Brass Tuning Finger...

[Ron Torrella]

Below is the note Mr. Bill was talking about....I guess I hit the wrong
series of Ys and Ns when I was responding.  You live and you learn...

Ron Torrella                  "Dese are de conditions dat prevail."
School of Music                           --Jimmy Durante
University of Illinois

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 10:01:02 -0600
From: Ron Torrella <torrella@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
To: Yardbird47@aol.com
Subject: Re: Racquet Ball

On Tue, 20 Dec 1994 Yardbird47@aol.com wrote:

> Actually, it's a racquet ball with a bass hammer epoxied to it, for a test
> blow delivery system. The hammer on the broom handle ( or 6" thereof),
> wrenches the wrist. The ball fits nicely in the cup of your hand and it also
> recoils the shock of the blow back into the key. Ms. Reinhardt would let hers
> sit up by the tuning pins waiting for the last blow on each note. I've got
> mine on an elastic string hanging down from my wrist. It's actually possible
> to hold it in the cup of the hand with one finger and play an octave with the
> thumb and another finger

I found a length of 3/4" solid brass in the shop some years back that cam
ein hand in making a "tuning finger."  I cut a 4.5" long piece off.  I
then put in on a lathe and graduated the tip (by steps) down to about 1/2"
I then glued an 1/8"  thick piece of leather to the point, got some velcro
and glued the loops part (that's the fuzzy part) to the brass in a 2" wide
area.  I took a 2" length of loops and glued that to the backside (one one
end) of the hooks part of the velcro.  (That piece is about 11" long.) I
made a circle of the hooks piece attaching hooks to loops.  The hooks part
(the circle) attaches to the loops on the brass piece.  I can hold this
"tuning finger" in the palm of my hand and still play tenths with relative
ease.  The weight (I think it's about 9-10 oz.) is not too heavy for the
velcro to hold on -- since all of my test blows are done with the "finger"
-- so it stays put.  The tip is narrow enough to not cause too much
concern about breaking/chipping keys -- the leather tip is slightly wider
than the brass part.  Mind you, I don't *bang* the finger on the keys.  I
just sort of drop it to the keys.  The weight of the "finger" plus my
forearm produces a satisfactory blow.

            |<---  3.5"        ---> |<-- 1" -->|
            _________________________
            |    xxxxxxxxxxxxx       \____
            |    xxxxxxxxxxxxx            \___
            |    xxxxxxxxxxxxx                || <-- leather tip
            |    xxxxxxxxxxxxx             ___||
            |    xxxxxxxxxxxxx        ____/
              |____xxxxxxxxxxxxx_______/
                |<--- 2" --->|
                 (loops part)

The loop part can be adjusted to fit snugly around your hand.  (The above
attempt at drawing the end product isn't quite right.  I actually have
four steps from the thickest part own to the thinnest part.)


Ron Torrella                  "Dese are de conditions dat prevail."
School of Music                           --Jimmy Durante
University of Illinois