Backchecking Height

[antares@euronet.nl]

On dinsdag, mei 27, 2003, at 19:07 Europe/Amsterdam, Bradley M. Snook 
wrote:

> Stéphane, you have outlined my problem exactly: setting backchecking 
> height
> out of the piano often gives substantially different results when the
> keyboard is put back in the piano. I too have been using the
> chalk-and-blindly-correct method, but I would love to get something 
> that is
> more effective. Are there any other ideas out there?
>
> Bradley
>
> P.S. Just so things are clear, I am asking about the height of 
> backchecking,
> not backcheck height. ;)

A general rule : back checks should be positioned at an angle of 72 
degrees...that's numero uno and VERY important.
secondly, a hammer tail should under no circumstances touch a back 
check when the hammer is on its way to the string.
You can check this by laying your hand on the hammer, press the hammer 
down a bit and depress the key, so that the hammer is forced up even 
though the pressure of the hand presses it down (a bit). If the tail of 
the hammer then touches the leather of the back check, you can feel it 
and hear it.
The ideal position for a back check is such that the hammer checks as 
high as possible WITHOUT touching the back check on its way UP.
The higher a hammer can check un-hindred, the less energy is wasted in 
the play of repetition.
It may very well be possible that, when a pianist bangs on a key very 
hard and fast, the hammer shank flexes somewhat so that the hammer head 
gets sort of warped and thereby hits the back check nevertheless.
For that reason the distance between the hammer and the string is 
generally somewhere between 14-15-16 mm, but is just a safety margin.

Antares,
The Netherlands

see my website at : www.concertpianoservice.nl