Hi Jon, Here's my 1 1/2 cents. What I'm thinking here seems a little off the wall,= but it might be a factor. In the last years of the Aeolian dy-nasty and in= low-end Kimballs (I know, I know) the letoff rail brackets in verticals= were so flimsy that it was possible to block hammers with the letoff set at= over 1/8". This didn't happen with a straight finger blow, but rather when= striking octaves. There was something about the resilient pressure of= fingers spread out like that that kept the jack buried in the butt deeply= enough to deflect the whole letoff rail enough for the hammer to block= solidly. Maybe the power curve is important after all. Back to grands. The= hammer shanks will=20flex quite a bit when played, according to an old slow= motion film that's knocking about somewhere. The terminal velocity of a= hammer can be identical whether the power was applied with a smooth= acceleration, through a long stroke, or a short chop. I would think the= tone coloration could be considerably affected by technique as it relates= to how the shank is flexing under power. Understrike, overstrike, scrub, or= dead square are going to produce slightly different sounds. Whether the= differences are enough to account for the observed aural effects, I can't= say. I must admit I haven't been following this thread that closely, so I= hope I'm not flogging a point that's already=20been raised. If not...= comments? Regards, Ron Nossaman =20 At 08:35 AM 4/13/97 -0400, you wrote: >Some time ago I had the good fortune to have a teacher retire >to the Cape. His B needed regulating and I needed lessons. >He had traveled to either London or Paris in the '20's to study >with Tobias Matthey to learn his technique. It was amazing the >variations produced by articulation. He had no explaination of >why playing the note a certain way changed the shape, he just >gave me the technique which has facilitated my playing. I am not >a great player but I sound like one on the few meager pieces I play. >As I recall the method is controlling speed of key decent. (It's not >how hard or light you press the key, but how fast or slow to control >volume). Plam springs are another element, having your finger on >the key before you play it (tricky), rolling your hand thru... There's >a lot to it, I can't remember it all right now, I need practice. > >Perhaps if this question were brought to rmmp, the teachers >and pianophiles there may have better insight. >Jon Page >Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >At 02:02 PM 4/12/97 -0500, you wrote: >>> From: Kenneth W. Burton <kwburton@freenet.calgary.ab.ca> >>> I have wondered if the differences could be accounted for >>>by the fact that the hammer may be accelerating in speed as it >>>strikes the string or decelerating in it speed. Perhaps this possibility, >>>along with widely differing rates of acceleration and deceleration may >>>provide the answer. >>>=20 >>Interesting point. Once again the laws of physics must be >>considered. Perhaps the hammer is actually decelerating since it >>lets off. When the force that causes acceleration ceases, I think >>you begin deceleration at that moment. Maybe someone from physics >>101 can say.=20 >> But suppose a decelerating hammer made a difference, could you >>control it? To decelerate you first have to accelerate. Maybe then >>the let off should be 12.5 mm instead of 2.5 eh? --x(-;=DE =20 >> >> >> > >Jon Page >Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >=09 >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > Ron Nossaman
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