----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Nereson" <dnereson@dimensional.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: October 26, 2001 1:44 AM Subject: soft, una corda pedal > > I press that left pedal, all the keys are loose - see them move!" Well, > > lady, your una corda pedal is a bit squeaky, but it seems to function > > reasonably well > > The left pedal on a grand came to be called the "una corda" pedal since it > shifted the action so that the hammers would hit only one (una) rather than > both strings of the unison (pianos had two-string unisons back then). But > now that they have three-string unisons, "due cordi" would be more correct > ("two strings"). But on a vertical, when the left pedal is used, all three > strings (two in the bass, of course) are still struck, so "soft pedal" is > more correct than "una corda". ------------------------------------------------ This is mostly, though not exclusively, the case. There have been vertical pianos--indeed, there still is at least one being built in Japan--using an action shift. The damper mechanism is mounted on a separate, stationary rail and the action is mounted on a full keyframe which, like that of the grand, shifts to the right as the pedal is actuated. Del
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