using this type of
> lever in fine tuning. However, I have not had many responses and my
> impression is still that this lever is an unlikely prospect for fine tuning.
> I am working on an electric impact tuning lever but the development process
> is moving very slowly.
>                         Ken Burton "Doctor Piano" Calgary Alberta
>                                    kwburton@cadvision.com
>
> >