Practical Concert Work

Ron Nossaman rnossaman@cox.net
Fri, 28 May 2004 13:33:55 -0500


>---in other words, my goal is to have the
> > action feel right, like "butter," as one unbelievable young jazz player
>said
> > to me the other day, referring to a Mason CC I had worked on.>
> > I love this topic.
>
>Interesting analogy.  I guess you were pleased that he used the term butter
>(the higher priced spread).  Would you have been insulted if he said
>margarine (the plastic alternative)?  G


You mean, you can't tell it's not regulated?

Cheap jokes aside. If it feels and responds right, it's regulated, 
regardless of the absolute precision of any one parameter. I tried an 
experiment a few years ago, finishing up the regulation on a Kimball grand 
rebuild. On the final pass, after everything else was as close to where I 
wanted it as I could realistically get it, I evened out any remaining 
detectable (by me) differences in feel at the bottom of the stroke by 
adjusting the letoff slightly. Of the half dozen people I invited in to try 
it before it was delivered, two made it in. Both from out of town, 
strangely enough. Both said the same thing about the action. It felt good, 
responsive, and was controllable at low volume levels. Both said it had 
been some time since they had played a piano that they could enjoy playing 
softly. Sacrilege, I know, but an interesting result for so heretical an 
action (sorry). We take our shots, and we ponder our scores.

Ron N


This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC