7/8 Keyboard

[Ron Torrella]

I don't know about  website, but David Steinbuhler's email address is
dskeyboards@tbscc.com. He'd be the best source of information for you and
your department.

I was impressed with the keyboards. I think students who perform on these
reduced keybaords might experience difficulty when faced with normal
keyboards, but I don't see that as a reason to not use them. The keyboards,
in the right situation could be used on stage pianos - the reduced keyboards
being swapped for the normal ones (both are in complete regulation) - a la
Ken Sloane. In the alternative, the stack can be swapped between keyboards
with minimal adjustment (according to Steinbuhler).

I hope the powers-that-be here at U of M will be open to exploring this
option for its pedagogy program.

Ron Torrella, RPT

Avery Todd wrote:

> List,
>
>    Does anyone have any experience with the 7/8 keyboard? We have several
> Oriental students with very small hands who are excellent pianists but
> have a lot of difficulty in playing certain repertoire. They're always
> having to decide what notes to leave out just to play the piece and then
> it doesn't sound right.
>    I was discussing this with the chairman of our piano department today
> because some new students are coming in and they have very small hands.
> During the discussion, a few questions came up:
>
>    1) If these were used, wouldn't the pianist have a lot of problems
> when going to competitions, giving recitals elsewhere, etc. and having to
> play on "normal" keyboards?
>
>    2) Are they designed as just a keyframe and keys and one just
> installs the regular action on that frame? Or do you have to get the
> entire thing?
>
>    Is there a web site pertaining to this? I just tried to access the
> archives because I think it's been discussed in the last year or two but
> couldn't get on right now. Wasn't there also a Journal article about
> them?
>    Would it be feasible/practical, especially in an institutional setting
> to consider getting a couple of these? One for a teaching piano and one
> for a performance piano? Just some rhetorical questions possibly, but an
> interesting possibility.
>    Thanks for any help.
>
> Avery
>
> mailto:atodd@uh.edu                 I'd rather be over the hill
>                                          than under it.
> Avery Todd, RPT
> Moores School of Music
> University of Houston
> Houston, TX 77204-4201