Aftertouch

[Dennis Johnson]

       I'm just catching up with the mail and may have missed some of it
but there is another way to satisfy our ideal sense of regulating
parameters without compromising either blow or aftertouch at all on
Steinways. That is to use the original dimension low-leverage parts.

        My technique for setting aftertouch has evolved somewhat the past
few years. Now I actually focus a flashlight down through the strings and
watch the jack travel to set my samples. This is easiest on the big pianos,
but you can still see those near the break on smaller models. I used to go
strictly by feel and a gauge, but this way I never have to redo it later
because I judged wrong. With low-leverage parts I let the jack travel to
its maximum, with high leverage shanks only the minimum necessary. This
reduces the difference between these two actions to no more than about
.015", which still is noticeable.

        This brings to issue for me an interesting point regarding the
pianist's perception of good key dip. Clearly, there is no absolute right
or wrong independent of what the player is accustomed to. In the past ten
years now, as more and more of the performance Steinways are fitted to the
higher, European style leverage, naturally pianists have adapted. I am
always keen to listen for comments when they do come, and it amazes me
really how seldom that pianists complain about the deeper dip. There was
one case when I had to switch pianos for a jazz player and couldn't tell
him because he showed up late. He was used to a deeper dip but that night
he got an original dimension action. The touch weight was the same on these
two pianos, but he could really tell the difference, said his hands even
got a little sore. This was with plenty of aftertouch, .040" -.050". On
another occasion when he was more familiar with that piano he played it
again, and loved it. So what do you do?


Dennis Johnson
johnsond@stolaf.edu