Flexy S&S D Keys

[pianoguru at cox.net]

---- mccleskey112 at bellsouth.net wrote: 
> Hey: I'd like to know how much flex is too much and why just S&S D's?

Hi Gerald,

It's not just S&S.  Unfortunately, in the USA, S&S is, by far, the most likely concert grand you will find in a concert venue, and exposed to the expectations of the finest artists.

I have had this problem in pianos of my own design.  It is more likely to be a problem with a concert grand due to the greater key length and therefore, greater opportunity for flex.  Also, due to the angled offset of the key being its greatest at the extreme ends of the keyboard makes the bass most susceptible to this problem, just where you need the greatest rigidity.  

How much flex is too much?  When there is a lower than usual threshold beyond which you just cannot get any more power in the bass no matter what you do in voicing, you might have a flexy key.  When all other aspects of the design suggest you should get more from the bass, you might have a flexy key.  If you can hold down the back of the key and press the front of the key halfway through its distance of travel, you definitely have a flexy key!  (OK, I'm exaggerating a bit.)

Frank Emerson