<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16587" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>No, to the best of my knowledge there is no key headscale standard. There was supposed to have been a movement toward a standard in the late 1940s (overall width of 1220 mm, or approximately 48") but it doesn't seem to have caught on. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>The last keyset I was asked to lay out had a headscale width of 1223 mm. This made the naturals 22.0 mm wide with the gap between them 1.55 mm wide.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>For some unexplained reason key headscales seem to have become a bit wider over the decades and/or centuries. Yet, while I have never received a request <EM>from a pianist</EM> for a key headscale to be made wider I have had inquiries about making them narrower--though not as narrow as the 7/8-size keyset. I have laid out a new headscale that I intend to have built Real Soon Now that is 1194.0 mm wide overall, 1173.0 center-to-center. This makes the naturals 21.5 mm wide with a 1.5 mm gap. The gap between C# and D# is 16.5 mm and between F# and G#/G# and A# it is 15.8 mm. All pretty standard but reaching a tenth is just a bit easier.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>It strikes me as odd that some of the folks possessing the smallest hands build pianos having the widest octave spread. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=562001419-25012008> <P><FONT size=2>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant<BR>620 South Tower Avenue<BR>Centralia, Washington 98531  USA<BR>Phone  360.736-7563<BR><<A href="mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com">mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com</A>> </FONT></P> </SPAN></DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Paul T Williams<BR><B>Sent:</B> January 25, 2008 10:06 AM<BR><B>To:</B> caut@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] Natural key width<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>List,</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Is there a standard in the industry for piano key width on the naturals.  Nearly all the pianos here are at 23mm except for the five Mason and Hamlins from the 20's we have which measure 22mm giving them a disconcerting space between the keys. Think of David Letterman <G>. We have no European pianos so I can't measure them.</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>One of our piano professors is doing some kind of research paper and was a big advocate for one of our practice Steinways to have a 7/8th keyboard installed for small handed students.  (It hardly ever gets played!)</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Thanks</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Paul</FONT> <BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>