More dip in bass

[Bill Ballard]

At 8:28 PM -0400 8/15/02, Phil Bondi wrote:
>Bill, I am under the impression that aftertouch is the 'result of', not
>something that is able to be regulated.
>
>    <snip>
>
>Your idea, unless I'm reading it wrong, tells me that what I have been lead
>to believe might not be true.

You'll be happy to discover that aftertouch can be read directly and 
thus regulated.  Pick, say a 0.50" paper FR punching, and cut a slot 
in it so that it can be slid straight into place on a FR pin. Now 
with the paper punching in place on a given note, slowly push through 
the dip, which has now had 0.050" robbed from it. Notice how hard (or 
easy) it is to get the key far enough down to push the jack (and 
hammershank) through let-off. Through, mind you and no further. That 
is just until you see the hammer stop its upward motion, and "drop". 
If aftertouch is too thin, it will take enormous pressure to get the 
hammer past let-off. If aftertouch is too fat, the hammershank, 
having "dropped"  will continue to rise until the key bottoms out. 
Remember what you're observing now is the behavior of a hammer being 
pushed through let-off with 0.050" dip (and aftertouch) removed.

In this process , aftertouch is adjusted by adding/removing FR paper 
punchings to achieve a consistent feel of pushing the key through 
let-off on a stroke that is 0.050" short. Consistent aftertouch is a 
matter of memorizing the feel of the pressure required to move the 
part through (but no further than) let-off. Each time you remove the 
0.050" punching (after adding/removing punchings to taste), you have 
created a consistent amount of aftertouch, regardless of the actual 
dip.

Blow priority, dip priority? Actually there are three players in 
this, aftertouch being the third. But you can only set two of them. 
So, for the reasons earlier mentioned, I start with a standard blow 
(doing at least one pass on the complete regulation), and then set in 
my standard aftertouch. The dip will be what it will be. But I'd 
rather put any error in the dip instead of the aftertouch. Blow and 
aftertouch can be set independently of each other, but dip is the 
result of blow, aftertouch and action leverage.

I first saw this demonstrated by Bill Garlick in a Steinway grand 
action regulation class in '87, and seem to remember hearing it also 
in Laroy Edwards' Yamaha grand action class. If I thought, Phil, that 
you were the only one in the world who didn't know about this, I 
would have described it to you privately. You needn't feel lonely. <g>

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.

"Lydia thinks she knows everything, and Lyle thinks he owns the place"
     ...........The outgoing staff technician to the new guy, 
concerning the resident artiste/pianist and the Chief Custodian
+++++++++++++++++++++