This is a continuation from my previous post. Without having done a thorough study, but based on my experience and taste, I am inclined to think that were one to graph the ideal strike weight curve with relation to tone production that the curve would be somewhat steeper than the is represented by David Stanwood's full/medium/low designations. I find that the bass (depending on the piano, of course, but all things being equal) wants a fuller SW and that the treble wants a lower SW. Thus, if one were to graph this line, it would tend to be a steeper curve. I have never found any advantage in the very top of the piano being in the full SW zone. Despite the energy that may be produced by a fuller strike weight in the upper area of the piano, I'm not sure that more enery results in better tone, or even more projection. Which brings up a problem often encountered with Steinway hammers (which I still use). The natural curve of these hammers tends to be very flat. That is, the relative difference between the bass and treble hammers is small. Uniform tapering usually results in the bass hammers being too light and the treble hammers being too heavy (I am talking only about tone production qualities). I am recently more inclined to graduate my tapering so that the bass hammers remain (in Stanwood terms) in the full to medium zone while the treble hammers are taken farther down to the low zone. Additionally, in the treble I have begun to pull the staple and trim the lower part of the hammer felt down to the tenor break (50-52), not simply for weight control but for tonal purposes. To me, it seems to sound better this way. I am curious about anyone else's experience/opinion in this area. David Love _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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