On Nov 30, 2010, at 12:11 PM, Zeno Wood wrote: > It was easier to play the expressive pianissimo on the pianofortes > and fortepianos of yesteryear, as those were quieter instruments. > Perhaps as pianos got louder and louder and the hammers got heavier > and heavier, pianists needed to have the friction thrown in to > enable pianissimo playing on instruments that were primed to play > loud. Well, maybe, but why would that be? The fingers are needing to work harder, accelerate more mass, so everything is ramped up. Even to play pianissimo requires more oomph, and I guess one could say that the amount of difference of touch to produce different levels of tone is magnified. But when it comes to producing pianissimo, it really comes down to feeling what is the least effort that can be applied (least velocity achieved) and actually get a blow (the hammer goes beyond escapement to the string). In terms of having "something pressing back at you," the weight of the hammer is plenty, no need to add a wee bit of friction. (Interesting question: how much does the finger on the key feel 4 grams difference in hammerflange friction? How big an element is that in comparison with the inertia to be overcome and the mass to be accelerated?) In any case, assuming let off is set close enough, I personally have no problem achieving the lightest pianissimo (tending to be almost inaudible on recordings) with low friction. I'm sure it has to do with what any given pianist is accustomed to, but I think I can say positively that it isn't cut and dried, that "friction is necessary for control" is not an absolute truth. The far bigger difference between the early Viennese piano and that of today, from the point of view of "expression," is ratio. Far smaller differences in "touch" produced far larger differences in velocity, which means a wider tonal palette. The power of weight comes at a cost. Regards, Fred Sturm fssturm at unm.edu "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Twain
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