Olde instrument Scaling, etc.

[Clark]

Hi,

> > These instruments should Never be used by students.

> these old squares have action pieces that will easily break in
> comparison

They're very old but they have fewer parts to fix. Keys usually are
squashed by enthusiastic tightening of rocker screws.

Accustomation to their extreme differences in key length has no
advantage for playing modern acoustic or electronic keyboard
instruments. The mechanical defects to the long treble keys weren't
unknown to makers, some installing longer buttons and shoes to
compensate a little for effects to stiffness. Inertial differences can't
be ignored, though.

> the scale balance is totally out of whack

I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare them with modern scales. At
least by now, it is the tension of the strings that imparts any
stiffness to the system, rather than any compression they might have put
to the thin, barely supported boards. Especially closer to the gap for
the hammers, usually only with a short stretcher or two and a single
iron spacer. Moderate finger pressure on a non strung board seems to
show this.

A nice piece on more forensic scale research,

<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PaulPoletti/Scale.pdf>

> Cheek Lift

This is easily seen in photos of old wooden framed grands where the
treble cheek isn't parallel to the spine. Also can be found by pushing
down the corners of squares. This tends to distort keybeds, and spine
deformation can mess with strike points.

One reason for fun stuff like down striking pianos. 


Clark