[pianotech] regulation without a ruler (was: Old can of worms)

[Susan Kline]

On 5/10/2012 11:57 PM, David Love wrote:
> Maybe during the regulation part of the RPT test we should have people 
> do that without the benefit of any measuring devices, just by feel. 

That actually is a pretty good idea -- well, not for the test, because 
the test depends on numbers to be "impartial" (and, to my mind, that is 
one difficulty with testing piano work.) The pianist plays by feel. If 
you know the ratios you want, and the tradeoffs you cannot avoid,  and 
you can eyeball things like check distance, and you have a good feel for 
aftertouch, you might end up better without measurements than a 
regulation purely by the numbers, especially if a particular piano is 
"geometrically challenged". And for some brands specs are not available, 
anyhow. Working without measuring tools, one is in closer contact with 
the particular instrument itself, instead of some theoretical model 
which may or may not be a good match with the real piano for things like 
string height, bore distance, worn hammers, etc.

Of course, this demands a good sense of touch when actually playing a 
piano, and a feeling for musicality and for what artists require. Mcuh 
easier to just plug in some numbers. So much less thinking and listening 
and feeling. Think of the time which can be saved! Well, not really, 
because measuring takes time. But maybe mental effort?

Susan Kline (ducking in advance)