I have been following the gometry posts with intense interest and look forward to Ken Sloan's class and the CAUT meeting where this will all come up yet again. What seems to be lacking in all the discussion is a "unified theory of action geometry." This strikes me as strange since the industry has had over 150 years to "get it right," and that modern actions seem to the naked eye to look more and more alike pointing to the fact that there is indeed a "good geometry" that is going to give the pianist the most power, control, and repetition. The questions that I have are as follows: 1. Is Pfeiffer the only man that has attempted to write a complete treatise on action geometry? I know the Germans have materials that are used to train Journeymen and Masters but are these available to us here in the States, even in German? 2. When Mr. Emerson says to the effect,"When in doubt, go with the specs." What are the specs--I mean *all* of them? We can get shank length, action spread, and action regulation specs, but what about actual hammer weight, and the various ratios that David Stanwood is working with? Are these numbers available from the various manufacturers? 3. What happens between the action designers desk and the pianos we work on? Is it quality control that breaks down and introduces geometry changes that were not intended? Does this mean that good action geometry is an accident of manufacturing regardless of good intentions? Or are pianos inherently unpredictable? I know no two plates are exactly alike so does that mean no two pianos are exactly alike, hence the action geometry discrepencies? 4. Am I naive/ignorant to imagine manufacturers would necessarily choose to use an ideal action geometry even on paper. If there was only one set of specs, all the manufacturers would be using them and there wouldn't be a unique feature to sell to the customer. The competive world of sales demands some way to make a product that is unique regardless of whether it is better or not. Forgive me if that sounds cynical; I'm just asking. 5. Are we, as piano technicians, reinventing the wheel? It seems we are finally discovering action geometry as the latest thing in rebuilding. Manufactureres have been inventing the wheel, so to speak, for centuries. Why aren't we working with them, or they with us? Is it that bugaboo competive edge again? Rebuilding is, after all, a threat to new piano sales. I've heard it said that rebuilders are the biggest competition to manufacturers. Given that there are millions of good old rebuildable grands out there, they have a point. That's all for now. I'll be listening/reading/cogitating etc. Richard West University of Nebrasa
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