Streinway "Accelerated action".

[A440A@aol.com]

<< I was talking to a very influential piano teacher in the area and she

insisted that the reason V. Horowitz was able to play so rapidly was that

his piano was adjusted to increase the repetition speed.  I responded that

if that was possible to do without sacrificing other control aspects,

Steinway and other piano manufacturers would all do it.  I've read "My Life

with the Great Pianist" and see nothing in there were Horowitz's piano was

"juiced."  Am I correct?  Does anyone have any inside info? >>

Greetings, 
   The hammers were juiced, but then again, all Steinways seem to be.  They 
were rather small and had been filed numerous times.   
    The man was able to play rapidly, that is the main thing.  However, his 
hammers, even as old as they were, did check fairly close to the strings, (as 
I remember, after examining the piano at the factory before it was 
"restored").  The keys had less lead than normal, due to the hammers being so 
light.  There wasn't much power in the piano at the time, it was just loud 
and brassy.  
Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT 
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html