punching, it hits you

[Avery Todd]

Ric,

Just curious. Is Andre referring to the backchecks being higher than normal
(2 mm below the hammer tail at let-off), or lower?

Avery

>This brings me to another one of Andre's suggestions... that about the 
>height of the backcheck having an impact on tone.  Now this one is just 
>plain weird sounding... I'll be the first to admit it... but there it 
>was.  When Andre was up here a couple years back he demonstrated it to 5 
>of us, and no one could avoid admiting that he'd changed the tone... the 
>openess of the tone on the notes he'd adjusted.  I asked the famous 
>Japanese pianotechs Mr.  Ono and Mr. Takahara  about this too whilst I was 
>in Japan this summer, and they both immediatly responded along the 
>lines... "but of course-- didnt you know that ???"... tho to this day I 
>have yet to find a satisfactory explaination for why the height of the 
>backcheck can influence the openess of the tone of the piano.