A weighty subject: real-world application?

[Bob Hull]

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Dave,I was tuning a little Estey grand a few weeks ago and it has a very heavy touch which I found is due to how early the damper underlevers are contacted by the key end.  Instead of coming into contact with the damper underlever at 1/2 the hammer's travel, these come into contact with the key end when the hammer hasn't moved 1/3 of the way to the string.  I doubt the customer will want to spend the money to have me regulate the dampers but the touch is really heavy. Bob Hull   

Piannaman@aol.com wrote:List, 

There have been many, many posts about touch-weight, key leading, etc. in the last few days.  Some of it I get, and some of it, well, let's just say it eludes me.  It is sinking in gradually. 

I have a job that may require a real-world application of some of the theroetical situations that have been posted.  I will probably be flamed for not looking in the archives, the Journal, or other resources, but--covered up asbestos(sorry...:-) I know how--here goes: 

I have a friend who plays piano at a restaurant.  It's a new Henry F. Miller--actually a Pearl River, I believe--petite grand(she called it a "Harry Potter, or something" when I asked her to describe it to me).  Sue complained about the heaviness of the touch, which surprised me until she asked me to sit in for a tune.  I wasn't able to get the gram weights out at dinner hour last night, but I'd be willing to wager that it's up around 75-80 grams touch weight.  Playing it is like weightlifting. 

It is a rental piano, and the restaurant owner doesn't want to spend much money on getting it to work any better.  I'd like to help my friend out, though, and experiment a bit in the process.  I haven't been able to get in to assess the cause of the heaviness, but it does not feel like friction.  I am going to tune it and give it a minor regulation within a couple of weeks, at which time I'll have more info.   

Has anybody worked on one of these?  Any suggestions for lightening the action without major surgery would be appreciated. 

Thanks, 

Dave Stahl 



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