The Feel of Voice

[Richard Brekne]

Jonathan Finger wrote:

> I certainly agree with the psychoacoustics theory that somewhere in the
> brain, sound and touch coincide.  I see this demonstrated frequently
> when after voicing down a piano, a customer thinks that the action feels
> heavier.  Conversely, a brighter piano feels seemingly lighter.
>

I think most every one aggrees.

>
> However, I don't know what I think about a performer being able to feel
> harder hammers vs. softer hammers.   As I said, I certainly think
> voicing affects touch, or at least seems to.  But after escapement, the
> fingertip is no longer in contact with the hammer right?

Wrong.  The only thing that is decoupled at this moment is the jack /
knuckle. The the repetition arm is in contact with the drop screw, and
thereby a direct line to the hammers impact is established. And there are
indirect lines. Probably the actual physical signal sent down the key is
quite small, but measureable.


> At this point
> the hammer's flying under it's own momentum, and you have no control
> over it right?  If this is so (please correct me if I'm missing
> something obvious), how can the density of the hammer be felt through
> the key?  Until the hammer checks, it isn't in direct contact again.

See above, but the other thing is that the shock of imact reverberates
through the shank for a few milleseconds, where as the moment of
jack/knuckle seperation is on the order of 1 ms. Perfectly feasable that
some of this impact signal will get sent back through the key both at catch
(through the backcheck).

>
> Please correct me if I'm missing something obvious here.  Just trying to
> work through this in my head.
>
> It sounds strangely like the
> vibrato-via-massaging-key-at-bottom-of-stroke technique.  :)
>
> Jonathan Finger RPT
>
> -

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html