[CAUT] Shank to Hammer weight spreadsheet

[Chris Solliday]

That's very cool Tim. When I was studying playing the drums I had a very
good teacher who taught me to choose drum sticks by pitch. We listened to
the pitch by scratching the sticks next to our ears. I suspect this will
work for shanks as well. Later I had an ear training teacher who had us
identify the pitch of any solid object in the room. I used the scratching
method then too to great advantage. I really hope there is a direct
correlation between pitch and weight. OK I'll stop til after the
experiments. sorry folks.
Chris solliday
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Coates" <tcoates1 at sio.midco.net>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Shank to Hammer weight spreadsheet


> Hi Alan,
>
> I will do my best to describe my method.  In making the shank show
> its pitch my desire is to somewhat replicate the shank on the action
> rail.  That means being as consistent as possible in the way I hold
> the shank:  firmly on the flange hole just before the flange would
> stop its contact with the rail.  This provides a dampening affect on
> the flange, but allow the rest of the shank to show its pitch.   I
> like to use a wood surface to moderately tap the hammer end of the
> shank onto.  The same wood target or spot is used for all tapping.
> As you tap the shank several times you find it always gives the same
> pitch.  It takes some practice to make the same motion, but it feels
> like an artistic movement.
>
> The first run through sorting the entire set creates two groups:  low
> and high.  The two groups are then sorted into two subgroups of low
> and high creating four groups.  The four groups are then sorted into
> eight groups.  Once you have them in eight groups of low to high the
> individual shanks within each group are sequenced, low to high.   The
> final test is to go through the entire set from low to high.  There
> should be very few changes made.   Sorting this way really opens up
> your ears for the final run through.
>
> Tim Coates
>
> On Feb 18, 2008, at 12:01 PM, Alan McCoy wrote:
>
> > Tim,
> >
> > Could you describe how you sort shanks by sound? I've done vertical
> > shanks
> > that way for a long time by just dropping them on the table and
> > listening.
> > Grand shanks, though, are "contaminated" by the flange connection, so
> > dropping them doesn't necessarily give a good "plink" or "plonk." I
> > suppose
> > by holding the flange and letting the shank fall onto the table,
> > you'll get
> > a comparable "plink."
> >
> > Alan
> >
> >
> > -- Alan McCoy, RPT
> > Eastern Washington University
> > amccoy at mail.ewu.edu
> > 509-359-4627
> >
> >
> >> From: Tim Coates <tcoates1 at sio.midco.net>
> >> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>"
> >> <caut at ptg.org>
> >> Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:55:24 -0600
> >> To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>"
> >> <caut at ptg.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Shank to Hammer weight spreadsheet
> >>
> >> Keith,
> >>
> >> Listening and sequencing the shanks is very fast if done correctly.
> >> I don't agree with Grotian's sequencing method.  I've been sorting
> >> low pitches to the bass end and high pitches to the top for over
> >> twenty years.  One basic principle I follow is a low pitched knock
> >> associated with a movement within the piano reduces power.  It is one
> >> of the main reasons I change front rail felt punchings.  Hard felt
> >> punchings create a low knock that robs power from the sound.   I find
> >> the same to be true with the pitch of the shanks.
> >>
> >> But as I have said before:  to each his own.  Grotian does it their
> >> way and that's fine.  I know what works for me.
> >>
> >> Tim Coates
> >>
> >>
> >> On Feb 16, 2008, at 8:07 PM, Keith Roberts wrote:
> >>
> >>> My question is, if you are weighing the whole shank and flange, how
> >>> do you know the distribution of the difference in weight? If 90% of
> >>> the weight difference is from the knuckle through the flange, the
> >>> SW wouldn't change much and so the presumed evening out of the
> >>> weights is not there. The distribution of the mass could vary from
> >>> shank to shank at all the different weights.
> >>>
> >>> I like the idea of listening to the sound of the shanks. A thinner
> >>> light shank should produce a higher sound. Very quick too.
> >>>
> >>> Keith Roberts
> >>>
> >>> On Feb 16, 2008 5:48 PM, Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>>   It takes too long.  Just dry fit the hammers to the shanks
> >>>> right after you've tapered them with the table saw ...
> >>>
> >>> I don't think you get the idea. Mating a shank's SW with a
> >>> hammer weight will require less hammer mass alteration
> >>> to achieve a smooth SW curve.
> >>> -- 
> >>>
> >>> Regards,
> >>>
> >>> Jon Page
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
> >