Loss and Piano Tuning ( was: hearing etc.)

[Kenneth Jankura]

Conrad,

Why don't you add a piece of elastic to your thumper so you don't  
have to use any muscles to hold it.
It works for me. I've done the "Newton Hunt" style thumper for years  
and it is fantastic.
My 'thumper' is 7//16" x 3/4", about 5" long, small piece of hammer  
felt glued to the bottom end,
with a thumbtack on the top end holding both ends of a piece of thin  
elastic about 10" long.
The loop of elastic goes around the back of your hand and back around  
the wood.
It stays on your hand and you can do any checks you want.
I wear it on my left hand, and can play any music (I am able to play)  
with it still attached to my hand.
I can check fifths, octaves, and tenths (i have big hands) with the  
'thumper' attached.
I have the shaft long enough that you can still pound a acrosonic  
that has the 'see the keys or see the hammers' type fallboard
(where I keep the fallboard 1/2 closed).
The reason the thumper shaft is is rectangular is so that it makes it  
easy to rotate it in your hand to get a really great shot at the sharps.
I had made a cool one out of some rare tropical wood on my lathe and  
then promptly lost it, so now it's a scrap piece of wood I'll never  
lose.
On grands at the top end, I position it between my ring and pinky  
finger, when I stand off to the right to get the top couple octaves.
Seems to work for me.
As for adding weight to the thumper, whatever for!!
Drop your relaxed arm straight down from 3" with 'thumper' attached  
and that is probably the strongest  test blow you'll ever need.
Relaxed is the operative word.
I wish i could take a picture and send it, but I just ain't got the  
chops.

BTW, I've been off the list for probably two years, just started  
lurking again.
Life is good, I just got married (again), and I'm glad to be back.
All you guys rule, see you in Rochester.

Ken Jankura, RPT
Fayetteville. PA

On May 8, 2006, at 2:02 PM, Conrad Hoffsommer wrote:

> At 08:17 AM 5/8/2006 -0600, you wrote:
>> Conrad - Have you noticed how slippery that felt can be against  
>> plastic
>> keytops??
>
>
> Not really. I'm usually hitting it pretty much vertical, but I see  
> your point.
>
>
>> Try gluing a small piece of buckskin on the end of the felt.
>> Goodby slipperiness.......
>>
>> John Fortiner
>
>
> Like certain things pertaining to a famous make, that slipperiness  
> might just be a "feature".  If it squirts out due to a non- 
> perpendicular blow, it goes away from the palm of my hand. If it  
> grabbed, it might create some torque to my thumb/wrist...
>
> Either way, I've been using this, successfully, for years and would  
> be reluctant to fix something which doesn't appear to me to be a  
> flaw.  Teaching an old dog, like me, new tricks would not be time  
> well spent... ;-}
>
>
>
>
> Conrad Hoffsommer
>
> All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
>