Shanks parallel to strings

[Phillip Ford]

>My try :
>
>The hammer has a rotating movement around the center pin of the shank.

I agree with you there.  After that you lose me.

>
>When hitting the string, we could consider two points : the point of first 
>contact between hammer and string, and the point of largest excursion of 
>the hammer accompanying the string at it's largest deflexion from rest 
>position before rebounding, at loudest playing power (this will be very 
>different in the bass than in the trebble).  I believe that for maximum 
>power transfer between the hammer and the string, the movement of the 
>hammer should be not really perpendicular at contact time to the plane of 
>the resting string, but to a plane a bit higher (higher of something 
>approaching half the distance between the two points defined 
>earlier).  This, because of the cosinus coefficient in the vectorial 
>force.  Let us call this third very point the optimal quasi tangential 
>point of intersection between hammer arc and quasi perpendiculat to 
>largest portion of string plane when at approximately 1/2 of it's  largest 
>deflection from rest position at loudest power playing 
>(OQTPIBHAQPLPSPA1/2LDRPLPP).

You leave me speechless.

Phil Ford

>The fact is : if you bore your hammer shorter and have the shank run 
>beyond parallel to the plane including the OQTPIBHAQPLPSPA1/2LDRPLPP, you 
>loose some power.....
>
>Regards,
>
>St�phane Collin.