Ed, Thanks for your response. All of your points reflect the point of view I was trying to describe. >The human side is far more variable. The way the performer uses the human >system will ultimately determine what the most responsive arrangement would >be in the piano. From the viewpoint of piano technology, this has hardly >been explored. >Ortmann's _Physiological mechanics of Piano Playing_ and Fink's _Mastering >Piano Technique_ come to mind. Fink has produced an excellent video >demonstrating various ways of using the arms and hands to play the piano. >It seems to me we need to connect both sides, and that you might be someone >who can do this. Meaning connect the engineering to the body mechanics? Interesting..daunting...but something to consider. Its interesting...I have been bugging the Boston chapter to consider doing a serious technical on the ergonomics of tuning..give the issue some serious thought. Having beat my bod' up working on-site, historic restoration, building houses, etc earlier in my career took its toll on my bod'. The last 4 years I completely re-tooled how I use my body...retooled how I walk, stand, breathe...the whole 9 yards. It produced a quantum leap to my piano playing, not to mention every other part of my life...overcame a decades long musical and personal plateau. The ergonomics of the instrument, is quite as present in my mind as the technical aspects of the instrument, but the touch and tone I am looking for now has been consistent since I was 15. Its a body style and musical temperament thing. >Pianists also have very different kinds of bodies, so that in optimizing a >piano for, say a 280 pound pianist with giant hands, we may be making it >miserable for other pianists. I totally agree; there are so many body and muscular and temperament styles, why does one piano design fit all. Having the modern piano defined specifically to master the concert stage really creates a vertical market. No wonder electric pianos have gained such a large part of the market. Jim -- Jim Ialeggio www.grandpianosolutions.com (under construction) Shirley, MA (978) 425-9026
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