Why not? If the 7/8 keyboard can become an alternative standard, why not the 9/8? If other temperaments can be used and other materials for manufacturing, doesn't this all lead to more business for everyone? Never dwell on the idea that it "can't be done". Once any of these ideas get going and accepted, there will be more demand for it. I say, give the people with small hands or large hands as the case may be, a keyboard they can work with. If enough of them reach the elite competition level, there will be a piano to accommodate them. One day soon, there will be a famous artist who plays one of these smaller or larger keyboards. The beauty of learning other temperaments is that sooner or later, they will be in demand rather than just a curiosity. I'm waiting for the day when I don't hear that tired old excuse, "No artist ever asked for anything but Equal" anymore. Kawai has demonstrated that plastic action parts can work and even be superior to wooden ones. I have always heard that a synthetic soundboard just won't work. I predict we will be hearing about one sometime within the next ten years. Bill Bremmer RPT
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC